Well, good evening. And I might refer to this a few times, but I'm not being slovingly dressed tonight with my Father's Day jumper on.
I know that my signature blue shirt is lying on the back seat, but this is a Father's Day shirt before anybody asks.
And Esther's not here tonight, but Esther took this little picture of Caleb and I not long after he was born.
So that was my present from Caleb today.
So, and I am going to refer to that, so I'm not just excusing it for that today.
But it is interesting because it does actually slightly tie into what we're about to say tonight.
Now, we're continuing in 2 Timothy, and we are now in chapter 2, as Aaron has read.
And we'll spend a little bit of time this evening thinking about this.
Now, I have made a monumental mistake.
I can normally preach from an iPad, and I make the text big enough.
And not that I need glasses, but I have it printed off.
I always have a backup, and it's rather small.
So you might see me peering at this.
I'll just ask that you forgive me.
Now, I want to ask you a question.
And it's not particularly well lit on the screen there, but does anybody know who these people are on the screen?
I mean, spot on.
Spot on.
I'm impressed.
But they are the various Louis.
So they are Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI.
And I need to be careful because we have a French man in our midst.
But these are French kings.
And there's an idiom that is often said, especially if you go on any tours.
I've been to Paris hundreds of times.
Not hundreds of times.
I've been to Paris a number of times.
I've got hundreds and hundreds of photographs.
And every time that we go, there's a phrase that sticks in our head.
And it says this.
Louis XIV built it.
Louis XV enjoyed it.
And Louis XVI lost it.
And I don't think I need to say a huge amount more in that for you to have the picture in your head around what that actually means.
You just need to go to the Palace of Versailles.
And you will see that the France that Louis XIV built was just incredible.
In fact, I think he is maybe called the greatest king of Europe.
I might have that wrong, but I think that is right.
And there's lots of good things that have been attributed to him.
Now, I know that we could spend hours and hours on a history lesson on the French kings, which we're not going to do tonight.
But there's lots of things that could be attributed to him.
But one of the things that can be attributed to him is the fact that he built an incredible France.
He's got an incredible legacy.
And I'm sure there's lots of things that we wouldn't necessarily appreciate in his life.
And, but there we go.
Then you get the picture that Louis XV probably just enjoyed that.
And Louis XVI, well, he lost it.
And it kind of ties into what we're going to be thinking about tonight in our verse.
And I'm sure that you can pretty much see where we're going with this tonight.
But you can see here where we're going to go in 2 Timothy chapter 2.
Now, the last two sessions that we've had from Craig and from Jonathan in chapter 1 have introduced us to some of the enduring themes throughout the letter of Timothy.
You know, I think the slide that we had up there first, passing the baton of the gospel.
You know, this is an enduring theme throughout Timothy.
It's why Craig has given the sermon series the title.
At least I am attributed to you, Craig.
He's given that sermon series the title, passing on the baton of the gospel.
And we're introduced to this quite early on.
You see that in chapter 1, verse 5, where Paul writes to Timothy and he says to Timothy in that verse, he says,
The faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and now I am sure dwells in you.
You know, Paul writes to him, fan it into flames, you know, keep it alive.
Something that the French kings couldn't do.
But we see that in this book in 2 Timothy.
We also, I think we see this in 2 Timothy as well, is Paul takes a bit of a step back and he looks at a much bigger picture than maybe we've seen in other letters that Paul has written,
where he's specifically addressing conflict or sin or sorting out other issues in some of the churches that he writes to.
In this letter that he's written to Timothy, he takes a bit of a step back.
He's reflecting a bit more.
And I am sure that as we go through that, you'll maybe see that.
Then Craig and Jonathan both took us through the fact that there was suffering in there.
And I think this is another theme.
And you see that there's a desertion that took place in Asia, verse 15 in chapter 1, where they've all deserted Paul.
And then he comes into chapter 2 and he writes this.
He says,
And Paul is calling Timothy a son and he's thinking about the things that he will pass on to him.
So I've got my jumper on tonight.
It's an enormous responsibility where you have a child.
You do take a step back and you do think about what are you passing on?
What are you impressing on that individual?
And are they going to be able to continue some of the things that I would like Caleb to continue?
And for parents in the room, or all of you have parents as well,
there is probably some input into your lives that your parents would have liked for you to have continued.
Whether that's a piano's lessons when you're 4, 5, and 6 and then you never touch that again.
Or whatever it is, there's certainly an input into a child's life.
And in this sense, Paul is writing to Timothy, not as his own personal child in that way,
but a child of the faith.
It is the output of Paul's ministry into Timothy's life that has made Timothy who he is.
Not singularly, because as I say, both in chapter 1 and in chapter 3,
you see that Lois and Eunice, his grandmother and his mother,
had an enormous part to play in that as well.
But they have all poured into Timothy.
And in that verse, in verse 1, it says,
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Now, if I go back to the Lois here,
you're going to see that the motivation and the will that was in,
and the determination that was in Lois the 14th, wasn't passed on.
The wealth is passed on, the material wealth,
maybe some of the, lots of different things will have been passed on.
But that, let's call it the spirit that was in Lois the 14th, wasn't passed on.
That will, that determination, that motivation, it wasn't passed on.
But when Paul writes to Timothy,
he says this,
You know, it's not a strength that comes from within,
by our own determination or by our own might.
It comes from the Lord Jesus.
It is that that is going to be the continuing motivation in Timothy's life.
That's going to be the source that's going to provide Timothy
with the necessary grace that is going to be needed to keep him strong in this work.
And therefore, there is going to be, as we see later on in our message tonight,
we're going to see that it can be passed on from generation to generation without fail,
unlike the French dynasty.
Now, if we're going to be carrying out the work of God,
and in this context, it is the transmission of the word of God,
then we cannot do it on our own strength.
You know, I think we can all affirm that in our own lives,
but it is a truth that's taught in the scripture.
If we are going to work for God,
and if we're going to carry out the transmission,
so whether that's the preaching of the gospel,
or in this context where Timothy is going to pass on what Paul has taught him,
then we have to do it in the strength that is provided to us by the Lord Jesus.
Now, if you're like me when you're reading and you're preparing,
but certainly when we're having conversation in the house,
quite often different verses will come to mind.
It's something that encourages us at our growth group.
If we think that there's something going to be taught in scripture,
if we think we're uncovering something in scripture,
then where else in scripture is that being mentioned?
It's a way that we can be sure that we are interpreting scripture
in the way that it should be interpreted.
But, you know, if your mind is just wandering slightly there,
and you're thinking, well, if that's the case,
if we can't carry on God's work,
and in this case it's the transmission of God's word in our own strength,
well, is that something that the Bible teaches?
And you know this.
We've taught it with the kids recently, you know,
trust in the Lord and lean on your own understanding.
At our wedding day, I've mentioned this from up here before,
you know, Jim spoke on, you know,
unless the Lord builds a house, then the laborers labor in vain.
A hymn that we could have sang tonight, it says,
we rest on thee, our shield and our defender,
we go not forth alone against the foe,
strong in thy strength, safe in thy keeping tender,
we rest on thee, and in thy name we go.
You know, I think we are very familiar with the fact that as Christians,
we do not do anything for God in our own strength.
We are enabled by him.
If we're going to be something for God,
if we're going to be useful for God,
if we're going to be used for God in the furtherance of the gospel,
then we must rely on him.
Now, I want to be kind when I say this,
and that only makes people sit up because you think I'm going to be unkind,
but I'm going to be kind when I say this.
Quite often, you hear people,
especially, you know, Christians who are talking about something that they're going to do for the Lord,
and again, there's a verse that should come to mind as I say this,
and in their conversation,
they never mention the Lord once.
They talk about the places they're going to go,
the things that they're going to do,
the results that they're going to see,
but they never mention the Lord once.
Either the fact that he has called them,
and that he is leading them to do something,
or that he is enabling them to do something,
it's all about what they are doing.
Now, as I say, I say that kindly,
because we can all be in that situation where we say something,
and because we haven't qualified it,
then, you know, we could be,
you know, I could be speaking to myself in that situation,
but you understand what I'm saying there.
There are people who want to go out in their own strength and do things,
and I think when we come to Scripture,
Scripture clearly teaches us that if we're going to be something for God,
then we have to do it in his strength,
and the strength that was offered to Timothy through the Lord's grace
is also offered to us.
It's the same source of grace that is available to us as well.
Now, not only is Timothy to be strengthened himself,
but he is to provide the spiritual strengthening to others.
You know, if we look in verse 2,
we see there that he has been charged with this responsibility
to communicate to others the inspired teachings
that he has received from the apostle.
Now, as I said at the start there,
you know, I think we can read this letter,
and we can assume that Paul is somewhat anticipating his own death.
He's taking a stand back,
and he's looking at that bigger picture.
I think it's also, you know, a theme in this book, 2 Timothy.
It's just taking that stand back and looking at that big picture.
You know, it's easy for us just to be consumed.
I'm consumed like this,
and, you know, I must admit I don't have a will.
Now, you think that you should have a will,
certainly if you have any assets,
and if you've got any offspring,
then, you know, that would be the logical thing to do.
But, well, I haven't one of my own.
If you go in the file cabinet,
you'll find a big folder of different things
that people have given us,
either Rachel or myself or jointly.
A number of people who have given us,
asked us to either be their power attorney
or to be the executor of their wills.
But what they've done is they've taken a step back,
and they've realized that they're not here forever,
that at some point that they're going to be called home,
they're going to leave this earth,
and that their affairs should be in order.
And they've asked us,
they've entrusted us to carry that out.
And that is just in the reflection
that when you're young,
you don't really think about this.
It's normally when you get older,
you think of all the coulda, shoulda, woulda,
and you put your will in order at that point,
and you tell your family what it is,
and you've reflected on where you are in life.
Now, I think Paul has slightly done that in here
as he's writing this.
He's anticipating that he will go to be with the Lord soon,
and he is writing this letter to Timothy,
and I think there's various verses that we could pull out
that would maybe confirm that.
But, you know, he's faithfully taught Timothy
in the presence of many witnesses.
You come into verse two, and it says this,
and what you have heard from me
in the presence of many witnesses
is entrusted faithful men
who will be able to teach others also.
You know, not only is Paul looking at his own life
and going, actually,
my days on this earth are numbered,
and I want to ensure that the message
that has been entrusted to Paul
is passed over to Timothy,
but his life too is short,
and his service for the Lord will be shorter,
and he should also order his ministry
in the same way,
so that others could be prepared
to carry out the teaching
that Paul has entrusted to Timothy,
and that Timothy will entrust to others.
Now, not that we're going to spend
a huge amount of time on this.
I don't necessarily,
in fact, I believe this to be the case.
I don't think this is teaching us
about any kind of apostolic succession.
I don't think that we envisage that
in the New Testament.
I also don't think it necessarily correlates
with anything that you see in other churches
where there's an installation
and an ordination of a minister
or anything like that.
I think this teaching that we have here
in 2 Timothy 2
is just simply God's instructions
for how the church is going to ensure
that there's a succession
of competent teachers,
and it starts here from Paul to Timothy,
and then it goes forward.
You know, Craig's points from the first week,
and JT iterated them last week as well,
around these three ways
that that was going to happen.
One was in evangelism.
There's also in discipleship,
and there's also in training.
You know, I don't think that Timothy is writing,
sorry, Paul is writing to Timothy
who's envisaging that this is only going to be taught
to elders because you see that,
that it's in the presence of men and witnesses.
Nor do I think that this has only been taught
to those who will be teachers.
This has been taught to the church as a whole,
and in the way that Paul has taught Timothy
in the presence of men and witnesses,
then Timothy will go and do likewise.
You know, it's nothing that should be done
in secret or behind closed doors.
You know, I believe that the teaching
is for everyone,
even though not everyone will become a teacher,
as we see in the qualifications in Timothy,
and also as is mentioned in James.
But we see here that Paul is entrusted
something to Timothy,
who's then going to entrust it to others,
and we see here a picture of a steward.
Now, it's not explicit in here,
but there are four pictures we're going to look at.
The steward, the soldier, the farmer,
the athlete and the farmer.
The steward is not necessarily mentioned explicitly,
but he is in here.
Something that has been deposited to Timothy
that he is going to take care of,
and he is going to then pass on to others.
Now, I think that is a fairly normal concept.
The things that, in life with us,
the things that I've acquired,
put into a will,
I'll ask for it to be distributed to whoever,
and on and on it goes.
And you see there the legacies in Britain
and elsewhere,
where faithful generations have stewarded a possession.
Now, it normally comes to ruin
over somebody who's very self-indulgent.
Not only did we see that in the kings,
but if you even look in our day and age,
and Scotland is littered with castles and houses
that were in custody of families
for generations and generations,
and then somebody was self-indulgent,
and they lost it.
But Paul is writing to Timothy,
and he is pointing out
that there's four generations here,
so unlike the three generations
and these French kings,
there's four generations here,
so it's neat the fact
that there's four rather than three.
But you first get Paul,
so Paul is the first generation there.
He's anticipating that he has passed it on to Timothy
and the many witnesses.
They, in turn, are going to pass it on to faithful men
who, in turn, are going to pass it on to others.
And as I say,
this is all done in the strength
that is provided by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
You know, I think the Bible emphasizes
the importance of an every-member evangelism.
We had a young couple over for lunch recently,
and I had mentioned wryly
this priesthood of all believers.
If you've been brought up in a church
like I was brought up in,
then that would have been a common phrase.
It normally goes over the head of most
because it's a slightly old-fashioned phrase,
but what we would say in Brunsfield
is an every-member ministry
or an every-member evangelism.
You know, the job of evangelizing
is not just for the pastor
or for elders or for church staff.
It is for us all.
Now, obviously, if these people aren't evangelizing,
then there's serious questions
that should be asked,
but it is something for us all to do.
It's what the Bible teaches.
It's what's envisaged.
It's what we believe here at Brunsfield
is that there is a part to play for everybody,
and everybody should play their part.
Now, we were in a growth group,
and if you're in my growth group,
then you'll remember this,
but Aaron is one of our members in a growth group,
and he challenged us one night,
and he said, you know,
if we all spoke to one person,
and I'll get my maths wrong
because I'm not a mathematician,
but he said,
if we all spoke to one person once a month,
there's 12 times over the year,
say there was 12 people there,
there's 144 gospel conversations
that could take place
just from our conversation that night.
You know, I think if each of us
done our part in sharing the gospel,
then just think of what the result would be
even in one generation.
Paul is writing to Timothy,
and he's anticipating four generations,
but just think what would be done
if we each took our responsibility seriously
and passed on the message of the gospel,
passed on the message that we find in the Bible,
and just think of what the result could be.
Now, it has to be done
in the strength that enables us to do so,
which is in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
We also understand that there are things
that obstruct us and distract us,
and, you know, namely the flesh,
the world and the devil,
these things come in
and they want to disrupt the work of the gospel.
But I think if we were just to take a step back
like Paul has and just reflect on our lives,
I wonder if we would really say
that we've done what we could have done,
or maybe even we've done what we should have done
in terms of telling others about the gospel.
You know, I think we could do a great deal better
than the record so far in each of our lives,
and I speak to myself in that regard
as much as I speak to anyone else.
Now, if you come back to the passage here,
you'll see here that Timothy
is to entrust the truth to faithful men.
That is men who are believers
and men who are dependable themselves.
Now, if I'm going to leave something,
and this is interesting,
if I'm going to leave something for Caleb,
then I've got to have it first.
There's no point in writing a will
if there's nothing in it.
And I think this is a bit of a challenge for us
because I think,
and I see this in our industry,
and I think maybe you'll smile
if you can see this in your workplace
or in other places.
Some of us want to become people
who pass things on
before we have it for ourselves.
You know, Paul has taken this treasure
and he's given it to Timothy,
and Timothy's understood it.
We're going to see this in verse 7.
Timothy's meditated on it.
He's understood it.
He knows how it applies.
He's then passed it on to dependable,
faithful people
who will then pass it on to other people.
You know, there's a,
I don't know if anybody's ever heard
of a songwriter called Ray Bolt.
I'm thinking maybe Fiona may have.
But there's a line in a song
that he once sang.
It's a kind of 90s album or CD
if you've had it at that point.
And it said,
I think I'll skip all the homework
and still get an A on the test.
And it kind of makes you smile.
As a Christian writer,
it kind of makes you smile.
But I think there's a danger
that sometimes Christians sometimes do that.
They've hardly understood the truth for themselves
before they want to pass it on.
You know, that's not to,
and you'll see this in Paul writes to Timothy,
you know, nobody should prejudice him
because he is young.
That is not what's taught in here.
But there is an expectation
that we have received,
we've understood,
it's put into practice,
and it is then shared.
You know, it's one of the qualifications,
and this is not written to elders,
but it is one of the qualifications
for elders,
that they are able to teach,
and that we can observe
the manner of their life.
That is that they have understood
what the Bible says,
they've put it into life,
they order their own affairs
and the affairs of their house well,
and therefore you can observe it.
And in doing so,
that you have a greater trust
in what they're going to do
and teach and preach,
because you can observe it in their lives.
And I think that that's something,
just to challenge us in here,
even though Paul is writing to Timothy
and saying this is going to be a transmission
that is going to go from you
to others,
to faithful men
who are going to teach others,
I think that's just a challenge
for us in there,
that we should get stuck in,
that we should read the Bible,
that we should know it,
that we should love it,
and that we should allow it
to change our lives.
And without giving the alliteration,
I've just told you
what the four sessions are
at our church weekend away next week.
So you'll also have heard this expression
that says that God doesn't call the equipped,
he equips the called.
And while this is not a verse in the Bible,
I think it's a theme that we see
running through the Bible.
And you'll see it in many people,
you know, you think of Aaron,
Moses, you think of others
who on the face of it
aren't somebody that looks like
they should be used by God,
but God equips the people
who he calls.
And if we are going to find ourselves
in 2 Timothy here,
we don't have, like Moses,
you know, we don't have to come up
with the excuses
that we're not, we can't speak,
we can't, you know,
we're not good at this or that
or the next thing
because what the Bible teaches is
if we are going to be called by God
to transmit the message
that we've received to others,
then he will equip us to do that.
Now, I just want to move on slightly
and I'm just going to pull out
a couple more examples here
as we get into these other pictures
that the Apostle Paul uses
to just to try and illustrate
some of the truth
and some of the qualifications
and some of the caveats
that he's going to give to Timothy
that is going to teach him
of how he's going to do this.
So Paul is asking him to be strengthened
by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
He's then given him this commission
or this charge to communicate
what he has received to others
and Paul is going to give him
a little bit of three pictures
of how he's going to do this.
Now, you come into chapter two
and you'll see that there's a number
of pictures that Paul uses.
First of all, he's used that,
my child, so he's used the son
in verse one.
We're going to think now about a soldier,
which we see in verses three and four.
We think about an athlete in verse five
and a farmer in verse six.
And next week, I can't remember
who's speaking next week,
but next week when we look
at the rest of the passage,
we'll see there that there's other images
that Paul uses.
He goes on to elaborate on the soldier,
but he also thinks about a worker
and the vessel and the servant.
And he's given Timothy these different pictures
to help him to understand.
You look in verse seven and it says this,
think over what I say
for the Lord will give you understanding
in everything.
The reason that we're given these pictures
that we're going to depict different truths
around how Timothy's going to carry out his work
is just so that we can look on them
and we can understand really what it is going to mean
to take this word,
this treasure that Paul has entrusted to Timothy
and to entrust that to others
from Timothy.
Now, Paul starts by using,
in verse three,
Paul starts by using this image of a soldier.
And I don't think it's,
I think you look through Paul's writings
as a whole, different letters,
and he uses the image of a soldier often.
I don't think that's surprising
since he lived in a military state
and he himself was in prison.
And he describes in these verses
the characteristics of a good soldier.
A good soldier of Jesus Christ.
You know, Timothy should endure suffering
and hardship in verse three,
sharing the suffering as a good soldier
of Christ Jesus.
You know, you only need to look at 2 Corinthians
and in chapter 11,
and you'll see that list of that many hardships
that Paul had to endure
in his work for the Lord.
You know, when we think about the soldier,
we're going to,
it's describing a soldier
who is on active duty.
Now, I'm going to have to confess something.
I did sign up for the military at some point.
I signed up for the signals
and I was hoping to be a member
of the 81st Signal Squadron,
which is a territorial army,
it's a weekend warrior,
but it's a signals, right?
It's telecoms.
And I thought this would be something
that I would quite enjoy doing.
You know, I enjoy getting out
and getting a bit muddy at the weekends
and stuff like that.
And this would be a way to serve.
But unfortunately, that was not to be.
And probably it turned out very wise in the end,
but that wasn't something to be.
But the picture here is about a soldier
on active duty.
Not somebody sitting at home,
not a dad's army,
not a weekend warrior,
but somebody who is in the thick of it,
somebody who is in combat.
And when you picture that individual,
especially if they're in combat
or if they're in another country,
you know, they don't entangle themselves
with the affairs in the other country,
do they?
You see these pictures on the news
of those incredibly large camps
all over the Middle East
and other places
where you see the British and Americans
and other armies stationed.
And you see individuals
who are not engaging
and entangling themselves
in the affairs of this life.
Now, we come back to this,
we come back to our passage here,
and we're not necessarily
in the same circumstances
because our charge is to go
and to take the message
that we've been entrusted with
and to pass it on to others.
So does that mean then
that if we are going to be involved
in the Lord's service
that we're not to be involved
in some secular activities?
Well, I don't think the Bible
teaches that at all.
You know, you just have to look
into Paul's life
and you see that he was a tent maker.
In fact, he confirms
that he provided
for his own necessities.
And you see there
that there are many people
who worked for the Lord
and were involved
in secular activities.
Nor do I think it means
that we should absent ourselves
from some of the legitimate things
that we have to do as parents
or as children or as friends.
There are legitimate aspects of life
that we must be involved in.
We can't absent ourselves from that.
I don't think it's
what the Bible teaches.
In fact, it doesn't.
If you think of just
the furtherance of the gospel
and how that's been aided
by people who have worked hard
and who have given generously
to the Lord's work
and have seen the gospel
being propagated
right over the world.
You think of the missionaries
that have left the shores of the UK
and ended up right over the world
and all of the mission bodies
that are out there,
the mission organizations,
you think of some of the folks
that we're involved in as well.
Now, that wouldn't happen
unless it was those
that were working secularly
and earning a living
and giving generous to the Lord.
So the Lord doesn't envisage
and Paul doesn't envisage
as he's talking to Timothy here
that we should just all become monks
and hide ourselves away
and devote ourselves
to the work of the Lord
or in that way.
It doesn't envisage that.
But what it emphasizes is this
and the emphasis is on
the word entangles.
You know, the soldier
mustn't allow the ordinary affairs
of life to become
the main objects of his existence.
And I think this is a big challenge
for modern day Christians.
The accolades of our employment,
the material benefits
that that brings,
the car and the house
and the holidays
and all these other bits and pieces.
Sometimes that we make that
the main focus of our existence
rather than what Paul
is teaching here.
You know, we do have to work.
We have to earn a living
to provide for ourselves.
That's a biblical principle
and provide for our families,
which is a biblical principle.
But it mustn't be
the be all and end all.
It mustn't be the main aim
of our life.
Rather, that we have to keep Christ
and the furtherance of the gospel
in a very prominent place
in our life
and these other things
that are legitimate,
they must be there
in the background supporting.
Also in this picture of a soldier,
we see there that
he must keep himself
in readiness
for the orders
of the one
who enlisted us,
enlisted him.
When he gets the orders
from headquarters,
then he must be ready
to please him.
You know,
his desire is to please,
the soldier's desire
is to please the one
who enlisted him.
But for us as a Christian,
then we can say
that we have been enlisted
by the Lord Jesus.
And our love for him
should encourage us
to maintain
a slightly lighter hold
on the things of this world
and that,
as we have seen in Paul,
taking that step back
and if anybody's,
as I say,
if anybody's written a will,
you take a step back
and you realise
that you're only here
for a short time
and that you are going
to pass on this
to somebody else
in the future.
And the encouragement there
as a soldier
is that we would hold
these things lightly
rather than just amass them
for ourselves.
We then come on
to the next verse
and it says this,
an athlete is not crowned
until he competes
according to the rules.
You know,
the figure changes
and this is where
there's just a little bit
of a different aspect
that comes out
in Paul's writing here.
And this is an athlete
that competes in games
and it could be
in any kind of sport.
I think normally
when we think about athletes,
we think of running the race.
Paul writes about that
in another area,
but this could be
in any kind of game.
And they compete
in order to receive a reward.
But in order to do so,
they must obey
the rules of the game.
And so it is
in Christian service.
You know,
how many times
do we look at some Christians
who have started out well
and I think
in the modern day
where so much is
videoed and shared online,
we see this even more.
People who start out strong,
who make bold claims
for the Lord
and yet fall short
of the finish line.
You know,
they become disqualified
because they weren't able
to maintain
an obedience to God's word
and a devotion to it.
And this charge
has been given to Timothy
to entrust it
to faithfully,
to entrust it
to faithful men
who will entrust it
to other people.
Some of it's become
a popularity context.
Some of it's all
about themselves.
You'll know about it
and some of us
will smile
as you'll probably remember
at churches like this
where it all became
about the pastor.
It all became about
that leading brother.
It all became about
the main man.
And then when something happened,
the whole church fell apart.
And you don't need to look,
I'm not thinking about Brunsfield
in this aspect,
but you don't need to look
too far from Brunsfield
to see that.
People who were very,
very gifted
and yet they didn't do
what is outlined here
in 2 Timothy.
They didn't pass it on
and they didn't pass it on
with the qualification
that the individual
be strengthened by the grace
as in Christ Jesus.
That's why Louis XVI
lost it all
because he couldn't
pass on that spirit
that was there.
So, as we're thinking
about this athlete,
what are the kind of rules
in connection to Christian service
that we should observe?
Well, you know,
you don't have to look
too far in Paul's writings
to find a number of things
that are the rules
that says you've got to,
an athlete is not crowned
unless he competes
according to the rules.
Well, first of all,
you read about it
in 1 Corinthians.
Paul writes that a Christian
must practice self-discipline.
Well, any athlete
that's going to compete
is going to have to
be self-disciplined.
I don't have the body
of other people
in this room
and it's because
I'm not self-disciplined.
I don't go to the gym.
I don't lift weights.
There are some people
here that do
and they're in much
better shape than I am.
But if you're going
to compete as an athlete,
then you've got to be
disciplined.
1 Corinthians 9, 27
tells us that.
You come then
to 2 Corinthians
in chapter 10
and in verse 4
and it reminds us
that we've got to fight
with spiritual weapons,
not carnal weapons.
We don't fight
in the same way
that the world fights.
Our fight
is a spiritual fight
and we therefore
fight with
spiritual weapons.
We're also encouraged
to keep ourselves pure
and you can think
about the diet
in that sense
of an athlete.
And lastly,
we are also
encouraged to be patient
and I think
if you're going
to be an athlete,
then results
don't come overnight.
You've got to be patient
if you're going
to see results
and these are just
a few ideas
that you'll see
dotted about,
certainly in Paul's
letters that you'll see
dotted about
around some of the rules
that you would have to keep
if you're going
to maintain
this image
of an athlete
and if you're going
to compete
according to the rules
and in return
have that crown,
that never-fading crown
that will be given
to us
as we have thought
about in verse 18
from the Lord
on that day.
And then
we come on
to
the farmer
in verse 6.
In fact,
just one point
that I want to make
about the athlete
is this,
that there is no
spare time Christians.
You know,
it's easy to go to the gym
once a week,
you're never going
to see gains.
But there are no
spare time Christians.
It's a contradiction
in terms, right?
You know,
if you are going
to compete,
if you're going
to be that athlete,
then it is that
daily discipline
that must happen.
It's basically,
if you look at
some of these people
and I've been thinking
about,
I was thinking about
Andy Murray
and the car
on the way in,
what his mother
poured into him,
there was a result
that happened there.
But his whole life,
his every single
fibre of his being
was focused on
his sport
and to achieve
the crown
that that would bring.
Then we move on
to verse 6
and this is the
hard-working farmer
who would partake,
would first partake
of the crops.
You know,
according to all
the principles
of righteousness,
the one who labours
to bring forth crops
has a right
to participate in them.
Now,
I don't necessarily
think that
there's a self-indulgence
in this way
that means that
you've just got
this right
to take out
the part for yourself.
I think scripture
would teach us
that we should give
the Lord the first part.
But when we come
on to the transmission,
and I was thinking
about this just as I left,
but when we come
on to the transmission
of the word of God
from one generation
to the next
to the next,
and anybody who's preached
will understand this.
As you study,
as you read,
as you start to understand
what has been taught
in the scripture,
who understands it first?
In fact,
in all the reading
that I've done
over the last couple of weeks
in preparation for this,
there's an enormous amount
that I have learned
that I probably
maybe knew some of it,
I didn't know it all,
and there's been connections
to other places in scripture
that I've been meditating on this
that I've really understood.
And I've said,
ah,
there's a version there
that teaches me this,
or this is some,
you see,
the same example
that Paul writes
to somebody else,
to another church
in another place.
And in a sense,
in the transmission
of God's word,
there is the sense
that as we diligently sow,
and as we plant,
and as we water,
then the farmer
who does that,
in a sense,
he's already received
that reward.
And, you know,
I say this as I preach tonight,
there's a lot
that I have learned of this
that I can't even convey
in the half an hour
that we've spent,
I can't convey it to you.
Some of that
you will need to go and read
and understand for yourself.
And I think that's kind of
what's envisaged here,
that hard-working farmer
who ought to have
the first share
in the crops.
Well,
in the transmission
of God's word,
I think that is where
that,
I think that's where
the example
kind of comes out.
And then lastly,
we get to verse 7.
It says this,
think over what I say,
for the Lord
will give you
understanding
in everything.
You know,
there's more to these
illustrations
than just a soldier
and the brief illustration
that we've given,
or just an athlete
or the farmer
as we have just mentioned there.
You know,
there's far deeper,
there's a lot
that you can glean
as you just think
about these things,
as you meditate on them,
as you see
different passages
and verses
come together
to build a picture
of what God envisages
the Christian worker
to look like.
You know,
Timothy is exhorted
to consider them
and to meditate on them.
And as he does so,
Paul prays
that the Lord
will give him
understanding
in all things.
You know,
Timothy will realize
that the Christian ministry
does resemble warfare
in a picture sense.
It does represent athletics.
It does represent farming.
You know,
and in each of these
responsibilities,
each of these occupations
has their own responsibilities,
their own nuances,
their own caveats.
But in each of these,
they also bring
their own reward.
And as I say,
Paul is stepping back
and he's having
a bigger picture.
He's having a big look
not only of his own life,
but to those
who will come after.
But if you even just
read through 2 Timothy,
you'll see that he takes
a much bigger step back.
And as you see in here,
it says in verse 3,
chapter 1, verse 3,
I thank God
whom I serve
as did my ancestors.
You'll then realize
as you work through
that there is
a wide lens
on the eternal history
that Paul is looking at.
And then as we come
into verse 18
at the end of chapter 1
there, it says this,
May the Lord grant him
to find mercy
from the Lord
on that day.
And he's writing
about Onesiphorus
who was looking for him
when those who had
all deserted them in Asia.
And he is looking for him.
It says he often
refreshed me
and was not ashamed
of my chains.
But when he arrived in Rome,
he searched for me earnestly
and he found me.
And Paul's thinking
about the reward
that he will have
on that day.
So Paul is taking
this big step back
and he's realizing
that he only has
this tiny part to play
in history.
And it's an incredible
part to play in history
because it gives us
what we have today
in our scripture.
You think it's just
what Paul's legacy is
that he has left for us
in this book
that we have
and that we so
dearly treasure
and cherish.
Well, my encouragement
tonight is that
we should read it,
we should understand it,
we should obey it,
we should love it,
we should allow it
to change our lives.
And it says this,
think over what I say
for the Lord will give you
understanding in everything.
You know,
I don't necessarily,
I think God calls,
God equips
those who he calls,
but he doesn't just
give special understanding
to those who teach.
You know,
we have a particular
responsibility to be able
to teach it in a way
that you can understand it
and you can put it
into practice
and that it can
transform our lives.
But each and every one
of us has a responsibility
to get to know
the Word of God
and to understand it
and to put it into practice
and where possible
to share it with others
and to compete
in the ways
that we have
thought about
as an athlete
or in the ways
that we have thought
about a soldier
or as a farmer.
Now,
the last slide
I wanted to share
just before we finish.
So the verse
I quoted earlier
that said,
you know,
we rest on thee
our shield
and our defender,
we go not forth
alone against the foe,
strong in thy strength,
safe in thy keeping tender,
we rest on thee
and in thy name we go.
The verse 3 says this,
we go in faith,
our own great weakness feeling
and needing more
each day
thy grace to know,
yet from our hearts
a song of triumph
pealing,
we rest on thee
and in thy name
we go.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for listening,
Thank you.