Please do have a seat.
Can I just add as well,
a thank you to Alberto for drumming for us.
I didn't catch him at the corner of my eye there,
so sorry for not mentioning you earlier,
but it is great to be here together,
and we trust that as we come to God's words
that he will speak to us.
So can I massively, massively encourage you
to have your Bibles open there at 2 Timothy,
and let's come expectantly to God's words.
You should have also received one of these sermon outlines
when you came in,
and that's going to be helpful for us,
as well as we journey through this passage together
to see what Paul is saying and what it's saying to us.
So if you don't have one of them,
then please put up your hand,
and Ali Jackson will get one to you.
And let's still ourselves
as we come to God's word this evening.
Let's pray together.
Gracious Father, we would thank you so much for this day.
And we would thank you for your mercies that are new to us
each and every morning.
And we pray now as we come to the close of a busy week,
and as we sit on the cusp of another busy week,
that you would help us to block out any distractions to you this evening,
and that you would help us to focus our minds
and our hearts on you,
and help us to hear your voice.
As we turn to this passage now,
we think of the words that we read,
that Paul instructs Timothy to think on these things.
And we pray,
gracious Father,
that you would help us do that this evening.
All for your glory,
and for the upbuilding of your church
in this nation,
and in this world.
Amen.
So I wonder if you have any pet hates in life.
I'll come clean with you this evening.
I've got one big pet hate in my life,
and it's when I read small print.
Don't know if you find that.
We are inundated through our letterbox all the time
with people trying to sell us stuff.
The other day,
I'm just thinking of this week,
I've opened two letters that come through our letterbox.
First one is Virgin Media.
High fiber optic broadband for eight pounds a month.
I thought,
yes,
let's do it.
Small print.
Line rental,
15.99 a month.
All right,
so it's 23 pounds a month.
You know the thing?
I think of another one.
I think of banks,
when they try and sell us mortgages,
what do they say?
They say,
fantastic interest rates.
You can leave all your mortgage worries behind
if you come to us.
Small print,
product fee,
500 pounds.
Small print,
small print,
small print.
Your home will be repossessed
if you do not keep up repayments.
I hate it when people try and sell me stuff.
They sell me fudged truths,
trying to get me in,
and they just don't tell me the reality of the situation.
Do you feel like that sometimes in your life?
And the thing this evening,
as we come to this letter,
the reason I spent this week in this letter,
and I wonder if you've noticed it
as we've journeyed through it
over the last couple of weeks,
Paul,
as he tries to sell Timothy,
what gospel ministry looks like,
he doesn't hide the small print.
He doesn't hide the small print.
He just tells Timothy the reality of the situation.
This is what gospel ministry entails.
This is what being a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ
means for you.
Paul writes this letter to Timothy.
We've seen it the last couple of weeks.
This guy who he's left in Ephesus
to look after Ephesus Evangelical Church.
Things were going swimmingly for so long,
but as John reminded us a few weeks ago,
things have gone very sour,
very quickly in Ephesus.
False teaching infiltrating the church.
Big personalities dominating the church.
Good gospel people leaving the church.
Things have got really bad,
really quickly in Ephesus in this church.
So how does Timothy feel?
Disillusioned with the gospel.
What is he probably already doing?
Drifting from the gospel.
What is he tempted to do?
Well, he's tempted to depart from the gospel,
and especially from any kind of links
with this apostle Paul,
who he heard this message from.
Things have got bad in Ephesus,
and they've got bad really quickly.
And we saw last week that if he does depart and run,
well, he's not the first person to do that from Paul.
Verse 15 of chapter 1, what we read there,
what does Paul write?
All who are in Asia turned away from me.
All of them turned away from me.
When the heat got turned up,
all of them, they got out of there.
Especially, Timothy,
especially, I want you to know
about Phygelus and Hermogenes.
Do you see these two men that he mentions here?
Personally mentions them.
Could it be that Timothy knows these men?
Why does he mention their names?
Does it just bring it home a bit personally a bit?
Timothy probably knows these guys.
Paul wants them to know
that in his time of need,
these guys got out of there.
But Onesiphorus,
oh, I can't say that name.
I tried so hard this week to learn that name.
Onesiphorus, we'll call him that, okay?
Do you notice how he gets a massive pat on the back
from Paul in these verses, doesn't he?
He's a massive big up from the apostle Paul.
He refreshed Paul.
He stood by Paul.
He went towards Paul
when others were running away from Paul,
and he stood by him.
What a guy.
Two men deserted Timothy.
I want you to know about these two men who deserted.
And I want you to know about this one man
who came towards me.
What is the question that he's asking Timothy
as we come to these verses?
Big question.
Who are you going to be like, Timothy?
Who are you going to be like?
Are you going to be like these men who ran?
Are you going to be like this man who came towards?
Are you going to turn away from me?
Or are you going to turn towards me?
And you see, that takes us to the personal summons
of verse 1 of chapter 2.
What does he write?
You then.
Do you feel that the pointy end of his finger
as he writes these words,
as Paul writes these words?
You then.
Does it all the way through this letter?
Just flick with me.
Chapter 3, verse 10.
You've got it there.
What does he write?
You, however.
Chapter 4, verse 1.
What does he write?
I give you this command.
What does he want Timothy to do?
Stay in the game.
Keep running, Timothy.
Question.
How is Paul going to do that?
How do you convince a man who is on his way out
that things are worth keeping going for?
What's his method?
What's Paul going to write?
Well, here's my question for you this evening,
one I was thinking about this week.
If you had to design a poster
that recruited people for being a disciple
of the Lord Jesus Christ,
what would you put on that poster?
What do we see so often on church websites in the West?
We see all the time.
Happy people, right?
Smiley people.
As in, if you come to this church,
you can be happy like the rest of us.
Now, don't get me wrong,
there's joy aplenty in knowing God our Father.
Isn't that joy to call him our Father?
But I wonder if churches,
our brothers and sisters in Syria and in North Korea,
do they have happy people on their church websites?
What's the reality of following Jesus Christ?
Well, do you see how Paul doesn't hide the small print
from Timothy as to what it will mean for him
to be a disciple of Jesus Christ
and to be a gospel minister in particular?
What's it going to mean, Timothy?
It's going to mean hard, hard, hard work.
Following Jesus Christ, if you do it faithfully,
if you stand in a hostile world
and proclaim the gospel,
it's going to mean that life is not going to get easier for you,
it's going to get so much harder.
And Timothy, that's the reality.
I'm not going to fudge it for you.
You just need to get your head around that.
To stand for Jesus Christ, it is hard.
Now, do we know that this evening?
Isn't it hard to stand for him in this world?
We're not the only ones to feel that, are we?
Just straight from the outset there,
be comforted by that.
It is hard.
And when we feel it hard,
it should be hard.
And there are two great realities in this section
that I think Paul is bringing to Timothy's mind.
He's bringing them straight to the front of his mind.
What are those realities?
The suffering.
Suffering.
And the risen Christ.
Do you see what he does in those verses?
Suffering, front of your mind, Timothy.
But right beside it, the risen and the reigning
and the ruling and the returning Jesus Christ.
Right there in front of you.
I think they're the two ideas that hold this section together.
If you just look at the section,
I'll show you how that works.
The suffering idea,
here it comes up at verse 3 of chapter 2.
And it comes up again at verse 9 of chapter 2.
And the person of Jesus Christ,
well, he comes up all the way through this section.
What does Paul write?
In Christ.
Verse 1 of chapter 2.
A good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Verse 3.
Remember Jesus Christ at verse 8.
Verse 10.
The salvation that is in Jesus Christ.
Do you see what he's doing?
Suffering right at the front of your mind
and the risen and returning
and ruling Jesus Christ right there as well.
What is the ministry principle
that he's trying to get Timothy
to understand and embrace?
Pain now, glory later.
Big idea for this evening.
Pain now, glory later.
What does he do?
Well, he lists six imperatives, I think.
Six things that he wants Timothy to do in this section.
Four of them are to do with how Timothy is to work.
That's verses 1 to 7.
And two of them are to do with why Timothy is to work.
And that's verses 8 to 13.
That's where we're going this evening.
But as we travel,
the big question that we need to have in our minds,
the big question that we need to ask of this text,
and the question that will make a 2D study
into a 3D study,
is to ask the question,
why?
Why is Paul writing these things
to this man at this specific time?
Why is he writing these things?
Because if we get to the heart of that question,
then we can begin to see what these things mean to us.
So let's journey through this section together.
Let's see what Paul writes.
Firstly, verse 1.
Timothy, be strengthened.
Be strengthened.
Now, why does Paul need to write that?
Because Timothy's weak.
He's weak.
And what does he need to be strengthened by?
The grace.
And where is the source of that strengthening grace?
It's in Christ Jesus.
Now, it's not the first time in this letter
that Paul has introduced this idea.
If you look at verse 9 of chapter 1,
you'll see very similar wording there.
Paul writes,
because of his own purpose and grace
which he gave us in Christ Jesus.
So this is the second time in the letter
that he's brought this up.
How are you going to be strengthened, Timothy?
By grace.
How is that grace shown itself?
Do you notice how Paul doesn't just throw that out there
as a token word?
He shows, Timothy, how the grace has shown itself.
Well, the God of the universe
before the foundation of the world, Timothy,
planned to save you.
And he sent his son, Jesus Christ,
in the fullness of time,
who came to give his life for you, Timothy,
and saved you, Timothy.
That's grace.
But even more than that,
he didn't just leave you to go about life
in your own strength.
Verse 14 of chapter 1,
he sent his spirit to live inside of you,
his adopted child.
God has taken you who was dead in your sins and transgressions,
and he has forgiven you and restored you
and put a new heart and a new spirit inside you,
and he's adopted you as his child.
He's with you.
We're going to look at it another way.
God has shown redeeming grace,
and God continues to empower you, Timothy,
with sustaining grace.
That's the reality of grace.
It's what we sing when we sing amazing grace, isn't it?
It's his grace that has brought me safe thus far,
and it's grace that will lead me home.
Timothy, grace, if you get your head around it,
it should massively encourage you.
Let grace sink into your mind and into your heart,
and let it strengthen you, Timothy.
Be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ.
Now, I wonder whether some of us here this evening
need to be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ.
Are you here this evening, friends,
and you find yourselves running flat?
Are you here this evening, and you are drifting?
Are you here this evening,
and the fire that was once there for Jesus Christ
is beginning to go out?
Are you running from one thing to the next in life,
and spinning plates,
and carrying the weight of the world on your back all the time?
And do some of us need to stop this evening
and take stock of the grace that is in Jesus Christ?
That it is he who is in heaven,
that it is he who is holding the cosmos in place.
It's not us.
We need to be strengthened by the grace,
the grace that saved us when we couldn't save ourselves.
The grace that God gives to us as his children daily
to sustain us in this life every moment of every day.
Do you see how Paul says these things?
He says these things not just to simply fill up
Timothy's theological bookshelf, okay?
He says these things for Timothy's strengthening.
Be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ.
Let that encourage you this evening.
Be strengthened, Timothy.
Secondly, what does Paul tell Timothy to do?
Well, verse 2, he tells him to entrust to.
Now, what's the issue in Ephesus that Timothy is feeling the sharp end of?
What is he feeling?
Well, he's feeling probably lonely,
and he's most likely feeling outnumbered.
His go-to guys, the guys in his church who understand the gospel and fight with him,
they're either leaving or their voices are being drowned out
because these false teachers are dominating the church.
How does Timothy feel?
He feels on his own, and he feels isolated.
I think what, in the context, Paul is saying is,
Timothy, if that's how you're feeling,
then what you need to do to solve that is you need to find,
and you need to train,
and you need to invest in,
and you need to deploy more people to stand beside you
and fight for the battle that is gospel ministry.
And what you need to do is you need to expend yourself
in getting that gospel DNA into people who will stand with you.
Get that into them,
and they will pass it on to others,
and they will pass it on to others yet.
You see how Paul has got four generations of people in mind?
I mean, this guy is a long-term strategist,
four generations in mind.
Paul is going to pass it to Timothy.
Timothy is going to pass it to reliable men.
Reliable men are going to train and teach others.
Passing on this gospel message,
passing on the gospel DNA.
What is the principle behind that?
What Paul is saying there,
well, it's that the main way that the gospel message
is going to be protected,
and it's going to be strengthened,
and it's going to be furthered in the church,
and in the world,
and in the city of Ephesus,
is by passing it on to others.
In other words,
it's going to be by training people.
Let me ask you this evening,
what are you doing by the way
of passing on the gospel message,
the whole counsel of God
to the next generation?
You think about it,
just practically in your life,
what does this look like?
In our families?
Husbands,
the way that we lead our wives
and sacrificially care for them
and lead our children,
what does it look like
as we pass on this gospel message?
The way that we participate
in our home groups,
what does this look like?
The way that we plan
our kids' church lessons,
what does this look like?
The way that we do
one-to-one Bible studies with people,
the way that we visit people,
the way that we conduct ourselves
on Sunday morning,
do we have this mindset in mind
that we are passing on
this gospel message,
that we're helping one another
as we do that?
That's why we do these things,
all these activities in church.
It's not just so that me and John
can feel good that we're doing stuff
in church.
It's not just ticking a box.
We do it because we need
to be passing on
the gospel message
to one another.
Friends, this evening,
have you got that mindset?
Would your diary reveal
that mindset?
What are you passing on
to the next generation?
It's interesting,
I was listening to Five Live
in the drive up,
I had the football phone in,
I love the football phone in,
listening to it in the drive up,
and I don't know if you've been
following the Leicester City story
in the English Premier League
this year,
but the guy,
they're interviewing a Leicester City fan
who was sitting in the pub
with his son and he said,
I wanted to be here
because I wanted to tell my son
that I watched Leicester City
win the league.
No, they didn't win the league today,
but they'll probably win it.
I wanted to tell my son
and him to see Leicester win the league,
and I wanted him to tell his son
about Leicester winning
the Premier League,
and I wanted him to tell his son
that he was there
when Leicester winning
the Premier League.
And I thought to myself,
if that is worth passing on
to the next generation,
if football is worth passing on
to the next generation,
how much more the gospel,
the eternal gospel.
Now, why is this important?
Well, if we don't pass it on,
the message,
it probably is going to die with us.
Isn't it?
That if we fail to pass this on,
what happens?
The next generation,
they assume it.
What happens next,
that and past,
the next generation,
they question it
and probably depart from it.
All the churches we know
up and down this land
that were once thriving centers
for the gospel
and are now nowhere.
Why is that?
Because of this,
that they didn't pass on
the gospel.
Are we taking seriously
the command
and making this a priority
in the life of our church
and in our lives?
And especially, I think,
those in Christian leadership.
You know, you think about those
probable interns
that we'll have in September,
those who are raising their hands
and saying,
yes, we want to give this a shot.
We feel like God
has given us this gift.
What are we doing
to encourage them
and to push them on
practically as they do that?
And what are we passing on?
We're passing on
the whole counsel of God,
the whole thing,
not just the bits that we like,
not just a soft
and easy discipleship,
not just rules and regulations.
What are we passing on?
A living faith in
and a burning love
for our Savior
and King Jesus Christ.
That's what we're passing on.
Be strengthened, Timothy.
Be strengthened in grace
and pass it on.
Thirdly,
what does Paul tell Timothy,
verse 3?
Timothy, join me in suffering.
Why does Paul need to say that?
Was it not most likely
that Timothy thinks suffering?
Nah, I'm not up for that.
Paul's saying,
lift your head above the parapet.
And what's Timothy doing?
He's lowering his head
lower and lower below the parapet.
Do you see again
how Paul is not hiding
the small print from Timothy?
Now what is it going to look like
for him to share in the suffering?
Well, do you see how Paul
gives him three pictures
of what this is going to look like
in these verses,
4, 5, and 6?
The soldier,
the athlete,
the farmer.
Now why does he use
those three illustrations?
What do each of them
have to tell and teach Timothy?
Well, let's look at them together.
Firstly, the soldier.
What does a soldier,
why does Paul commend the soldier?
For not getting entangled
in civilian affairs.
Now what is that speaking of?
Not getting distracted.
A soldier,
he knows why he's there.
A soldier knows his job.
A soldier knows
who he's trying to please.
Let's think of the guards
that stand outside
Buckingham Palace
every moment of every day.
Have you ever seen those guys?
I mean, they are unflinching,
are they not?
The people come up to them
and try and take selfies with them.
They'll try and make them laugh.
And I've never seen
a soldier that's standing
outside Buckingham Palace laugh.
In fact, when I googled it before,
the first thing that came up
was soldier falls.
A soldier had,
they did the changing of the guard
and he'd fallen over.
And so this,
because this never ever happens,
this was big news.
The soldier had fallen and tripped.
It was all over the news
because it never happens.
Because these soldiers are dedicated
and they know what their job is.
Like the soldier, Timothy,
you need to not get distracted.
You need to keep your mind
on the reason why you're doing
what you're doing.
Let me ask you this evening,
are there things in your life
that are distracting you
from pursuing Jesus Christ?
Are there things in your life
that are drawing your attention
and your concentration
away from Him?
Like it just,
it can be so many good things,
can't it, in life?
Like a new house
or our hobbies
or our job
that just slowly
diverts our attention
from Jesus Christ.
See, that's the challenge, isn't it?
To never allow good things
to rise up
and become bigger than God.
There's the soldier,
but what about the athlete?
What is the thing about the athlete
that Paul draws
Timothy's attention to?
He competes
according to the rules.
Big point,
Timothy,
don't cheat.
Now why does Paul write that?
Why do you have to tell him
not to cheat?
Well, could it be
that Timothy is tempted
to cheat,
to take shortcuts
in his ministry,
to avoid those
awkward conversations
that need to be had,
to avoid
addressing the false teaching
that's making its way
into church,
or even could he
be tempted
to cheat
by subtly
changing the gospel message
to avoid conflict
and to avoid people
leaving the church?
Always the temptation,
isn't it,
to cheat,
to change the message.
Don't cheat, Timothy.
And what about the farmer?
Well, the farmer
is up early in the morning
sowing his seed.
Big point,
Timothy,
like the farmer,
work hard.
Work hard
and don't be lazy.
Why does the farmer
have a crop
at the end of the season?
Well, because he did
the hard work
of getting up
at 5 a.m.
to sow the seeds
every morning.
Why is Paul
saying this to Timothy?
Well,
it's the easy
and lazy thing
not to do
when things get hard
in the life
of the church.
Is it not easy
just to ignore things?
Or,
worst case scenario,
just to walk away?
Do you think that's what
Timothy's being faced with?
Investing in people?
Hard work.
Dealing with people?
Hard work.
Addressing false teaching?
Hard work.
Listening to people?
Hard work.
Visiting people?
Hard work.
Praying for people?
Hard work.
Putting Ephesus
Evangelical Church right?
Hard work.
Timothy,
don't get distracted.
Don't cut corners
and cheat.
Don't get lazy.
What's the big thing
that holds these three
images together?
The soldier,
the athlete,
the farmer.
What holds them together?
Pain now.
Glory later.
Pain now.
Glory later.
Time spent carrying out
your orders now,
being faithful
to your duties.
You get your well done
from your commander-in-chief
later.
Time sweating out
in the gym
or on the track,
building those muscles.
Pain now.
Gold medal later.
Time up early,
sowing in the field.
Hard work now,
harvest later.
Do you see what he's saying?
Pain now,
Timothy.
Pain now.
Glory later.
And what does Paul say
to Timothy,
verse 7?
He says,
reflect on these things.
Think about these things,
Timothy.
If you've got an ESV there,
that's what it says.
Think about these things.
These are the lessons
that I want you to
mull over,
Timothy.
Think over what I'm saying
to you.
Now,
why is Paul saying that?
Well,
could it be that Timothy
has stopped
stilling himself
before God?
That he's stopped
listening for God's voice?
Could it be that
Timothy has stopped
allowing the Holy Spirit
that God has put
to dwell in him,
convicting him
of things in his life
that he needs to change?
Could it be that
Timothy has stopped
opening the Scriptures
every day
and doing the hard work
of stilling himself
and thinking upon
what God is saying?
Is that some of us
this evening?
Are we neglecting
to listen to God's voice?
Are we resisting
the Holy Spirit
as he seeks to
shape our lives
more and more
into the image
of Jesus Christ?
And probably particularly
in terms of our
faithfulness to God
the Father
and our faithfulness
to the Gospel?
Some of us here
this evening,
do we need to seriously
think upon
these things?
Think over what I say,
Timothy.
Meditate on these things.
Pray over these things.
Go out
and look at these things
and study them.
Because God,
in his grace,
has stuff to teach us there.
Fifthly,
verse 8,
what does he write?
Timothy,
remember Jesus Christ.
Remember Jesus Christ.
What is it in particular
that Paul brings attention to?
The fact that Jesus Christ
is risen.
He's risen.
That is the realm
in which Timothy operates,
the risen Christ.
That is the thing
that's got to define
how Timothy lives his life.
That it's not just
any old captain
that Timothy serves.
His captain is the creator
and the sustainer
of the universe.
He is the judge of all
and he's the one
who has conquered death.
That is the captain
that he serves.
Has Timothy
maybe lost sight of that?
Jesus is risen
as God promised
in the scriptures
that God is faithful
in keeping his words.
Do you see how we're on
to the second section now?
If suffering is the big one
that he's got to have
in his mind,
right next to it
is the risen Christ.
And I wonder
if some of us
need to get
the person
of Jesus Christ
back to the forefront
of our minds
this evening.
That things may be hard
but we serve
our conquering king,
not an impotent king.
We worship
a living saviour.
We don't worship
a distant memory
from the past.
We have a brother
who walks beside us
and who is able
to sympathize with us
in our weaknesses.
Now how is that
going to make a difference
in Timothy's life?
Well the same way
that it transformed
and it shapes
Paul's life
day after day
it's going to mean
that he will endure everything.
Do you see how he writes that?
Endure everything.
Why is Paul in chains?
Because of his faith in Christ.
Why is Paul mocked?
Because of his faith in Christ.
Why is Paul suffering?
Because of his faith
in Christ.
And notice the link
that Paul makes.
Why does Paul do this?
Why does he do it?
Well a bound apostle,
a chained apostle,
means a free gospel.
Now the logic is
that if Paul,
he's saying if he did
the easy thing
and he didn't preach
the gospel,
he would be free.
Because no one would want
to arrest him
and put him in prison
for preaching something
that everyone wants to hear.
In fact he'd probably
have his own show
on the God TV channel.
Isn't he going to be free
because he's
not preaching
the full gospel?
But if he did that,
then the very message
that has the power
to save men and women
would be in chains
and would be unable
to move
because he would
robbing it
of its power.
Why does Paul
make himself vulnerable?
Well he makes himself
vulnerable because
he knows that the gospel
is the power
of God
unto salvation.
It's the consistent
shape of his life.
That's why Paul
does these things.
And that's what I love
about this man Paul.
That he may be
the most persecuted man
that I have ever read about.
Ever read about.
But he strikes me
as the most freest man
that's ever walked
the face of this planet.
Does he not?
To live is Christ
and to die is gain.
That's where I want to be.
It's where I want to be.
Oh to have that mindset
that I endure everything.
That everything
that life throws at me
for carrying this message.
I'm going to take it
on the chin
because I know
what is at stake.
And I know
what is ahead of me.
And particularly
I know who is beside me
and who is ahead of me.
And he is worth it.
And I endure everything
because I want others
to know that message too.
I want to play my part
in seeing men and women
from around this world
who God has elected
to come to himself.
To enter into the joy
of knowing Jesus Christ
and to one day
stand in eternity
with them
worshipping before the Lamb.
That's what I want to see.
Timothy, join me.
Endure everything.
And I think that's what's going on
in verses 11 to 13.
What does Paul write?
If we died with him,
Jesus Christ,
if we died with him,
we'll live with him.
If we endure,
we will reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will disown us.
It's a little line
from Paul probably
correcting Timothy
because that's the way
he's heading.
Paul wants him to know
about the stakes.
If we are faithless,
he remains faithful.
When we are up and down,
Timothy,
when we stumble,
when we fall,
when we know our flesh,
when we know our weakness,
remember that our God
does not change.
He does not change.
He's a God
full of steadfast love.
A loving Father
in whom there is
forgiveness aplenty
if we were to confess
and to turn to him.
He's a compassionate brother
who is right there
throughout all of this
with us.
Do you notice there
the tight-knit connection
that Paul makes
between the believer
and Jesus Christ?
He is right there
with his people.
Maybe that's a word
for some of us this evening.
Let that encourage us
that he knows
and he walks beside
with us
because we are in him.
No small print,
Timothy.
No small print,
no being around the bush.
Gospel ministry,
it is pain
and it is pain now.
It just is.
It's tough following
and standing for Jesus Christ.
But the truth of it is
that it is hard work now,
it is pain now,
but it is glory later.
Glory later.
You're one of my favorite
examples of someone
who didn't hide
the small print
in his advertising
was Ernest Shackleton.
Have you ever heard
the famous advert
that he placed
in the paper
trying to recruit men
for his upcoming
Arctic expedition?
And he puts the advert
in the paper
that reads this,
Men wanted for hazardous
journey,
low wages,
bitter cold,
long hours
of complete darkness.
Safe return,
doubtful,
but honor and recognition
in event of success.
Paul seems to be saying
something similar,
doesn't he,
to Timothy?
Pain now,
Timothy,
glory later.
Brothers and sisters,
let me leave you
with the big question
that Paul asks
of Timothy
in this section.
What about you then?
Are you prepared for it?
Are you up for it?
Are you willing
to follow Jesus Christ
wherever he may take you
and whatever comes at you?
Are you prepared
to do it?
Well, here's what
I want us to do
as we finish our time
together this evening
before we rush off
into the busyness
of another week.
Let's just take
a few minutes now
to do what Paul
instructs Timothy
in these verses
and to think
on these things.
So I found
in my preparation
there were
five big questions
that I was challenged on
as I prepared for it
and as I studied
this passage
and I've jotted them
down on the back
of the sheets
that you've got
you should have
in front of you there.
So what I invite you
to do just as we close
let's just take
a few minutes
and let's just
think about these things
and let's pray
about these things
and let's see
if God
has got stuff
that he still
wants to say
to us this evening
and then I'll close
in just a few minutes
time.
Let's pray.
Our loving Heavenly Father
we would thank you
for our time together
this evening
and we would ask
that you would
continue to help us
to think on these things
that we've seen
in your word
this evening.
We ask that you
would continue
to strengthen us
by the grace
that is in Jesus Christ.
Would you help us
to love you
and cherish you
above all things?
And this is our prayer
made through the precious
name of your Son
Jesus Christ.
Amen.