The Word of God Is Not Imprisoned First B Jackson 2019-01-20 Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record. ---- Well, welcome. I'm glad that y'all are here this morning. That's a hot mic somewhere. We are going to stand. If you would, stand with us and we're going to start off with wonderful grace of Jesus. Now, we're starting right out of the box with one of them. It's audience participation, okay? Wonderful grace of Jesus is hymn number three thirty eight and there should be a hymnal in front of you. All the words that are in this song are not going to come up on that screen. If you are singing the ladies part of this song, it they won't all be on the screen, okay? So, if you want to sing along and sing your part, grab the hymnal in front of you and sing hymn number three thirty eight. Wonderful grace of Jesus or just wing it but do so with intent, okay? In both Alta, in a loud voice. Here we go. We're winging it. Wonderful grace burden setting my spirit free for the wonderful grace of Jesus Wonderful, the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea. Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me. Broader than the scope of my transgression is greater far than all my sin and shame. Oh, magnify the precious name of Wonderful, the matchless race of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea. Higher than the mountains, sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me. Broader than the scope of my transgression is greater far than all my sin and shame oh magnify the precious name of for the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. Wonderful, the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea, higher than the mountain sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me. Broader than the scope of my treasures, than greater than all my sin and shame oh magnify the precious name of Jesus praise his name Y'all sound good this morning. Dave was on his tiptoes. Do you see that? Yeah and I just quit on that one. That one, when it gets outside of those bars, I just stop singing. That's good. Very nice. Standing on the promises, hymn number four ten is next. Standing on the promise. We'll sing whatever comes on the screen. Amen. Standing on the promises of Christ, my king, through eternal ages, let his praises ring. Glory in the highest, I will shout standing standing on the promises that cannot fail when the howling storms of doubt if a fear assail by the living word of God I shall prevail standing on the promises of God standing on the promises I now can see perfect present cleansing in the blood standing on the promises of God standing I'm standing on the promises of God. This is the last verse of the last. Standing I'm standing on the promises of God. Amen. Sound great this morning. Does the hymnals that make that much difference? When you're singing from the hymnal, does it make that much difference? Let me know. Sometimes, it does. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements this morning. It sounds beautiful. Monday nights at first B. This happens every Monday night down the hall, fellowship hall. We have meal, music, and a message and Carl is gonna be preaching tomorrow from James. James James five. Alright. Patience and endurance. Fantastic. We also have Samantha McBay is cooking. That's always a treat. So we have a meal, music and a message. The 09:00 band on Sunday mornings is the 06:00 band or 06:45 ish is usually when we start music portion of the evening. But we've got about 06:00 to 07:38 is the way that goes down the hall and it's the same time period overlapping with Awana which is in this room, starts out at least in this room and then they expand into the absolutely into the whole church. It's a great ministry for kids because kids matter to God and as you can see, Awana is awesome dude. Discovery class was today in my office down the hall and that that we try to do that on the third Sunday each month. During the first service, we did have a covenant ceremony welcoming in several new members. So welcoming in four, three of them were here today. The fourth one is plowing for the government unpaid. Okay, Steve Baldock you all know. Steve and Susie became official members although they've been here for fifteen years. And Kelly Dunn came in. Kelly Dunn and she is the lady that brings in. She has nine children that sit with her usually. She has a couple more children that don't live here anymore but nine children. And she was told her story which was fantastic. And Jim Reed, if you all know Jim Reed, who is a CPA in town, he just overflowing. It was pretty amazing service this morning with those three folks speaking up and coming in as new members. So, community Bible study is happening. It's happening here on Wednesdays. It start it started this past week but you can join at any time. You can come in at any time and enjoy this. 09:30 in the morning to 11:30 on Wednesday mornings and then 06:30, it actually only goes till about eight not nine, but 06:30 in the evening till about eight at night. And childcare is available if you want to come. It's a coed study. It doesn't have to be men's and women's separated or whatever but Ed Alam and Eric Palmquist are teaching community Bible study and it is really good. They're studying Hebrews together on Wednesdays, morning and night here. CBS prayer group. Precept is a Bible study that meets here down in the fellowship hall on Thursdays and this time, they're studying through the book of Acts. Jesus's witnesses empowered by his Holy Spirit. Thursdays from nine to 11:30. Bring your colored pencils. That's a vibrant slide right there, isn't it? Bring your colored pencils in your Bible and they will underline and notate and it's really really a good study. We still have the connect hour happen in between services. So that happens at about ten. Today, it happened at 10:15 but usually it's ten unless the pastor goes long. We'll connect down there with a little bit of breakfast between services and I think that's all. Is there anything I forgot? Ah, I knew there's something else. We'll get them to whoever they belong to. That's right. Thank you very much and thank you for doing that. There are all kinds of acts of service that are happening all the time but all I did was give directions for how to get to your house. I'm a I appreciate that they did it too. Good. Oh, fantastic. So with that, would y'all stand and greet one another and just say howdy to somebody? You might not have said howdy to yet. We'll bring you back together with a song. Oh, really? She could need nothing. That's right. If I do my key, I can hit one. Do you know can you tell by looking at music what key it's in? Yeah. It ends there and it starts there. It's probably new. No, seriously. It's real good. It's 97 percent of the time. Holy Spirit, thou art well this place Holy Spirit thou art well come in this place omnipotent father of mercy and grace thou art welcome in place. Thank you. And the last one we're going to sing right here before. People need the Lord. This is very true. Yeah. People need lord when will we realize people need the Lord can we sing that again Y'all can have a seat. I will invite the frontline team to come forward though. Would y'all pray with me? God, we're thankful this morning. I I I come and I I see when I look out in the 09:00 service and in this service, I see faces of people that love you and are serving you lord and I am overwhelmed sometimes by that. I think that it's because we all do realize that people need the Lord. We have found something in you lord as we as we struggle through life. We found something in you that gives us hope and peace and rest. That the the incorruptible hope of eventual salvation, glory. Lord, keeps us going through difficult times. As the as I turn to the text here in just a minute, we're gonna see that as a big part of what Paul is conveying to Timothy and what lord I think has been impressed upon me all week this week that all of us are called to minister. This way, right here, this offering that we're about to take up is one way that all of us can and do. Lord, join in. I pray that you would bless the giver and that you'd multiply the gift to do your kingdom's work that the gospel unblemished, untainted, would advance, that we would not add anything to it, that we would not take anything away from it, but that we would present your word for what it is, your unmerited favor, Lord, would touch lives that have just been struggling. In Jesus name, lord, I pray that you would do your kingdom's work here on earth as it is in heaven. Begin in this day, in this place, right now, with this. Multiply, lord. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. Thank you. So we're up to second Timothy. We're studying this chronological study. We keep on going forward. Second Timothy two, it's very personal letter. We're going forward. Actually, last week, we arrived at second Timothy two three, but rather than just start in verse four, I'm on backtrack just a little bit. We'll go back to verse one of the second chapter. Everything in it, it's a pretty tight little book. It's not long and it would be a blessing to you. I'm sure. If you just read the whole book of second Timothy this afternoon, it's incredibly encouraging. I've received back news because people are reading ahead and they think, I'm just gonna read the whole thing. It's just right here. It's on two two and a half pages, you know, and it's really really encouraging and it will touch you where you're living life today. So this week covered last week. I'm gonna read it again. You therefore, my son, his true son in the faith. This is somebody that Timothy was a guy who had a Greek father and a Jewish background Christian mother and Paul calls him my son because he's dear to him and this is a personal letter from Paul to Timothy. You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. God has given you grace, Timothy, and you can share that with others. His unmerited favor is something that can pass through you to others. Be strong in that grace that's in Christ Jesus and the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, Paul's gospel never changed. If he was preaching in the synagogue, he, of course, would use the Old Testament scriptures and present the gospel from a place of prophecy or from the Old Testament from Torah but the things which you've heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, Timothy traveled with him for years and years and miles and miles and been at synagogues and prayer meetings and he had been there when Paul was presenting to all these people whether it be pagans or Jewish background folks. The things that you've heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, be entrusting these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. He'd already told him in his first letter to Timothy or the first one that we have extant in our Bibles, it told him to pick elders and pick faithful guys and he describes them in first Timothy three. Second Timothy two, he says, entrust these faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Now last Sunday, we hit five imperatives and I I went up into this because there are a bunch of imperatives in a row. There are five of them. I think they're worth holding on to. In fact, the first one is retain them or hold on to them depending on your translation. Retain the standard of the sound words of the gospel. Retain the standard of the sound words. Don't let them change. In fact, the next one is guard. Guard them. Guard the treasure which has been entrusted with you. You have received the gospel. Don't change it. Don't try to come up with a new or novel twist. Don't lessen the holiness aspect of it and don't feed into the legalistic detractors. It is truly of grace and having accepted that grace yourself, retain the standard. What did you bring to Jesus? Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to your cross I cling. I take the sacrifice that Christ has made and then I seek to live a holy life empowered by his Holy Spirit. Retain the standard of the sound words. Guard the treasure that's been entrusted to you. Be strong and he says it again, be strong in the grace that is from Christ Jesus. It is not a legalistic message and it's not an antinomium, anti law message. It is the gospel of grace. Jesus's perfect record and perfect life has made atonement for anyone who will put their trust in him. Be strong in the grace that is from Christ Jesus. It's not available anywhere else. If there's an exclusivity to the blood of Christ, that's the only thing that can wash away our sin. So retain the standard of sound words. Guard the treasure which has been entrusted with you. Be strong. We'll cover this portion again today in the grace that is from Christ Jesus. Entrust though what it is that you know from me, entrust that to other faithful men that will be able to teach others. So, it's not just for you. It doesn't stop with you. It's not something where you're simply a sponge to gather the blessing of God but you're also to be wrung out and you're also be poured out into other people. And the time that you spend in trusting this message will ensure that the gospel will go forward. And then he says, well, I think the major portion of this passage is suffer hardship with me. Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. So I think the next section we're gonna cover from three up through 13 is kinda choppy. It seems choppy to me and so I'll put it in there. The section is choppy and it's weird because Paul is speaking to Timothy, someone he's known for quite a few years. Timothy is probably in his early thirties. Paul's probably in his mid sixties ish, somewhere right around there and so he is trying to transfer or convey the really important stuff but it's choppy and some of it is abbreviated in short form. There are arguments that Timothy would have heard many times in front of many witnesses when he's traveling with Paul. It's choppy but the verses seem to be all held together by one theme and that theme is encouragement. He's either encouraging him to carry on though it be difficult or he's encouraging him with what he already knows to be true just like we've just seen. So I'm a grammar nerd, all know that. Three short similes. A simile is a metaphor using like or as. In the South we use them all the time. Like, oh, that little fella's just cute as a red pup under a speckled wagon. No, speckled pup under a red wagon. As a speckled pup under a red wagon. That's a simile except for someone's cuteness. Well, Paul uses three really short similes. They're verse apiece, just a couple short little sentences. And to me, reading it, it sounds choppy because it sounds like he's mixing his metaphors really quickly here. But it's for the ministering Christian. And I I could say for the Christian minister because Timothy was that, Paul was that, but I think it extends beyond just Christian ministers. He's saying for anyone who would minister Christ to anybody else and y'all are all able to do that. What Paul has encouraged Timothy in the first chapter was and we use the New American Standard last week. It said, rekindle the gift that God has placed within you. Rekindle it. I like another translation says, fan the flame of the gift that God has given. Fan into flame the gift that God has given. Don't just be passive about it. Be actively pursuing whatever it is that God has gifted you to do. So, in these three short similes, we'll start with this one. Suffer hardship with me, Paul says, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Do you know that soldiers do suffer? They're separated from family. They're separated from friends. They often are just placed by number or by whatever with people that they don't have anything in common with, might not ever spend any time with otherwise, and there's a bit of suffering that goes with the soldier. Have you heard about boot camp? When you go through boot camp and they have to get through boot camp, it is a disciplined time of suffering. I have had I have a a first cousin who has been down in San Antonio and going through a new program with Air Force. And I I thought I heard from them last week that he had blacked out in the pool and I thought, oh, that's military jargon for, well, he didn't make it through that course. No, he literally was required to tread water for hours, more than a few. He was gonna do search and rescue. He literally had blacked out in a pool. That's suffering. If you're in a pool, just the discipline of working towards that. Paul is saying, suffer hardship with me in your disciplined life of trying to study, to show yourself approved. You'll say that in the next chapter. Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldier is the first simile, as a soldier, a good soldier. Not just one that's just barely squeaking by but a good soldier. No soldier that is in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life. In fact, I think if we look back on wartime or peacetime when there's a military family and the soldier goes away and the family is left to deal with it, one of the greatest frustrations is the soldier can't do anything about what's going on at home and the spouse can't do anything or is struggling to do it all themselves. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life. It's important that it says entangles because you have to deal with ordinary life. I think that to be a hermit is not a good example of the Christian life. When we sequester ourselves away and do nothing but cloister ourselves and study. I'm grateful for those monks that did that way back when that helped keep the purity of the scripture alive, but I think that love needs an outlet. The grace of God needs an outlet and we have to be sharing. No active soldier that is in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Now do you think Paul is talking about himself having enlisted Timothy or do you think ultimately it's God who has enlisted Timothy? I think it's God that's enlisted Timothy but he is writing as one of the guys who brought him in and took him on the missionary journeys and set him apart for service and left him in charge in Ephesus. So, that's the first simile. He doesn't explain it very fully, does he? He just says that. That's it. The next one, next verse also. If anyone competes as an athlete, so we've got soldier in the second simile, as athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. Well, that's true, right? You can't if you're going to do whatever Olympic event, you have to compete according to the rules or it just doesn't count. Well, Paul has already mentioned a couple of guys who had turned against him and turned against the Gospel of Grace. And he's saying to Timothy, in just this one verse, also if anyone competes as an athlete, must go according to the rules. He doesn't win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. Real interest and side note that I'll add, but Paul doesn't. In the Greek games, in the Olympic games in this time period, one must prepare oneself for the game. And there was a formal period of ten months that they had to prepare themselves and they had to go according to the rules. It's somewhat akin to the way that we have doping. There's a limitation. You cannot have certain blood, certain products, certain drugs. You can't do that. It's against the rules, and if you're found to be cheating, then you're cheating and you don't win the wreath. You don't win the prize. The Greeks actually would swear an oath to Zeus just before the game that they had done what they were supposed to do. They did their homework. They did their preparation. They had not cheated and would not cheat. They had to swear an oath. Paul may be picking up on that here. It's conjecture to say it any stronger than that. But if anyone competes as an athlete, he doesn't win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. Six, he goes right on. He doesn't spend any more time on that athlete at all. The hardworking farmer, so farmer is our next simile, the hardworking farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Okay. Now I've seen these somewhere before. We've studied them together before. In Corinthians, Paul says to them, he mentions all of them, the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer. And in Corinthians, he was arguing for paid Christian service, and I don't think there's any doubt about that, but he only has three verses. He doesn't expand any further than that on this. I don't think that he's saying to Timothy that, yeah, you deserve your pay. They're in Ephesus because what he's trying to do in this letter is get Timothy to come to him and stand with him for the gospel. To not turn his back on the truth of the grace of God because it's convenient. You know at the time, Paul was in prison when he wrote this. And if you would renounce Christ, you could be set free. Does that make sense? If Paul would have renounced Christ, he would have been set free. That would have been the easy way in the world, right? God will forgive me if I just say that. They'll let be out but that's not. That's Paul could not do that. Now, it might be that Phygelus and Hermogenes, the two guys I mentioned last week that turned against him. It might be that they had actually turned against the gospel of grace and the gospel of Christ and not been willing to stand forward. Paul is up for an appeal and he's going to appeal to Caesar and what he's going to appeal to Caesar is the gospel. This is why I'm doing this and whether you kill me or not, I'm still gonna do this because this is the truth of God. Now, it's funny. At the end of this little third metaphor here oh, and by the way, it's not just a farmer, it's a hard working farmer And the way that the way that he says this, it's actually more emphatic in the Greek. It says, the hard working farmer because apparently, you know, he put seeds in the ground and wait a while and come back. That's not a hard working farmer. This is someone who tilled the soil, cultivated the soil, put it in there, pays attention, weeds the garden, grows it up in tender care, hard working farmer. Now of these three analogies, the one that I see that makes the most blaring thing to me is I hate farming. I cannot even tell you how bad. I don't like gardening. I don't like farming. I have a jade plant in my office that is orange and I'm pretty sure jade is green. I am terrible at farming. I can kill plants pretty easy and I don't like it. And I remember I mentioned my grandmother several times last week. Thank you for your indulgence in that. But when I get off the school bus, had to walk through our garden to get to my grandmother's house. And so I'd start and there'd be five gallon buckets left and we were supposed to fill those five gallon buckets with whatever was right at the time whether it was squash or tomatoes or potatoes or whatever was going on. Oh, how I hated it. A hardworking farmer, I was not. I just did the minimal that I could do. Now, what was I doing in between the school bus and my grandmother's house before I watched Gilligan's Island? I was I was suffering is what I was doing and I think all of these are there is something to the discipline. He's already said, God has not given you a spirit of timidity or fear, reticence, cowardice. He has not given you a spirit of timidity but he's given you power, the ability to be able to, and love. Agape love, unconditional love for the other, seeking the best of the other. God's given you not timidity, reticence, cowardice, fear. He's given you power to be able to, Timothy. He's given you love to want to, to seek the best for the other, and he's given you a sound mind. And I said last week, the translation there or the week before, sound mind and discipline or sound mind and self control. He's given you a mind to know the truth and the power to actually act upon. Does that make sense? So if that's the case, all of these whether it be the soldier or the athlete or the farmer, there's something that must be done. The training for battle, the training and the discipline. Like I said, he's about to tell him study to show yourself approved. AWANA, what's it stand for? A workman. That's right. It's about being unashamed. You don't, a workman need not be ashamed. If you've done the work and he's talking about that in each one of these examples. What's funny is I've I've studied this and thought about it and considered it and those little choppy things. He ends it like this, consider what I say for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. It's like, okay, I I realized I've mixed my metaphors there, Timothy, but just pray about it. You'll get it. You know me. You know what I'm talking about. Right? Consider what I say for the Lord and you know what? That's true. It is true that if you earnestly seek after God and his will, he will show you. He says he will. James, we're gonna close with that for the benediction today. If you lack wisdom, pray for it. He'll give it to you. Consider what I say. For the Lord will give you understanding and everything. This is important. Timothy, remember Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. Now, he doesn't talk about the perfect life well lived that we're going to talk about when we get to communion. He doesn't talk about that at this point. I think that's self evident. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. He overcame. While he was here, he said to his disciples, you will have trouble and you will have tribulation in this world. That's the way that it is. They persecuted me. They're gonna persecute you. They know, you know that no slave is better than his or than his master but if they did it to me, they're gonna do it to you. In this world, you will have trouble but take heart because I've overcome the world. Well, this is him pointing back to the fact that oh Christ overcame. He overcame through resurrection. He was vindicated by God. All the suffering that he had, crying outside of Jerusalem, triumphal entry, crucify, crucify him, and then the passion of the Christ. After betrayal. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. He was vindicated by God. He's resurrected. There, I serve a living savior. He's in the world today. I know he's with me no matter what man may say. Risen from the dead and descendant of David. He was all God and he is shown to be true by his resurrection but he also was a descendant of David. He's a man. According to my gospel, the hypostatic union of Christ right there. According to my gospel for which I suffer hardship. So, come back to suffering again. Paul is suffering through. He literally is in prison. He says, for which I suffer hardship even unto imprisonment as a criminal and the word for criminal there is a bad, bad criminal, serious criminal. What was his crime? Christianity, following Christ was his crime and he was willing to suffer that and be looking for and pouring into Timothy and others for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal but the word of God is not imprisoned. That's encouraging. Whatever you're going through, Timothy, I know it's tough, man. I know what it's like to be in a position and have people ignore you and not listen to you and fight against you. Half of Paul's letters are combating that sort of behavior, but I'm suffering hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal, but so did Christ. Right? Christ is our example, and if he suffered, we probably are going to too. But the word of God is not imprisoned. Amen. He knows that the word of God is going forward and the gospel is still saving people today. For this reason, I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen. For those people, I don't know who they are, but I know that God is gonna save people. I do this and I endure all these things for the sake of those who will accept Christ, who are chosen so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it, eternal glory. Now temporally, was experiencing suffering at the time he wrote this. He's asking for his coat, he knows winter time's coming. He's feeling bound because he's literally bound, but he's looking forward to within corruptible hope, he's looking forward to eternal glory, and he's looking forward to sharing that salvation with others. It is a trustworthy statement. Now, if you've been here for a while, we've been studying in order. So, we've covered first Timothy and Titus by now. Paul's pastoral epistles and the pastoral epistles, he says this five different times. It's a trustworthy statement. In fact, I'm gonna go off this text for just a second and share this. This is just a little blurb. I actually borrowed these slides, but announcement provision is worth a pound of cure. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A stitch in time saves nine. Spare the rod, hell hath no fury. I I borrowed these slides. Yeah. Like a woman's going up. The way to a heart a man's heart is through his stomach. And a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. That's right. She was in the 09:00 service. I actually like that one so I left it in there. It's alright. A man convinced against his a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. Now those little quips or idioms or quotes or proverbs that we say because there's some truth there. Right? There's something there. Paul being 60 and speaking to a 30, he's saying, this is a trustworthy statement, something you can hold on to. They might have been fragments of hymns or little pieces of a bigger say and it might have just been some proverbs. But if you look in the ESV, KJV, New King James, all of this. This is a trustworthy saying or this is a faithful saying. This is a trustworthy statement NIV. Here is a trustworthy saying. He says that five different times and here they are. Okay. I'm gonna read through them quickly, I hope. There are five occurrences. This is faithful the word, bank on this is a good way of putting it. The formula consistently precedes the say and sometimes it's right after it, akin to a speaker quoting from a hymn or creed. I quote songs all the time. I've done it three times since I've been up here this morning. But because there's truth in those songs. So, he is doing the same thing and what comes out of these five different things is it would be a sermon unto itself. It's a remarkably balanced summary of the gospel and its practical implications. So, really quickly, I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service. Though formerly, I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent opponent, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly and in unbelief, and the grace of our lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus and this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and then, what a statement of humility of whom I am the foremost. But I receive mercy for this reason that in me, as the foremost of sinners, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. That's the chosen that he was talking about just a second ago. To the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only wise God be all honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Jesus saves sinners. That's a trustworthy statement and deserving of full acceptance. Titus three one through eight says this, remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves once were foolish. Like I said, he does not remember where he came from. He just remembers who saved him and brought him out of it. We were led astray. We were slaves to various passions and they are various. Not all of us are tempted in the same way but we're all tempted. We also come to that temptation and have sin in our lives. Slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another, but when the goodness and loving kindness of God, our savior appeared, he saved us not because of works done by us and our righteousness but according to his own mercy. Praise God. It's not by works. It's by grace. According to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our savior, so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life, and this saying is trustworthy. And I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. He's saying, those who have already believed should be acting in good works. So, what is this trustworthy saying? We are saved for but not by our good works. Ephesians two eight nine, you know, for it is by grace that we've been saved and that's not of ourselves so that no one would boast. It's by grace we've been saved through faith. That's not of ourselves but that no one would boast. But two ten says, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto for good works that we should walk in them. We are saved for but not by our good works. First Timothy four six through 10 says this, if you put these things before the brothers, that's what I'm you know that's what I'm trying to do? I'm putting these things before the brothers and sisters, brethren. If you put these things before the brothers, you'll be a good servant of Christ Jesus. Being trained in the words of the faith, retain the words, standard of the words that you heard. Being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you followed have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths, but rather train yourself for godliness. Training. Training. He's calling back when he says, the good soldier, he's calling back to this. When he's talking about the athlete, he's calling back to this. Have nothing to do with irreverent Silly Miz. Rather train yourself for godliness for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Amen. This saying is trustworthy, that's the saying, And deserving of full acceptance for it is to this end that we toil and strive because we've our hopes set on the living God who's the savior of all people, especially those who believe godliness now or holiness now, training now, reading your Bible, praying, taking care of one another, serving the Lord. Godliness now yields dividends both now. There is a blessing in it for you here, but it also yields dividends later in the life to come. That's pretty good too. This saying is trustworthy. If anybody aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Now right there, he goes into the qualifications for elder, above reproach, husband of one wife, sober minded, self controlled. He goes on for a while there. But the trustworthy saying is if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. It's a privilege to be a pastor. And I don't mean that just for this position right here but to minister the grace of God to people is a privilege because you've received from it freely, freely. I have received freely, freely give. It is a privilege to be there. So this trustworthy statement in two eleven is this. It is a trustworthy statement and it looks like a hymn. A lot of people agree that it's a hymn or a piece of a hymn or piece of a poem. It's a saying, a creed of some sort. It is a trustworthy statement. If we died with him, we also will live with him. Amen. In Romans six, we talk about it at baptism. Sometimes it says that if we identify Christ with his death, we will also be raised with him, right? To live with him. And when I do a baptism, oftentimes I say, buried with Christ but raised to walk in newness of life. Identification with Christ in his death which is part of communion too. We're identifying with him and his blood shed for us. If we died with him, oh, Galatians two twenty and twenty one. He says, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me. If we died with him, we'll also live with him. Amen. That's encouraging. That's encouraging for Timothy. That's encouraging for us. If we endure or persevere, we will also reign with him. It will not always be the way that it is right now. Christ will be the victorious king and we will be with him. This is reign with him. If we endure or persevere, we will also reign with him. That's an encouragement to keep on going even though the times get tough. And then I think he's talking about Phygellus, homogenes, might might be some other guys that he's talking about too because apostasy is very real and possible. If we deny him, he will deny us also. Jesus said as much. He said, if you deny me before men, I'll deny you before my father. If we though are faithless, you ever feel faithless? You just wake up and you feel like, I don't have it today. He remains faithful. God is faithful. We sang in the first service, great is that faithfulness. Oh God, my father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changes not, thy compassions they fail not. As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be. Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faith. Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above, join with all nature and manifold witness to that great faithfulness, mercy, and love. If we are faithless, praise God because I think Timothy might have been feeling a little faithless or beat up, right? And some of y'all might feel beat up by what's been put on you from external or you might just feel like I just don't have it today or I just don't have it right now. I don't have it at this portion of my life. Timothy having served God and having been involved with God and then getting this letter, it sounds like Paul's encouraging him. Come see me. Come see me. Find some faithful men that will keep on doing the job there. The gospel is not imprisoned. It's gonna go forward but come to me. For my joy and for your benefit, please come. Even if you're feeling faithless, faithless, he remains faithful. Don't turn. Don't turn away. And then he closes. Most people think that this is not part of the hymn, but it's Paul's commentary on it, for he cannot deny himself. God, once he has been united or once you have been united with Christ, union with Christ is what it's all about. It says, over and over in this book, in Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus, in Christ Jesus, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Once you have accepted that and partaken of that, you have become united with Christ and what can take you out of his hand? What can take you away? Nothing. He cannot deny himself and he will not. Even when you are feeling feeble and frail and faithless. He remains faithful and will bring you through. Turn to him. He cannot deny himself. Remember Christ Jesus risen from the dead, offspring of David is preached in my gospel for which I'm suffering, bound with chains as a criminal, but the word of God is not bound. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect or the chosen that they also might obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy. Bank on this. If we've died with him, we'll also live with him. Dead to sin, raised to walk in newness of life. If we persevere, endure, he will also reign. We will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. Don't turn back. Don't turn back. If we though are faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. Genuine salvation will lead to the place of gracious suffering. You'll be able to get through earthly suffering because it's a genuine salvation that you have. So that is a summary of the trustworthy sayings. I'll go back right now to one more quote and that'll be. This is by E M Bounce. He was a pastor during the Civil War. It sounds sounds incredibly up to date considering that it was, you know, a hundred fifty years ago. We are constantly on a stretch, if not a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day in the eighteen sixties and still today, this trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or to sink the man in the plan or organization, the method. You get that? The methods are many. Principles are few. Methods always change but principles never do. What Paul is preaching is a gospel of grace and he's dogged about it. He will not let it go. He's not gonna let it go. When he gets the chance to be appealed for to appeal before Caesar, he is going to stand up for the gospel and there's never been a doubt about whether he would or would. He wants Timothy to have that same kind of conviction too. God's plan though is to make much of the man, to build him up. Paul pouring into Timothy was building Timothy up in righteousness and training him in righteousness. God's plan is to make much of the man far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. Men and women, I'd say today, are God's method. The church is looking for better methods but God is looking for better men and he's building them up by his word. So, I think that's the last slide and we're gonna go now into a time of communion. So, I'll invite the frontline team back up. Considering what we've had where spoken today, just straight at us is to remember Christ Jesus. There is a discipline involved in this life and there is suffering involved in this life but remember Christ Jesus who was disciplined. He himself often withdrew into the wilderness to pray. He was constantly when they were bringing people to him, he was constantly serving and suffering and ultimately suffered but remember Christ Jesus risen from the dead. This resurrection vindicates him. We're going back to the evening that he was betrayed right here and we're gonna talk about that in just a minute. Would you pray with me? God, I pray that anybody who is here this morning that has believed in you would take in this bread and this cup and they would take it in and it would remind them that they had no part. They had no inheritance here or in your kingdom. Nothing in our hands we bring, Lord, simply to the cross we cling. So we take, Lord, this bread remembering your precious body that's broken for us. Remember, you lord and the perfect life that you lived. I pray right now lord if there be anybody, anybody who trusted in Christ that they would take partake and it would be a blessing for them but if there's anybody here who is not yet trusted in Christ or holds anything against their brother, that they would not accept right here. They would not partake of this. Lord, you give a strong warning not to. So God, I pray that you would forgive us of our sin and that you would bring us to the place of complete and utter dependency on the perfect record of Jesus and the shed blood. Right now, we remember that perfect life. Jesus name, amen. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed and beginning his greatest period as far as we know of suffering. He had his disciples gathered together in a room, in an upper room, and he said to them, this is my body which is given for you. Take this and eat and do it in remembrance of me. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the perfect life that you did well live and lived publicly not unto yourself alone but with a group of people that you are pouring into, speaking the truth, and enlightening them of the truth that they had known from the Torah, from the prophets. You are enlightening them as to how you fulfilled all of those lord. I'm thankful for you and the life that you lived in front of many. But Lord, more than that, I'm thankful for the precious and perfect blood sacrifice that you made to atone, to make us at one with God for anyone who accepts that lord. You've given eternal life. Thank you for your blood that was shed and in Jesus name, lord, we ask your blessing right now on this representation of it. This little meaningful symbol, grape juice in a plastic cup. Lord, I pray that you would bless the partaker and those lord who can't partake because they don't believe. I pray that the ministry witness life that your grace would flow through the other ones who are partaking to them or that they would come to trust in you. In Jesus name, I pray a blessing as we distribute this cup. Friend. I believe in a hill called Mount Calvary. I'll believe whatever the cause. Amen. Just as he had taken the bread, he took the cup after supper and he said to his disciples that this is the new covenant in my blood and praise God for that new covenant. Long awaited, this is the new covenant in my blood. Covenant grace. Take this and drink and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Amen. Paul says that as often as we do this, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again and that is the tie that binds us. Would y'all stand with me? We're going to sing a closing benediction hymn of blessed be the tithe that binds. Amen. Go to a benediction from James right here. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you. I talked to somebody after the first service this morning and she said, the sermon today about Paul pouring into Timothy and Timothy and the others has been a continued and unbroken line of people doing that and she said, but what I was hitting me straight on today is I came to know somebody and through the most difficult part of her life, Jesus saved her and now, I'm the one that's ministering to her. Praise God. This is a continuous and unbroken line that God carries forth through us and she said, I feel ill equipped for the task. I said, I feel it every Sunday. Feel ill equipped for the task. I said, this, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God. You know your story. You know where you were when you found Christ. He's looking for you. He'll be found by those who earnestly seek him and the hardest parts of our life are the time that we're most likely to be looking for. So, I pray a blessing on y'all too that God, would you help us this week to step up to the plate and not to shrink back but to know we power and love and I pray that you'd give us wisdom to fill our sound mind and to strengthen our bodies to actually put it to work. In Jesus name, amen.