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Speaker 1Good morning, everybody. How are you? Oh, man. I'm glad that y'all are here. I'm glad that y'all are awake and here, and I am planning on being here sometime in the next few days.
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Alright. I we arrived Friday evening from a two and a half week long trip to Africa, and so I'm physically here and my brain will be showing up. I did prepare a sermon half before I left and half after I've gotten back in the middle of the night, But, I'm looking forward to sharing what we have this week and then next week doing more of a kinda this is how things went in Africa. So would you all stand with me and we'll sing some people in from the vestibule. Blessed assurance is where we're gonna start off, hymn number five seventy two.
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Amen. Blessed assurance.
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Speaker 2Of his this is my story this is my praising my savior this is my story I am my savior this is my story I
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Speaker 1walked by the we were serving on this trip at a school and walking by the kitchen for that school. There was that tune coming out but in Swahili. I didn't know it but I knew all the I knew all the notes but none of the words in their version but sunshine in my soul today. Hymn number seven forty seven if you're looking for that. If you want to find your part, it's hymn number seven forty seven.
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Amen. The third verse Baptist usually skip. Y'all know that, right? But since it's been snowing virtually since we left two and a half weeks ago, I thought that third verse, there is music in my soul today or no, where's the one that there was springtime? There's springtime in my soul today.
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That's a great one. That's not a cruel joke. There is sunshine in our soul today. Alright. Y'all can have a seat.
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I've got a few announcements that we'll go through. If I if I yawn or get terribly confused, there there is a reason for it. I promise. Monday nights at first b is happening. It's happening tomorrow night at 06:00.
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There'll be meal, music, and a message. The message will be somewhat interactive in that we will be playing the music and doing the message kind of back and forth. It'll be Psalms and songs of praise and then bits of scripture and then back to Psalms and songs praise. So, the band will probably be on stage the whole time and then we're going to end with communion together. So, if you haven't been to a Monday night or at least you haven't been to a Monday night with communion, tomorrow be a good night.
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06:00, Carl is going to be presenting this. If you remember the night, we actually don't usually cancel Monday nights for weather but the Monday we were leaving, we're supposed to leave after it was over and all day it snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed and so we cancelled Monday night. So, we're going to do a communion version of that tomorrow night. Same time period, 05:45 to 07:30 is the time for Awana and Awana is our ministry to kids. Kids matter to God and we're pouring scripture into their minds to reach their hearts but there's always room for more.
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Join us for scripture if you don't recognize where that is. That's in a stairwell to head downstairs. We use up for the listening portion where adult listeners are listening to the kids reciting their memory verses and we take up pretty much every square inch of the church with that on Monday nights, 05:45 to 07:30 for three year olds to fifth grade. There is, have you all seen this slide yet? Have you all heard about this?
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So, Richard Largy is a mechanic. He's a good mechanic, trust trustworthy mechanic and he is offering to do oil changes for anyone who would want an oil change for donations to help Richard and Andrea Largie get to Ghana on a mission trip that they're going on sometime soon. The details are in the bulletin and so he would like to change your oil for donations if you would want for him to do that. So, 2019 baby bottle campaign for Turning Point. That's happening and there are bottles back there in a like a 10 galvanized wash tub back there on that burlap table.
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If you want to help support Turning Point, y'all know what to do. You take the baby bottle home, you fill it with change or with bills or with checks and bring it back here and we'll turn it in to Turning Point and that is a great great ministry. Pregnancy resource. Is there anything else you wanted to say?
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Speaker 2No? Yes.
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Speaker 1Always, always, always. Thank you. Community Bible study, prayer group is meeting on Wednesdays, 09:30 in the morning and 06:30 in the evening and they do about have childcare available in the morning. That's a great group. They're gathering around God's word and around Hebrews in particular this time.
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So, that has been good. Connect hours still happen in between services. If you show up right at eleven and you just come right on in, that's great. But if you want to connect with the first service and the crowd from the first service usually kind of hangs around down the hall and has a little coffee and some snacks, breakfast sometimes but connect hour happens and that's a good place to connect with folks Is there anything that I'm forgetting? Y'all remember Steve Landis Yes It's this week.
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So, Judy will not be playing piano here next week because she will be in Afghanistan serving on a mission trip. Yes. Actually, Steve, would you come up and do that? Would you come over here for a second? Or we can come to you.
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Okay, we'll come to you. Okay. Would you pray? Alright. Good.
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Speaker 2Lord Jesus, we are so blessed to have Judy
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Speaker 1as part of our body
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Speaker 2and as a friend and we just ask for your blessing upon her as a as a body
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Speaker 1Amen. Thank you. Alright. If there are other announcements or prayer requests, you can check your bulletin, take one of the paper bulletins you got on the way in. If you didn't get one on the way in, you grab one on the way out.
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It's welcome to the visitors. Good to see y'all. Good to see you all around. Would y'all stand up and you can greet one another? Sorry.
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I'll get back at it. Hey. Hey.
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Speaker 2Greatest
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Speaker 1I I see that the greatest thing singular and then it's three different things but the three different things are so closely related. It's like a trinity of things. To know God is to love him and to love him is to serve him and I think that that's a great. I love that song. It's well with my soul.
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Hymn number seven zero five.
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Speaker 2With my soul
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Speaker 1Y'all can have a seat. Come on. I am going to invite the frontline team to come forward though. It's good to see y'all by the way. Would y'all pray with me?
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God, I thank you lord that you are worldwide, that you are bigger than that even but what's been impressed upon me in this trip and in returning from it is your praise never ceases. There's always somebody who is awake and alert and aware of your presence. And God I I pray that with every breath that we take in in our conscious awakening. Lord that it will be breathed out as a breath of praise to you and I thank you lord that it's not just us that's doing that. It's not limited to one time or one place but it is across this entire planet.
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So, lord, I pray that you would do what you will with the offerings and the tithes that we're about to put in this place. Lord, I pray that you would multiply to do your kingdom's work that it would be advancing the gospel into places where it is currently not not available, not recognizable. Lord, I pray that it would be right here in Teton County, Wyoming, and Idaho and the greater area around us, lord, but expressing and changing all the way to the ends of the earth. Your will and your way in Christ Jesus. We pray lord that you would do your work with what your obedience servants do.
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God, I pray that you would use us to do your will. In Jesus name, amen. So, we are up to second Timothy and I we did just go to Africa and I do want to share about that trip with y'all but I am still really seriously not here yet, okay? And so, I want to have a little bit of time to boil that down and next week, we're going to start with second Timothy four nine where Paul's personal greetings begin and his personal greetings are about greeting this person and that person and he's talking about the people who he's been around and the things that they've been through together and it's kind of the end and the closing blessing on the book of second Timothy but this week, I want to just go ahead preaching the word is what this is about and next week, I promise you that it'll be about partially about the trip but partially, it'll be that section from nine through the end of the book. First Timothy, I have a a very strong conviction and y'all know this.
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Well, if you've been here a lot that I have a strong conviction not to get beyond what it says. If we start guessing in areas that are beyond what the Bible says, I think that we go awry pretty easily and if we take anything off of what it actually says, we skip it, then I feel like we suffer a different problem but this section kind of says just that. Second Timothy chapter four verses one through eight is what we're going to cover just those eight verses today. Here we are and we, by the way, for those of you who are visiting, we have been going through a chronological study of the New Testament. I'm trying to take the agenda out of my own hands and just let the agenda be the New Testament's agenda.
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So, we hear a lot about grace. We hear a lot about love. We hear a lot about mercy. We also hear about judgement from time to time and we hear lists of vices and sins from time to time. We try not to take anything off of any of it but present it with pretty much equal weight.
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I try to go with a paragraph at least each time so we get the context and so that's what we're doing today. This first part is a paragraph. Second Timothy four, he starts off solemnly. He says so. He says, I solemnly charge you.
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I solemnly charge you and this is Paul who's writing from jail. He's in a Roman prison awaiting his trial, his appeal is coming forward. I solemnly charge you, you, in this case is Timothy. I can say this, I'm going to I'm going to present and proclaim what it says. I'm solemnly charging y'all, okay?
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But the scripture is from Paul to Timothy. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. Now, it it's it is pretty solemn. It's really serious but he's coming to the end of his letter. We break things up in the chapters.
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Timothy would have read this at one time sitting down. He just covered about scripture being God breathed. He's been covering not getting entangled in arguments about words but to just keep on going forward. Keep on keeping on. Timothy, don't grow weary.
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I solemnly charge you, kind of backs up just a little bit and says, no, I'm serious about this. Really serious and I want you to take this seriously. I solemnly charge you. Presence of God. Consider that.
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God is watching and of Christ Jesus and he goes on to say, who is to judge the living and the dead? This is a phrase you might remember from the apostle's creed. Christ comes to judge the living and the dead. We don't recite creeds very often but every New Testament creed or everyone since the New Testament up through apostles and I've seen said this, Christ Jesus, who is to judge, living the dead. He's saying everybody, everybody who has ever lived, everybody who is still alive, and everyone who has now died.
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I solemnly charge you, Timothy, in the presence of God and Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and dead and by his appearing, he's saying, Jesus has come back. He came and opened the age of grace. He came and opened up the possibilities for salvation. In him, his salvation. In him, the message of the cross.
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It's foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved. It's the power of of God for transformation, for change, for salvation. He is going to judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom. This earthly life will pass and fade away but his kingdom is coming. I'm a stop right there for a second.
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So, if you, have have you seen the bumper sticker that says, Jesus is coming soon? Try to look busy. Have you all seen that? So, that's kind of the opposite of the solemnity with which Paul presents this. It is, Jesus is coming soon.
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In light of that, Timothy, in light of the fact that Jesus is coming back and you have been with me all this time and you know the Old Testament points to him and everything about him is about God. It's God word. Christ Jesus, he's the judge, living, and the dead. When he comes back, it's going be about judgement. So, do all you can in the now, Timothy, in light of his kingdom, in light of his appearing, do all you can now.
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Seriously, be serious about it and then he says, this is how you do that. Preach. Preach. Preach the word. So, nowadays, when we use the word preach, oh, am I not off?
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Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. You probably been trying to get my attention for the last little while. Thank you. Preach the word.
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He says, preach the word which is to proclaim the word. Nowadays, when you hear somebody say, well, I don't like him. He's kind of preachy. Well, he is a preacher but anyway, preachy is a bad thing now and so people say, well, I didn't like that movie so much. It just kind of was preaching, you know, or anybody who's presenting their opinion about anything, it's preach.
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No. But to preach is to herald something or to proclaim it and so the word kerygma or caruso, the verb form is properly. It is to herald, To herald something. Hark the herald angels sing. What did they sing?
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Glory to God in the highest and on earth. Peace and goodwill towards men. That's a herald. They were heralding God as who he is and the salvation had appeared that they were heralding that to preach or proclaim. It is to announce a message publicly with conviction and persuasion and this is what Paul has said.
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Preach the word. Proclaim it. Herald it. Don't ever stop. Preach the word or to herald.
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In the New Testament refers to preaching the gospel. So, how many times have I used the slide about the message of the cross? I've already used it once in this sermon, not the slide but the the verses from Corinthians one, first Corinthians one eighteen where it says, the message of the cross, it, it's foolishness to those who are perishing. What is the first century Jew have to do with me? But to those who are being saved, it's the very power of God.
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It's the power unto salvation for all who believe and that Caruso heralding that is to say, there is but one way that God has made whereby we can be saved. He has given us one mediator, the man, Jesus Christ. He is our one mediator between God and people and if we are to come to the father, Jesus said, I am the way, I'm the truth, and the life, and no one comes except by me. That exclusive gospel is the gospel and so to preach that is what Paul is saying to Timothy. Preach what?
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Preach the word. Preach the word. The enduring word of God. We sang a song in the first service this morning. Was the grass will wither and the flower will fade but the word of our God will last forever from Isaiah.
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Preach the word. Do not go beyond what it is written in first Corinthians. Paul says that to him because they had done that. They had started to go beyond what was written. They started to say, well, if grace is this, then I can do whatever I want to.
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I can live in a libertine manner or we can just go kind of hog wild and do what we want to do with the love feast, the communion. We can do whatever we want. But Paul says, don't go beyond the word. Preach the word. Just before this, these are the this is the sentence before this chapter starts.
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All scripture is inspired by God breathed out by God and it is profitable for teaching My my ministry here or my ministry in general, I think is I'm probably more of a mercy gifted teacher than anything else. Pastor, teacher so it's good. I think all scripture is what I need to base everything I say on. All scripture is inspired by God and it's profitable for teaching. It's also profitable for reproof.
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That's criticism. It is profitable for that. If someone is doing something that's against the teaching of the Bible, then, they open themselves up for right and good criticism. So, it's for reproof. It's also for correction and for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate.
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Now, last time I covered this, last sermon that I did was two, three Sundays ago and I said, adequate. It the the verb form right there or the noun form right there is so that they may be ready in the now. It's based on the word now. And so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped, fully equipped, complete lacking nothing. Those are all various translations of that.
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So that they may be just what someone needs to hear at exactly the right time so that the man of God may be adequate. So, study it. Show yourself approved, a workman. He's already said that to Timothy. Equipped for every good work.
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Scripture equips you for every good work. We spend a lot of time and effort here on Bible study of actual Bible books. Actually, precept. I did not hit the slide but precept on Thursday mornings at nine, right? Sharp is when precept study is and y'all are studying through Acts right now.
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We've got the CBS group is going through Hebrews. Carl is between books right now and he is swapping over. Tomorrow night will be a lot of Psalms. But he's swapping over maybe to Colossians, you said? Yeah, it's looking.
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We spend a lot of time just presenting and proclaiming scripture because we know that that's true. Does that make sense? If we had a self help sermon every Sunday and I proof texted my way through it, would that really be all that helpful? I don't think so. I use this kind of as my backing for that.
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That's not proof texting. He said, preach the word. Don't grow weary of preaching the word. Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season.
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So, if you look at the word for in season and out of season, Kairos is the word for time, not just time but an opportune time. Chronos in Greek is the word for time like 01:00, 02:00 this afternoon, tomorrow morning, whatever. That's Chronos time but Kairos time is an opportune moment. At just the right time, Christ was born of a virgin, right? So, that's the opportune moment.
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When he says preach the word, be ready in season is you, Kairos, you being good, Kairos, at a good time. Be ready at a good time. And then out of season is a Kairos, which means not good time, Not an opportune time. Be ready whether it's a good opportune moment or not. He's saying by the comparison there, always.
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Show up. Always. Be ready. It's part of doing the ministry of the word. Preach the word.
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Be ready when it's a good time and when it's not a good time. In season and out of season. I asked this morning, is that hunting season? Is it baseball season? Is it tourist season?
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It is just all the time. It's daytime and night time. It is always whether it's opportune or not. Preach the word and be ready to reprove. Reprove.
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I actually looked these up this morning in the middle of the night. And in the first service, I said, what does it mean to reprove? Do y'all know what it means to reprove? I'm opening that up while I'm looking for it. Please, To criticize or correct.
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Yes. To reprimand or censure someone. Oftentimes, reproving is letting someone know that what they have said is not right or good. Does that make sense? To reprove someone is to criticize especially what they're teaching or what they're saying.
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Now, to rebuke is next. Reprove to to criticize or correct. Rebuke is usually calling out for action. Does that make sense? For an action that someone has made, a rebuke is a sharp disagreement with what someone has done.
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Express our disapproval or criticism of someone because of their behavior or actions So, preach the word is the big one right here Be ready in season, out of season, always be ready, stand ready, or show up, be there, be there, always be there, whether it's a good time or a bad time. To reprove when someone has it almost right but not quite right, be ready to correct, right? Or when somebody's absolutely wrong, be ready to correct. And then when someone has done something that's wrong, rebuke. He's telling him to do that.
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Do you remember times when Paul rebuked? He did. He did it quite often. Some of his letters, you can tell were written as rebukes. He also says, Timothy, preach the word, be ready.
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Good time, bad time, reprove, rebuke, and exhort. That's an exhortation is an encouragement towards that which is good. It does not mean that they're doing anything wrong. It's just saying, this is the way to go. This is the way to go.
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Encourage good behaviors to exhort. So, are five punchy, little imperative right in a row. Preach the word. Be ready. What's a good time or a bad time?
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Reprove, rebuke, exhort, that's your job, Timothy. Preach the word and this is the proclamation of this will bring about these other things. But he says to do that with great patience and instruction. With great patience and instruction. So, it's not just put everybody else on blast all the time.
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You know what I mean? Nope, that's not biblical. Where you're blasting constantly because people just don't respond well to that. Be ready to do these things but with great patience and instruction. So, that's one good translation.
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That's the new American standard. Actually, I like this one too and it's a great translation. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long suffering. And with the most pain staking teaching activity, look for moments where you can teach. Look for ways that you can express it.
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I've got two examples of that. One of them is an old testament example. One of them is a New Testament example. You remember the story about David? It's a story because it happened.
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It's not like just a story, something made up. David was up on a rooftop looking and saw Bathsheba bathing and then he started to get ideas and those ideas led him down a path of adultery and so he commits adultery and then brings home Uriah the Hittite so that he can hide his sin and that doesn't go well and then he sends Uriah the Hittite out, puts him on the front lines of battle so that he will be killed. So, he sinned with Bathsheba. He sinned by killing Uriah, Hittite and then God sends Nathan to David. Here we are.
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Second Samuel, this is the Old Testament example of reprove, rebuke, exhort, but with all great patience and instruction. The Lord sent Nathan to David and he came to him and he said, there were two men in one city. There was one rich man and another poor man and the rich man had a great many flocks and herds. He had lots of livestock and poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished and grew up together with him and with his children and he would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom and it was like a daughter to him and now, a traveler came to the rich man. He was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him.
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Rather, he took the poor man's eulam and he prepared it for the man who had come to him. And David's anger burned greatly against the man. Just hearing that story, this is Nathan using instruction. All good teaching, right? He's doing so patiently.
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I'm sure he'd been praying about how to come before the king. He had to have some mighty courage to come before a king who could have him killed and rebuke him. But the way he presented it to David David's anger burned greatly against the man and he said to Nathan, as the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and he had no compassion and Nathan said to David, you are the man. You are that man.
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Thus says the Lord God of Israel. It's I who've anointed you king over Israel and it's I who delivered you from the hand of Saul and I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care and I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah and if that had not been or if that had been too little, I would have also added to you many more things like these. Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in its sight? You've struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You've taken his wife to be your wife and you have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
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Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you've despised me. Now, this is God speaking, not Nathan speaking, you know, but he is speaking for him. It's a direct rebuke. It's something God has said. I'll take even your wives and and then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.
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Now, he could've said, I'm the king. I can do whatever I darn well please. He'd have been wrong but he said, I have sinned against the Lord. Why do you think he did that? Because he received reproof and rebuke with great patience and instruction.
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It's good. Another example, New Testament. Remember first Corinthians, oh man, first Corinthians, Corinth was just full of sin, sin, sin, sin on every page. It's something about sin, you know? It's actually reported that there's immorality among you and immorality of such kind is not doesn't even exist among the Gentiles.
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Someone has his father's wife for crying out loud. You have become arrogant. You've not mourned. Good grief. Paul is saying.
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So that one who had done this, he's gotta be removed from. He's gotta be rebuked for this and y'all are just letting it go. So, this is first Corinthians. Second Corinthians, they took Paul's advice. Paul says, I've already made up my mind.
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I'd deliver that guy over to Satan. I'd let him be out of the church, not in fellowship with everybody when he's got this thing going on that's just obviously wrong. Come on, people. That's first Corinthians. Second Corinthians, he says, okay.
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Now, if any has caused any sorrow, that guy who did what he did, he's caused sorrow not to me but in some degree, in order that I not say too much to all of y'all. Sufficient for such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the majority. Y'all took my words seriously and you punished the guy. Alright, enough is enough for crying out loud. Do you get what I'm saying?
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Paul is instructing them and he's doing it with patience. He's saying, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. For to this end, I wrote in the beginning, it was turn him over to Satan because he's doing what's wrong and it's obviously against scripture. It's obviously something that he needed to be reproved and rebuked about but if he says, like David said, I've sinned against the Lord, then you bring him back into the fold, bring him back into the fellowship and that's what he did. I, the one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also for indeed what I've forgiven.
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I've forgiven in anything. I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan. We're not ignorant of his schemes. He's constantly trying to divide the church. I like the way that David responded.
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I like the way the man apparently responded. I've sinned against the Lord. David wrote Psalm 51. Oh my goodness. After that, you know, he was caught in his error and he turned to God and God cleansed him from that sin.
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So, that's the two about great patience and instruction that I thought of off top of my head. Preach the word, Timothy. Be ready. In season, out of season, reprove and rebuke and exhort and do so with great patience and instruction. Because all scripture is God breathed.
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And this is why the severity of this. The time is coming. The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. They will not just sit and listen to sound doctrine. Get as much as you can right now because it's just getting worse every day.
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He just told him last chapter that in the last days, difficult times will come. Men will be lovers of self and love of money and boastful and arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, and loving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips without self control, brutal haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and holding to form of godliness. You can read that around here as my spiritual person but they've denied its power but almighty God doesn't really exist. I'm spiritual. There's a form of godliness there but they deny the power of God.
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That's the picture of what things would look like. The time will come when they won't endure sound doctrine, Timothy, but wanting to have their ears tickled. Oh, it really says that. Really says that. They want to have their ears tickled or itched, scratched.
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They've got an itch. They're itching for something. They're itching for what they want to hear. Wanting to have their ears tickled. They will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.
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Now we live in a politically polarized land. Do you agree? Does it seem to you that everyone wants their ears tickled? Some of them want their right ear tickled, and some of them want their left ear tickled. And there are at least two sets of news, and it's to tickle ears.
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And confirmation bias is really real. If you only listen to who people who agree with you and stand up and say things that agree with you, then you're not hearing the whole story, you know? Now, back to the word rather than just the news. Great pastor that was a pastor to pastor said that good preaching is reading, having the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Preach the word but preach it to the time that you're living in.
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People will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires. Jeremiah, this this is not something new. It was happening in the Old Testament. It happened in cycles especially in the Old Testament and then, we see in the New Testament that things were going to get worse. Jeremiah, I like the verse 31 is the one I thought of but 30 adds to it and appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land.
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Amen. The prophets, those are the ones who are speaking out and testifying or proclaiming the heralds, the prophets, prophesied falsely. And the priests rule on their own authority. They don't stand on the word of God. They don't stand on the scripture thus saith the Lord.
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They rule on their own authority. They don't have anybody over them that is telling them what to do. Prophets prophesy falsely and the priest rule on their own authority and my people love it so. So, in our day, right now, in our time, the prosperity gospel is the one that stands out the most to me and you know why it's so popular? Why the prosperity gospel is so popular?
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Our society is all about money and more and money and more, right? And health and wealth. That's what we want. But the reason it's so popular is because my people love it. So, they want to be told things that agree with them and so, they're looking for someone to tickle their ears and I like the last part of that verse too but what will you do at the end of it?
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If it's not the truth, if somebody prophesies, oh yeah, God's going to give you great glory and a mansion and everything else. Wonderful stuff here. Just little seed money is all I need right now. God's going to repay hundredfold. What will you do at the end of it?
46:32
He's not preaching the word. He's selectively choosing that. Prosperity gospel as I have to say again is hogwash. And they will turn their ears away from the truth and they will turn aside to myths. Now, I started to list all of the myths of the day and I and there were so many.
46:51
I couldn't do it. I couldn't get it boiled down to where it was something simple. But you know what it's like to turn away from the truth. The Bible is either going to bend you or you're going to bend it. Does that make sense?
47:07
If you before scripture say, God, show me your way and I will walk in it and then he says, well, you're going to have to give up this and you're going have to concentrate on that and I will help you through and I will be with you through all of this but these things are not good. There's sin involved in your life. It'll give you the opportunity to transform you. That's the truth. The myth says, whatever you want to do is just fine.
47:34
Whatever anybody wants to do is just fine but if it don't line up with scripture, that's a myth. That's not true and it's not good and they'll turn away their ears from the truth and they will turn aside instead to myths and then he says, but you, but you, Timothy, you, how many times does he come back to that? I I know how it is. I know how it is to be where you are trying to minister where you are but you, Timothy, just you, be sober in all things. I know that all around you all the time, there are intoxicating influences and power and fame and glory and alcohol and drugs and all these different things but just be sober in all things.
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Be have your wits about you, you know? Don't sign on to what society has all around you all the time that everybody else says is okay. Be sober. Temperate, self controlled. Have your wits about you in all things.
48:27
Endure hardship. Endure hardship. Paul's got that long list, you know. In the second Corinthians where he list all the things that he's been through. He's definitely been through hardships and Timothy was with him on a lot of those journeys.
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That right there says, the prosperity gospel is probably what? Hogwash. Endure hardship, he says. Be sober in all things. Endure hardship.
48:48
Do the work of an evangelist. Evangelist, the words only used three times in the New Testament. Now, the verb to evangelize is used all over the place all the time. It's to spread the good news, the message of the cross. Do that but he's saying, do the work of an evangelist.
49:04
There's a there's a split, not a split but a kind of a a confusion here among some folks. Some commentators say, he says, do the work of an evangelist because that's not his primary gifting. Primary gifting is teacher, whatever and so he's saying but don't ever forget that there are lost people that need to hear the gospel. Do the work of an evangelist. The next thing he says is fulfill your ministry.
49:27
So, some people believe fulfilling his ministry would be, do what God's gifted you to do, be an evangelist and other people think, do the work of an evangelist no matter whether you're, it's your gift or not. You need to be spreading the gospel all the time, alright? Are you with me? That one's a Swahili one. It means, are we together?
49:45
It's a good one. Fulfill your ministry. Literally, it means fill it up. Fill up your ministry. Fill it up with what?
49:54
Do the work of an evangelist. Don't ever forget that there are lost people that need to hear. You might be in the midst of a bunch of people that are that you have to reprove and rebuke and correct and train in righteousness. You might, yeah, you might have to do that with the church folk but remember that all around you all the time, there are lost people and people need the Lord. Do the work of an evangelist.
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Endure the hardship. It's a part of this life. You're being ready in season and out of season or at a good time or a bad time already says there's going to be hardship. And be sober. Don't be intoxicated with the things of the world.
50:31
And then he moves from Timothy but you, he talks about the way society is, then he talks about what Timothy should be, and then he says, and I, for I, I am already being poured out as a drink offering. They know what that is. That's his present. He is, his life is ebbing away from him. He's an older man now.
50:49
He's awaiting trial. His first trial didn't go well so he appealed and everybody had walked away. We'll talk about that next week. I'm already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure has come. I know that my ship is getting ready to sail.
51:04
That's my present right now and I'm well aware of it but he's not only aware of his present, he's aware of his past. I have fought the good fight. Amen. Actually, I love the Greek word order in this because it says, the grand fighter, the good grand big fight, the overarching fight of life, I fought. It's the way that he says it.
51:25
It it moves ego out of the way a bit. He says, the grand fight, yep, I fought it. The course, the race course that God had laid in front of me, ran finished it, finished the course. I've done that which God had for me and the faith, I've kept it. Now, so long Paul has been preaching about those who persevere to the end will be saved and he's saying, I've kept the faith.
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Personally, I've kept the faith. I've also not let other things cloud it whenever presenting. I didn't add anything or take anything away. I've kept the faith. The faith, I've kept it.
52:05
Now, he goes from present to past and now he's talking about his future. In the future, there is laid up for me a crown and it's a crown, a wreath of righteousness. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled and will be filled. In the future, Paul says, my future is this, I know I'm being poured out. I know my departures come but in the future, my future is secure and it's laid up.
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There is a wreath of righteousness which the Lord, Jesus Christ, will award to me on that day, the righteous judge. When Jesus comes back, he's coming in judgement. He's already mentioned that. He's coming back. He judge living in the dead and he says, whether I'm still alive when he gets here or dead.
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He's going to award to me a crown of righteousness. What we do with our crowns laying back at Jesus' feet? But he doesn't stop there. Again, he is suppressing his own ego. He says, he is going to do that.
53:00
He's got a blessed assurance in that but he doesn't stop there. He says, and not only to me, it's not just me. I'm a part of the church triumphant. I'm a part of those who have believed. It's also for all of those who have loved his appearing, not those who fear his judgment which is the same thing in some ways.
53:19
True love cast out all fear also to all of those who have loved his appearing. Are you waiting on Christ's return? Personally, I'm waiting on it. I I want for more to come in. I'm I'm looking for other people to come on in to the kingdom.
53:34
So, preach the word in season, out of season. I'll always be doing that but looking forward expectantly to a day when hardship will end and sorrows will be wiped away. Bring as many with us lord as you will. Not only to me but also to those who have loved his appearing. I think that's the last verse there.
53:52
We're going go into a time of communion right now but would you pray with me? God, I thank you for your word. I thank you that we don't just have to guess. I thank you that we don't have to make up stuff but when we stand before the people, whether it's in the public square or in the church, lord, we have something that is certain. There is propositional truth that is absolute and it is unchanging.
54:17
It is going to be exactly as it is. It's unchanging. I pray lord that we would not trim ourselves to the winds of culture or society or place or time but that we would trust in your son, the enduring word in the beginning was the word and the word was with God. Word was God and that expression, your exact expression and image, the content of what you wanted to communicate to us was Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we come now at this time of communion and I'm going to invite the frontline team if y'all come forward.
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Would you, lord? Would you bless each person here in this room whether it be someone who has trusted in Christ and therefore, lord, can take partake of this table. This is an open table. Anyone who's trusted in Christ is welcome to take the bread and the cup. But lord, if there's anyone who's unconvinced or just not sure, lord, I pray that the blessing on them would be that the people surrounding them right here today would live their lives in such a way as to give credibility and veracity to to the veracity of the scripture, to the truth of it.
55:30
I pray lord that we would all live out our calling that we would, lord, in gentleness and patience, be ready with the word to bring people into the fold with all patience and instruction. In Jesus name, lord, I pray that the blessing would be for everyone present whether they receive this communion or not. In Jesus name, I ask that you'd bless the bread as we distribute it right now. In Jesus name. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed in the upper room with his disciples, he took the bread after supper and after he had given thanks, he broke it and he said to each of them, sit here and I'm saying to you, this is Christ's body that was given for you.
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Take this and eat of it and do it in remembrance. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the perfect life that you lived. Tempted in every way just as we're tempted but without sin. I thank you for the perfect record that you established before God lived out your life in his spirit and lord that you were able to make that perfect sacrifice through the spilling of your blood. I ask lord that you would bless each one here that partakes of this little cup of juice as a remembrance of your precious blood that was spilled and lord, again, I pray that you would for everyone here that's present, that has not put their trust in you, lord.
59:05
May we be examples of how your grace works. In Jesus name, we ask a blessing on all present as we distribute this cup in Jesus name. In the same way that he had taken bread, he took the cup after supper and he explained to them and said to him, this is the new covenant in my blood. That new covenant that they have been looking forward to since Jeremiah's day, Joel's day. Jesus was saying, this is it.
1:01:35
This is the new covenant in my blood. I paid the price. Take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Would y'all stand with me? There were, I'm going I'm going to talk about the trip to Africa next week but just a few things.
1:02:02
I I'm going to promise that I know some of y'all have been involved in a missionary slideshow before and you've thought, oh my goodness, is this thing ever going to end? It's going to be the same time frame as it will be and I will be preaching through the last part of second Timothy four but there were four of us ministering in the Nakuru, Kenya for the last two and a half weeks. There we are, the four of us from this church, Tanya and Pascal and Carl and I and you know, some of it was in a classroom. There are Tanya and Pascal in the classroom. Some of it was a big day of activity.
1:02:32
Just a all day family day which was great but amazing. Hilton's Heroes is the organization that we went through. And we were at the Maisha Mafia Learning Center. That's the end of the day and they're high fiving us on the way out of there. I'll talk about that trip because the personal greetings at the end of this book and the personal stories I hope will be encouraging and inspiring.
1:02:56
Also, we didn't just work with a school for a little while while we're there in a bad community but we also work with a church. So, Mabuno Church, Nakuru, we did a worship experience and we'll talk about it more next week but I just wanted you to know that we're going that way. I've got a benediction for you but I want to say that when faced with the word and it is going to bend us, when we see something that's not in accord with it, I think this right here, this benediction is where we should go. Lord, restore to me the joy of your salvation. When we look to God and we know that he's the one who saved, he's the one that gave us that joy and when our sin begins to separate us and hinder our prayers and cause us all kinds of aggravation.
1:03:39
When we recognize that, oh my goodness gracious, this is sin. God, forgive me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant to me a willing spirit to sustain me. That's from Psalm 51. That's David's Psalm of Repentance right there.
1:03:53
God, may it be so as you reveal to us this week the things that are not God word and good in our lives. May we be like David, a man after your own heart to say, I have sinned against the Lord and I pray for your forgiveness. In Jesus name, may we live our lives that way with great patience and instructions so that others may come to know you. Amen.
