Well, good morning.
Once again, happy mothers today to you who are mothers.
! My name is Tom Zentz.
My wife Carrie and her mother are actually on their way back from Chicago this morning.
! They were there visiting her aunt who turned 100 years old this weekend.
Carrie and I have been married for 39 years.
We have six children, seven grandchildren.
We've been members of Maranatha since 1984.
Over these 40 years, we've had the privilege of ministering to this body in various ways,
including now, one, as your deacon.
I want to say that it's our joy to see what God is doing here at this church.
It is a blessing.
When Pastor Andrew asked if I would preach on Mother's Day, I confess, there was some apprehension.
This day has often been met with mixed feelings for me.
And my own mother was only in my life until I was eight years old.
I was the oldest of four boys.
We were eight, four, six, and two.
When my mother battled an invisible enemy, a brain tumor.
That tumor caused her to change her personality, become even violent.
My father divorced my mother.
He remarried three more times.
That ended at three more divorces.
And then my mother, at her age of 40, she died of that tumor.
So while I'm grateful to God for other Christian mothers, those ladies in churches who have influenced me and my brothers,
this was a day we really did not celebrate.
Not until I married Carrie 39 years ago and gained a new godly mother-in-law.
So whether this day is a celebration for you personally or not,
this is the Lord's Day.
And the message is from God's word.
And it's for our good.
It's for his glory.
It is a pleasure to look at the scriptures with you today.
Our text is going to be 2 Timothy chapter 1.
I invite you to open your Bibles there.
If you're using the Pew Bible, it's page 995.
We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 14,
but I'm going to confess to you that we're actually going to be looking at the whole letter of 2 Timothy.
Don't get worried.
It's not going to be that deep of a look.
But we're going to be tracing three themes that Paul threads throughout the letter of 2 Timothy.
Before I read this passage here in 2 Timothy 1,
let me just say again, thank you, mothers,
for your faithful ministries to your children, your family.
The emotional and the physical rollercoaster of life can be exhausting,
and it can be overwhelming.
And I'm praying that the Lord would encourage your hearts today,
that you might be renewed and refreshed as you hear the word of God.
Please follow along as I read.
This is 2 Timothy chapter 1, starting at verse 1.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my beloved child,
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
As I remember your tears,
I long to see you that I may be filled with joy.
I am reminded of your sincere faith,
a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice,
and now I'm sure dwells in you as well.
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.
For God gave us a spirit, not of fear,
but of power and love and self-control.
Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord,
nor of me as prisoner,
but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
who saved us and called us to a holy calling,
not because of our works,
but because of his own purpose and grace,
which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
and which now have been manifested through the appearing of our Savior,
Christ Jesus,
who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
which is why I suffer as I do.
But I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed,
and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us,
guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
Would you join me in prayer?
Our Heavenly Father,
You are so faithful.
You are loyal to your own character.
And we can trust you.
You are a good Heavenly Father.
Thank you for the blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ.
Thank you for allowing your Son to go through what he did for our sake.
Thank you for the rich gospel and the salvation that we cherish.
Lord, we confess to you,
we don't love you as deeply as we ought to.
Would you help us to love you more and more, day by day,
even as we come under the teaching of your word this morning.
May your spirit make Christ a little bit more clearer in our lives.
Help us to reflect him, to reflect your glory among our families,
among our neighborhoods, at our places of work,
wherever you have us.
This morning as we see your word
and your spirit brings things to our attention,
help us not to discard it.
I pray, Father, that you would have your work and your will done in our lives.
I'm guessing that there are some individuals here today
who come with some heavy burdens.
Some come with doubts and maybe wondering what you are doing.
Would you help them to know that your word is sure
and your hope, it's eternal.
God, I pray that we would be refreshed
through the preaching of your word this morning.
We want to give you praise.
We want to say thank you again for your Son, Jesus,
and we pray in his name.
Amen.
The title of the message this morning,
and there's no outline.
That's on me.
It's a mother's greatest gift.
And I would say mothers,
and when I say mothers,
all of you in here know that the things
that we're going to be talking to mothers about,
most of it applies to all of us.
So mothers and fathers,
especially now as Christian parents,
mothers and fathers,
the most necessary thing as a Christian parent
is your own life in Jesus Christ.
And it may seem simplistic.
It may seem so fundamental.
But as Christian parents,
our own lives need to be marked by godliness and faith.
Godliness and faith are manifested in various ways.
But one of the chief ways is a love for
and a trust in God and in his word.
A godly mother steeped in God's truth
is powerfully effective
as an instrument of God in the lives of her family.
The challenge this morning from our text
is to delight your own selves,
mothers,
in the word of God.
That affection that you have for God and his word
is what your children are going to see.
Your faith in the scriptures
to guide you,
to encourage you through the challenges of life,
that will be evident.
You see,
we can only share what we possess.
Christian mothers who know little of Christ
will have little of Christ
to share with their children.
Christian mothers who delight little in Christ
will instill little delight in their children.
Christian mothers who speak little of Christ
will have children who speak little of Christ.
Our children are sponges.
Their little souls are inclined to soak up
what floods forth from our lives.
As we delight in the Lord and in his word
and we display that delight to our children,
they do take note.
Generally speaking,
the things that capture your hearts,
they capture the hearts of your children.
If you would allow me,
I was walking out this morning
from our entryway in the house
and I saw this.
And I thought,
I'll just bring this.
My daughter-in-law,
a few years ago,
created this for us.
And as she began to understand
the Zenz family
and what we like
and what we like to do,
she created this.
And it says,
in this house,
we forgive,
we give grace,
we say prayers,
we do Sunday family lunch,
we give hugs,
we choose joy,
we love really well,
we play games,
we reminisce about Japan,
we live there for more than 10 years,
we do puzzles,
and we drink milk nog.
You'll have to ask me about that one later.
We serve the Lord.
It dawned on me that
for her,
not having grown up in my family,
as she began to observe
what we like and do,
those began the things
that she began to like and to do.
And as we think about ministering
to our children,
it is the scriptures
that give us the wisdom
and the means to do so.
Of course,
we will never do so perfectly,
but if we would seek to do it well,
our lives must be filled
with the scriptures.
The word is how we are made wise
into salvation,
and how we accomplish ministry
for the good of those around us,
including our children.
Lois and Eunice serve as two great examples
of this in our text this morning.
There in 2 Timothy 1, 5,
Paul says to Timothy,
I'm reminded of your sincere faith,
a faith that dwelt first
in your grandmother Lois
and your mother Eunice,
and now I am sure dwells in you as well.
That word sincere
is very interesting to me.
If you take that Greek word,
it literally means
not hypocritical.
And the word hypocritical,
some of you remember,
it's from the Greek drama,
and as that mask was put on,
and the person behind the mask
is speaking as if they're this person,
that person is disguised.
They are hypocritical.
Not hypocritical is removing the mask,
being true.
And so Paul is saying about his faith
that your faith is true.
It's sincere.
I also like the English word sincere.
That comes from another cool word
that's from the Latin.
That word sincere,
the first part of it,
the sin,
it's really sign.
That means without.
And the serra,
that means wax.
And so in Greek culture,
a merchant that sold pottery,
maybe he's putting things out on the table
and he drops a vase.
It doesn't shatter,
but maybe it gets a crack.
What he can do
is put a little wax on that
and then touch it up with paint
and set it out as if it's okay.
And if you're coming alongside to buy that,
you'll take that vase
if you're a good,
shrewd purchaser
and you'll hold it up against the light.
And what you're looking to see
if it is without wax,
if it's true
and if it's the real thing.
And that's what Paul is saying to Timothy here.
Your faith, Timothy,
it is sincere.
It's true.
I'm reminded of your sincere faith,
a faith that dwelt first
in your grandmother Lois
and in your mother Eunice
and now I'm sure dwells in you.
What a lineage.
Here are two women of the word,
women who loved the scriptures
and made sure to obey their son
and their grandson in the truth.
Talk about a godly example.
I confess at this point,
I was very tempted to name this message
a mother's faith.
And while there may be some merit in that,
I think both Lois and Eunice
would agree that
the knowledge of divine things,
especially the salvation
that Timothy enjoyed,
it was not derived from their faith.
It has only come through
the holy scriptures
and through God himself.
Remember what Paul said
to the church in Rome
in chapter 10, verse 17.
Faith comes from hearing the message.
And hearing the message
is through the word about Christ.
It is through the word of God
that salvation comes.
Here's our key theme this morning.
Mothers and the rest of us,
your most important task,
your greatest gift,
is to delight yourself in the Lord
and in his word
and model that before
and pray that for your family.
That should be encouragement
because it's not up to you
to save your children.
It is yours
to faithfully live,
love and live the scriptures
before your family.
I want to start by considering
the background of this second letter
to Timothy, if I may.
Paul's in Rome.
He's in prison for the gospel.
The letter,
this letter will be his last
before his execution in AD 67.
It's filled with affection for Timothy,
his son of the faith.
And with urgency and concern
for the state of the church
after his death,
he's going to write this letter.
It reveals a man
who is coming to grips
that he's going to soon die.
Timothy was born
in the town of Lystra.
That's the southern part of Galatia.
If you're able to imagine,
remember the Mediterranean Sea
and you've got Israel over here
and you've got the Boots country,
Italy over here.
You've got a body of water,
the Adriatic Sea,
and then you've got this peninsula
at the bottom of that peninsula.
You've got Greece.
Another body of water,
the Aegean Sea,
and then you have this piece of land
that kind of juts out this way.
The very end of that land,
that's modern Turkey,
but that was Asia Minor.
When you're reading Revelation,
you see the seven churches there.
That was in that piece of land.
And then if you just go further east,
there's another fairly big piece of,
that's a big region,
and that's Galatia.
And in the southern part of that region
is Lystra,
and that's where Timothy was born.
His mother and his grandmother
were both Jews,
and they had come to know
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 16.1 tells us,
however,
that his father was a Greek.
And the way that it's constructed there,
it sort of implies
that his father did not know
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Imagine the potential tension then
for a mother wanting to participate
in the Jewish traditions,
and not having the support of her husband.
Not having the praise,
and the influence of a godly husband.
Or the tension of parenting Timothy
in the ways of the Lord,
and not having that affirmation.
No details of how dysfunctional home life was
is mentioned in the word of God,
but it's easy to assume
there were challenges.
It may be that Lois,
the grandmother,
first,
and perhaps then Eunice,
heard the gospel preached
when Paul came to Lystra
during his first missionary journey
there in Acts chapter 14.
If you recall that story,
Paul and Barnabas
came into the city of Lystra,
and they met a man who was lame,
and through the power of God,
they healed that man.
And immediately,
the townspeople,
they're like,
whoa!
And they said,
the gods have come to us.
And they praised
Paul and Barnabas
as gods.
And immediately,
Paul and Barnabas said,
no, no, no.
They deflected that praise,
and they said,
no,
that belongs to Jesus Christ.
And they ministered
the gospel of Jesus Christ
in the city of Lystra.
Soon after that,
some Jewish teachers
from nearby Antioch
and Iconium came,
and they began to spread lies
about Paul and Barnabas.
And they changed the hearts
of the people of Lystra.
In fact,
what they did was
they ended up stoning Paul.
They drug him outside the city
and left him for dead.
And the Bible says
he was revived,
and guess what he did?
He went right back
into the city of Lystra,
and he ministered
the gospel there.
And he made sure
the churches were strengthened,
and leadership
was in position.
As you're reading
through the book of Acts,
chapter 15,
Paul goes back
to give report
in Jerusalem,
and then in chapter 16,
he's going on
a second missionary journey.
And he's taking Silas
with him.
And you know where
he makes a beeline for?
He goes right back
to Lystra.
And in Lystra,
in Acts 16,
verses 2 and 3,
I'm going to read it for you.
It says this.
This is regarding
Timothy's character.
He was well spoken of
by the brothers at Lystra
and Iconium.
Paul wanted Timothy
to accompany him.
When Paul went back
to revisit Lystra,
he met Timothy.
He met a young man,
probably a teenager,
not unlike some of you here.
And there was something
about Timothy
that the people
saw him.
And they noticed,
and they remarked
about his character.
He was probably
still a new believer,
but he was making
a mark for the gospel.
And I think it's because
of his grandmother's
and his mother's influence
in training him
in the truth.
You're in 2 Timothy.
You just flip over
to chapter 3.
Look at verses 14 and 15.
It says here,
But as for you,
continue what you have learned
and have firmly believed,
knowing from whom
you learned it.
And how from childhood
you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings,
which are able to make you
wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
The Greek here
for the word for whom
is actually plural.
There in verse 14.
It seems to imply
that this influence
was from Timothy's
grandmother and mother.
It was their teaching
in the scripture
that helped Timothy
to grow
in the spiritual disciplines.
He observed
their devotion
to Christ
and his word
while living at home.
That famous verse
in chapter 3,
verse 16,
that says,
All scripture
is breathed out by God
and is profitable
for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
for training in righteousness,
that the man of God
may be complete,
equipped for every good work.
When Timothy read that,
he's like,
I know that.
I experienced that.
So by the time
Paul writes this second letter
then to Timothy,
this young pastor
had been ministering
there at the church
of Ephesus.
He had been pastor
at the church of Ephesus
for about four years.
It had been almost
just as long
since he received
the first letter
of Timothy
to him.
Timothy had been
a faithful servant
to Paul
ever since he left home
with the apostle
about a decade earlier
there in Acts 16.
And since that time,
he had ministered
alongside Paul
for the duration
of the second
and third missionary journeys.
He had visited places
like Troas,
Philippi,
Corinth.
Timothy was not unfamiliar
to the Ephesians
when he settled
in Ephesus
to be the pastor there
because he had been
with Paul
for almost three years
ministering alongside Paul
to the church there.
And now Paul writes
this second letter
to this young pastor.
He's going to provide
him encouragement
and strength
to face the difficulties
and trials
that would surely come
after Paul's own death.
As Paul lays out
what he considered
the most important
last words
for Timothy
to hear and to live by,
we have the benefit
of gleaning from that.
There are some rich takeaways.
I'm just going to give you three.
And if you're taking notes,
the first point would be this.
And guys,
this is like
the most important thing,
Paul,
is this is what's on his heart.
And here it is.
Salvation comes
from God alone.
You look back
at chapter one,
verse one of 2 Timothy.
Just follow along.
I'm going to kind of
take this thread
through the letter.
In verse one,
the promise of the life
that is in Christ Jesus.
Timothy,
remember where your salvation
comes from.
It's nothing you've earned.
It's only in Jesus Christ.
Look at verse two.
Grace,
mercy,
and peace
from God the Father
and Christ Jesus
our Lord.
Go down to verse nine.
Who saved us
and called us
to a holy calling.
Not because of our works,
but because of his own purpose
and grace
which he gave us
in Christ Jesus
before the ages began.
And the next verse,
verse 10.
Our Savior Christ Jesus
who abolished death
and brought life
and immortality to light
through the gospel.
And there in verse 12,
for I know
whom I have believed
and I am convinced
that he is able to guard
until that day
what has been entrusted to me.
I'm just going to take
a little bit of a pause.
That was the English Standard Version.
The literal translation,
if you go back,
it says this,
I'm convinced
that he is able to guard
until that day
the word is my deposit.
That's all it is.
And there are godly men
and women
on both sides of this.
The ESV says
that deposit
that was entrusted to me.
The King James
and the Legacy Standard Bible,
the New American Standard Bible
says it this way.
What I have entrusted to him.
The difference is this.
Not only does God
source me with salvation
and shower me with salvation,
he is the one
who secures my salvation.
It's not up to me
to hold it
and then to hang on
as tight as I can.
My salvation
rests in the power of God
to secure it.
You go down to verse 13.
We're still looking
that salvation
comes from God alone
in the faith and love
that are in Christ Jesus.
Verse 18.
May the Lord grant him,
O Neciferus,
to find mercy
from the Lord
on that day.
And then,
we're just going to do this.
Go to chapter 2.
Look at verse 10.
That they,
that is the elect,
may obtain the salvation
that is in Christ Jesus
with eternal glory.
In chapter 3,
verse 15.
For salvation
through faith
in Christ Jesus.
In chapter 4,
verse 8.
Henceforth,
there is laid up for me
the crown of righteousness.
The,
the laurel
of righteousness
and not my righteousness
but the righteousness
of Christ.
And how did I get it?
What does it say there?
It was awarded
to me.
It was given
to me
by my righteous judge
Jesus Christ
on that day.
And guys,
it's not because
I've earned it.
It's not because
of anything
I have done.
It is a free gift.
from our Savior
Jesus Christ.
Not to me only
but also to all
who love his appearing.
Timothy was well grounded
in the scriptures.
His theology
was pretty good.
But he still needed
to be reminded of this.
We all do.
There are times
in our lives
we take our eyes
off the Lord Jesus Christ
and we begin to look
at the circumstances
around us
and we begin to sink
like Peter did.
We begin to wonder
in doubt.
We all need
to be reminded.
By the way,
we live in a broken
sin infested world too.
But don't we rejoice
that we've been delivered
from this?
This darkness?
We've been freed
from the chains
of sin and death.
We've been rescued
out of the kingdom
of Satan.
We've been delivered
into the kingdom
of his dear son
Jesus Christ.
We've been made
children and heirs
of God our Father
and we're going to
spend eternity
with him.
That's good news.
That's great news.
Nevertheless,
we and our families
are not immune
to the heartaches
of this world
or the attacks
of the enemy
or even our own
tendencies.
just to doubt
and to wonder
and to wander.
Christ is our only hope
and his word
is our sure foundation.
Mothers,
believe this
for your own selves
and then gently
remind those
under your care
of the beauty
and the glory
of salvation
that comes through
Jesus Christ alone.
As Paul's considering
what he must tell
Timothy,
I think the second thing
I am reading through
this letter
is this.
The word of God
is our ultimate passion.
The word of God
is our ultimate passion.
Go back to chapter 1.
Look at verse 8 please.
Do not be ashamed
of the testimony
about our Lord.
The testimony
about our Lord,
that's the gospel message
of Jesus Christ.
That's the word of God.
Don't be ashamed.
To be ashamed
is to feel that guilt
or disgrace.
I think it also,
there's a measure
of fear
that comes
with being ashamed.
What's the opposite
of fear?
What is it
that casts out fear?
It's love.
Don't be ashamed
of the word of God.
Paul's going to use
this word a lot,
especially in this letter.
Love the word of God.
Love the God
of the word.
Don't be ashamed
of the testimony
about our Lord,
but share in suffering
for the gospel.
Look at verses 11
through 12
there in chapter 1.
For which I was appointed
a preacher
and apostle
and teacher,
which is why
I suffer as I do.
Here it is.
I am not ashamed.
Verse 13.
Follow the pattern
of sound words
that you have heard
from me.
That's the word of God.
In the faith
and love
that are in Christ Jesus.
Verse 14.
Guard the good deposit
entrusted to you.
Now this echoes
1 Timothy chapter 6
verse 20.
Paul says there
in his first letter,
O Timothy,
Timothy,
guard that deposit
entrusted to you.
This is the deposit
coming from God
to Timothy.
It's not the same deposit
as in verse 12.
Here,
this deposit.
Commentators,
even MacArthur comments
and he says
this refers to the truth
of divine revelation.
God has entrusted
Timothy
with the truth
of God's word.
He is to care for it.
He is to protect it,
to guard it,
to keep it pure.
Chapter 1,
verses 16 through 18.
Let me just take a moment
to say this.
Sometimes, friends,
when you're pursuing
God and his word,
you can come to think
that am I the only one
doing this?
Am I in it by myself?
I would just encourage
you to look around.
But for Timothy,
Paul's going to give him
an illustration.
He says there,
in verses 16 through 18,
I want you to think
about somebody.
His name's Onesiphorus.
For he often refreshed me
and he was not ashamed,
there it is again,
of my chains.
But when he arrived in Rome,
he searched for me earnestly
and found me.
May the Lord grant him
to find mercy
from the Lord
on that day
and you well know
all the service
he rendered at Ephesus.
The Apostle Paul
had gone through a lot.
I mean,
you read his own writings
and he talks about
the shipwrecks
and the heartaches
and suffering
and the stonings
and I mean,
what a list.
What in the world
would then ever
refresh the Apostle Paul?
Here he is in chains.
I mean,
you're just talking about
a damp cloth
across the forehead?
I don't think so.
You're talking about
a pat on the back
and a word of encouragement?
I don't think so.
There is something
that I think Onesiphorus
used to refresh Paul
and I believe
it was the word of God.
That's the only thing
we can hope in
and rely in.
It reminds me of this.
You are not alone
in this pursuit.
Look at chapter 2,
verse 2.
What you have heard
from me
entrust to faithful men
who will be able
to teach others also.
And I can hear Timothy
saying,
yep,
that's my mom.
I didn't appreciate her
as much
when I was younger
but I'm so thankful
for her faithfulness
to the scriptures
and to me.
Mothers,
grandmothers,
it is never too late
to have this kind of passion
for God and his word.
I'm going to take a moment
to brag on my mother-in-law.
As she was approaching
her 80s,
she wanted to see
the scriptures afresh.
And so she committed
to reading through her Bible
once again
and this time
having the commentary
of Matthew Henry.
And she spent
three and a half years
going from Genesis
through Revelation.
and often
she would come to us
and she would just
share with joy
some of the nuggets
of truth
that she had learned
from God's word.
It is never too late
to come back to God
and say,
help me to see you
with fresh eyes,
with fresh faith.
Help me to see you
for who you truly are.
Help me to love your word
even more deeply.
In chapter 2,
verses 3 through 6,
what Paul's going to do
is change a little bit.
He's going to start
giving some metaphors,
some illustrations
of what it means
for those who are
passionate for their craft.
He wants to show Timothy,
you model this
just like these people
are doing.
And he gives,
first of all,
the good soldier.
This good soldier
is one who trains hard,
knowing there's an enemy
and that his own life
might be required
to protect others.
be passionate
for the word of God.
He then talks about
the crowned athlete,
one who's focused
and faithful
in developing their skill,
not allowing anything
to sidetrack them
in order to win the prize.
And this third one,
the hard-working farmer,
what a visionary.
He looks at an empty field
and he sees fruitfulness
for the coming season
even before he's sown.
He rises early
and he works late
to make this happen.
He trusts in God
who alone controls
the circumstances
and the elements.
Consider their sacrifice,
their effort,
their faith,
their focus.
Timothy,
be passionate like they are
for the word of God.
In my preparation for this,
I almost missed this.
There's really not just
three metaphors
and three illustrations.
There's a fourth one
and it starts in verse eight.
because what Paul does now
is he says this,
remember Jesus Christ.
Those were good,
but now let me give you
the best model
of someone
who is passionate
for the word of God.
It's the word of God,
the word incarnate himself.
Jesus Christ.
Timothy,
be passionate for his word.
Remember Jesus Christ
there in verse eight,
as preached in my gospel
for which I am suffering.
Bound with chains
is a criminal.
The word of God
is not bound.
Therefore,
I endure everything.
Timothy,
it's worth it.
He is worthy.
A familiar verse there
if you've been in Awana
in chapter two,
verse 15.
Do your best
to present yourselves
to God
as one approved.
This word approved
means tested by God
and found fit.
If you want to see
the opposite of that,
Titus chapter one,
verse 16.
There's a word there
that sometimes
is translated reprobate,
sometimes just unfit,
but it does mean
tested by God
and found unfit.
But here,
do your best
to present yourself
to God
as one who has been
tested by God,
found fit,
a worker who has no need,
again,
to be ashamed,
rightly handling
the word of truth.
Skip over to chapter three,
verse 10.
We're taking that thread
through this second letter.
You, however,
have followed my teaching,
my conduct,
my aim in life,
my faith,
my patience,
my love,
my steadfastness,
my persecutions
and sufferings
that happened to me
at Antioch.
And then skip down
to verse 14.
But as for you,
continue in what
you have learned
and affirmatively believed,
knowing from whom
you learned it
and how from childhood
you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings,
which are able
to make you wise
for salvation
through faith
in Christ Jesus,
all scripture
is breathed out
by God
and profitable
for teaching,
for reproof,
for correction,
for training
in righteousness
that the man of God
may be complete,
equipped for every
good work.
To be a complete man
or woman
for God,
it requires
the right handling
of the word of God,
allowing the spirit
of God
to use his word
to teach,
reprove,
correct,
train,
and equip us.
Friends,
to assume
that we
or our children
will ever be complete
by any other means
makes God a liar.
It has damnable
effects
in the lives
of people.
Is it a wonder
then that his final
word about this
is in chapter 4,
verse 2?
Paul says this
with such force,
preach the word,
herald the word,
be ready in season
and out of season,
reprove,
rebuke,
and exhort
with complete patience
and teaching.
You cannot do this
if you do not
have the scriptures
as your center
and Christ
is not your love.
Embrace them
by faith.
That third thread
I think
that we're going
to see
through this
second letter,
it's a bit somber.
It's closely related
to the second thread
and here it is.
Timothy,
beware of misplaced
passion
for something
other than God
and his word.
I'll say it again.
Beware of misplaced
passion
for something
other than God
and his word.
If you go back
to chapter 1,
look at verse 15.
Paul's going
to mention two people.
He says this,
you are aware
that all who are
in Asia
turned away from me
among whom
are Phygelus
and Hermogenes.
The word
turned away there,
that phrase,
it's a disloyal
desertion.
It's a treacherous
or a traitorous
abandonment.
it's saying,
I'm going to pursue
something else.
Something has captured
my attention
and it's not you,
God.
And it's not your word.
Go to chapter 2.
Look at verses 17
through 18.
Paul says this,
and their talk
will spread
like gangrene.
Among them
are Hymenaeus
and Philetus
who have swerved
from the truth.
The word
swerved
from the truth
means missed
the mark.
Something
has attracted
their attention.
Something
has
caused them
to leave
what is true
and they have
pursued
something else.
It wasn't
God
and it's
not the word
of God.
Chapter 3.
There's sort
of a lengthy
area here
verses 1
through 8.
I'm not going
to read the
whole thing.
Paul's going
to help
Timothy
understand
that in
the last
days
this is
what you
can expect.
He says
there in
verse 1
in the last
days
there will
come times
of difficulty
for people
will be
lovers of
self
lovers of
money
a little bit
later on
not loving
good
further on
lovers of
pleasure
rather than
lovers of
God
always learning
and never
able to
arrive at
a knowledge
of the
truth
just as
Janice and
Jambres
opposed
Moses
so these
men also
opposed
the truth
their
affection
was not
on God
and his
word
chapter 4
verse 2
a time's
coming
Timothy
when people
will not
endure
sound
teaching
that is
the word
of God
but having
itching
ears
they will
accumulate
for themselves
teachers
to suit
what
their own
passions
and will
turn away
from listening
to the
truth
and wander
off into
myths
I'm going
to ask
you
friends
what's
stealing
your
affection
today
what is
it that's
robbing
you of
making
Christ
and his
word
the most
important
thing
in your
life
what is
competing
for your
love
what's
taking
your
time
and your
joy
look down
at verse
nine
what a sad
commentary
on this
gentleman
I use
the word
gentleman
he did
follow
Paul
for a
while
Demas
in love
with this
present
world
has deserted
me
here's a
person
that followed
the apostle
Paul
that served
alongside
him
that
ministered
with him
says here
he loved
this present
world
his affection
turned
away
it swerved
away
don't
be like
this
don't
allow
competition
for your
love
to have
any
place
in your
hearts
and I
don't know
what that
means for
you
but I
believe
the Holy
Spirit
will bring
that to
your
attention
you know
this was
supposed to
be an
encouraging
message
I think
it is
there's so
much
that's so
rich here
I'm thinking
mothers
I hope
you've been
encouraged
this morning
see what
what God
did for
Timothy
here
he can do
for every
one of
your
children
no matter
how scarred
they are
by sin
no matter
the decisions
that they've
made
no matter
how rebellious
they've
been
the gospel
can change
their lives
embrace the
Lord and his
word with all
your hearts
teach his
principles
live by them
by faith
pray by
faith
like that
farmer
there is a
barren field
in front of
him but he
sees fruitfulness
goodness
because by
faith
he's trusting
that God's
going to bring
that about
work hard
at your
craft
don't get
sidetracked
can I give
you a
kind of a
Paul Harvey
rest of the
story moment
after my
mother passed
away
my father
sent me
something I
had never
seen before
my baby
book
didn't even
know I had
one
and in
it were
several
things like
how big
I was
how long
I was
how much
I weighed
and so on
but there was
also this
prayer
it goes like
this
dear Tommy
if anything
should ever
happen to
mommy and
daddy we
want you to
know that
we loved
you so
much
we love
each other
and are
very happy
we love
God and
know he
sent you
to us
we want
you to
love God
and pray
every day
read your
Bible and
ask God
to lead
you in
the right
way
and then
there was
more about
not drinking
and cussing
and going
out with
the girls
who do
but my
mother's
prayer
was that
her son
grows up
to love
God
and to
love his
word
sometimes
I wonder
if I'm
here today
because
my mother
prayed that
prayer
and God
answered
he can do
that for you
let's pray
father we're
all here
by the
grace of
God
all the
glory
all the
worth
belongs to
Jesus
Christ
there are
some
family members
that we
know
who know
who need
this gospel
and we
ask God
that in
gentleness
but also
in power
that your
word would
overwhelm them
with the
truths
that we
read here
in your
word
that they
would be
convicted
of their
sin
that you
would draw
them to
yourself
we have
neighbors
and co-workers
we have
friends
who don't
know the
Lord Jesus
and we
pray for
their
souls
God
save
them
we lift
them up
before you
God
even our
own lives
at times
we're such
wretches
we rebel
we wander
and stray
we find
affections
in other
things
would you
draw our
hearts back
to you
and what's
truly
important
loving you
and loving
your word
would you
do a
work in
us today
God
would you
revive our
hearts
we ask
this in
Jesus name
amen
you're
dismissed
thank you
Thank you.