A Faith That Endures (2 TImothy 1:1-5)

Well, good morning, it's good to see you. As we

begin this morning, I hope did you'll take your copy

of God's Word and turn with me to Second Timothy,

Second Timothy this morning, Second Timothy, chapter one, and we're

going to begin our study through the letter Paul wrote

Second Letter to Timothy, and we'll start in verse one,

and just as I think Devin just read it, we'll

read some more as we go this morning. You know,

this morning, as we begin, I say, I'm so excited

about this morning, at this passage, I'm just excited about

but I'm also excited this morning, overjoyed. I would say

that as of Thursday, I have now begun my ninth

year as the pastor. But that's the Baptist Church. I

tell you, God is just blessed, and I'm so thankful

to be the pastor here. You know, as I was

a few weeks ago, I was thinking about my anniversary here,

and I started thinking about my tenure here and how

that compared to others who went before me. So there

was a book that I had in my office that

was a centen year old book when the church had

a birthday and had all the pastors listed in it,

and so I just began looking over who was the

pastors who were the longest tenured senior pastors, and so

I am currently tied for third place. So third, I'm

tied with Ernest Ferrell. Ernest was the pastor here from

nineteen eighty one to nineteen ninety, so me and Ernest

a tied. And then right after him, the second longest

tenure is another Barbie.

His name was.

Russell Barbie, and Russell was the pastor here from nineteen

fifty seven to nineteen seventy seventy, was thirteen years after him.

First place for senior pastor was a pastor named Charles Jolly.

He was pastor here.

From nineteen thirty one to nineteen forty five. What's interesting

in that book was that listed all the different tenures.

And my hope is that I'm Jolly's next. He's next

on my list.

I'm gonna pass Ernest next year, and then we're gonna

go after the next Barbie, and then we're gonna go

all the.

Way to Jolly. That's my hope, my wishes, and you

pray for that, amen, and so, but you know, it's interesting.

I was looking at the pastors and after the pastors,

it would have the pastor's name and how long he's tendered,

and then it would say something.

About the pastor.

Charles Jolly was known as the beloved pastor right Russell

Barbie was. I forgot exactly what they had about him.

And then they had one pastor. He was loved by

the senior adults, one was loved by youth, one.

Was did all these And so every pastor it.

Had something one that said old and feeble, bless his heart.

And I thought, you know, one day after I'm dead

and gone, and they look back and say, Pastor Jonathan

came in this year and he served, and he was

What would they remember me by? What would be my legacy?

What will I be remembered by? And I think it's

important as we think about this passage of Scripture today,

that we realize all of our lives are short. All

of us will have an enduring legacy of some sort.

What do we want to be remembered by?

As Paul's writing this letter the second to Timothy, it's

his second letter to Timothy. This is Paul's last letter.

This is the last book about the last book of

the Bible.

That Paul would ever write. Paul's in prison.

If you remember just the chronological of what's happening at

this point, Paul was in prison in Rome.

First right after Acts. We see that end of Acts,

he's led to prison in Rome. He's there in prison,

he's under house arrests. There, he writes four letters.

He writes to Theesians colautions, I forgot the Clausians, Ephesians,

Philippians in its file emin after he's released. After some time,

he's released from prison, and then he goes and visits

the churches. He stops in Creed, and on his way

to Creed visits the church he established in Creed, and

he puts a pastor there at Koree named Titus. Then

he leaves Cree and go to Ephesus, where he had

started a church, and he leaves a pastor there by

the name of Timothy. He would go on to visit

the churches he had started in Macedonia. And in Macedonia

he writes letters back to the two pastors he's put

in place. He writes a letter to Titus who's at Cree,

and he writes his first letter to Timothy not long

after that. It's only probably three or four years, maybe

five at most, Paul is put back in prison, and

that's where he writes Second Timothy, maybe just a year

before he dies. This is his last word, This is

his last wishes. This is his last testimony to a prodigy,

someone he's mentored, someone he's cared for, somebody cares a

lot about. And his inspiration of this letter as he's

really asking Timothy to carry on the ministry, to carry

on his calling, to carry on all that he's done

in ministry. Paul wants listen to me this morning. Paul

wants his ministry, his calling to endure. In Timothy, you know,

I don't know about you. I hope the Lord would

allow me to be the pastor here for twenty thirty.

Maybe even forty more years. That sounds good, Amen.

But one day the Lord is going to carry me home.

But I don't want my legacy, my ministry, to end

with my life.

I want it to endure.

I know every one of you here, God's called you

as a believer of Jesus Christ, and one day God's

going to call you home. What of your faith do

you want to endure? That's the question for Timothy this morning.

It's a question for you and I how do we

have enduring faith that carries on way after work on.

Let's look at God's word together. We stand with me.

Let's read God's word together again. Second Timothy, starting chapter one,

reading verses one through five, he says, Paul an apostle

of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, according to

the purpose of life that is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy,

my beloved child, Grace, mercy, peace from God the Father

and Christ Jesus, Our Lord, I thank God whom I

serve as did my ancestors, with clear conscience. As I

remember you constantly in our prayers night and day, as

I remember your tears, I loaned.

To see you that I might be filled with joy.

And are reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that

first dwelled and your grandmother Lois your mother Eunice, and

now I'm.

Sure dwells in you as well. This is the word

of the Lord. Let's pray together. Lord.

We thank you, Lord that you lead us. You call

us that, Lord, you commission us. Lord, You Lord call

us to be a part of your work, your eternal kingdom. Lord,

you called all of us to that today. And Lord,

you want our faith to endure for generations to come. Say, Lord,

may we be mindful of your word. May we have

hearts would hear? May your spirit speak to us. Lord,

We declare, Lord, to you today we are sinners that

desperately need your word, your spirit to move inside of us.

So open up our minds and our hearts. So the Lord,

we ask Lord today as a congregation, speak today, Father,

give us ears to hear and hearts to obey.

Lord. I pray that you would speak through me.

Lord, I pray that I would decrease, that you would increase,

the Lord, the words that would declare and not be mine,

but would be yours, Lord, and would bring honor and

glory Lord to your name.

Lord, we love you. We thank you Lord for your

church and your name.

We pray, Amen, you may be seated. Enduring faith? What

does it mean to have enduring faith? A legacy that endures,

a life of faith that endures. Paul begins by talking

to Timothy. Here he identifies himself. If you notice, if

you'll take this passage and you just go back to

first Timothy and see his greeting to Timothy, they really

are very parallels. There's a lot of similarities. Between the two.

And I'll just read that to you, Fir Timothy one two,

one and two. It says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus,

by the command of God, our Savior of Christ Jesus,

our hope to Timothy, my true child, and the faith, grace, mercy,

peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus.

Heard words, so you hear.

As he begins his second letter, his last letter, he

begins in the same way that he wrote the first letter.

It's a few things that are, like I said, very

similar or parallels to the verse one.

He identifies himself as an apostle, the apostle.

Here the idea really encompasses the word an apostle really

accompasses Paul's calling. Paul was called If you recall on

in Acts chapter nine one through nine, we see that

Paul on the Damascus road as he is headed to persecute.

He met the Lord there on the road of Damascus,

and the Lord called him. He saved him, but only

called him to ministry, called him to preach, and Paul

is reminding Timothy of that. I think it's interesting if

you look at the two letters together. Of the first

letter was about Timothy's calling and how he was to

refute the false teaching in the.

Church in Ephesus.

Now, the second letters more personal, it's more directed just

solely to Timothy and Timothy's calling. But as he begins

this calling, you would think, why would Paul. As he

begins the letter, he doesn't have to maybe affirm who

he is. He doesn't have to tell Timothy. Timothy knows

his apostle. Timothy knows God's called him. Why would Timothy?

Why would Paul? He's not trying to like create credentials

for Timothy. Timothy knows who Paul is. He believes in Paul.

He knows Paul's calling. He's been with him in ministry,

he served alongside Paul. Why would he use the apostle term. Well,

Paul's reminding Timothy that God's called him, God had a

calling on his life. He not only reminds him of

his calling by bringing out his apostle here of Christ Jesus.

But only he explains to you, or reminds Timothy Timothy

not only was called by God, but this was a calling.

There's not something that I desired or I chose, or

it was something not by chance.

This was God's plan. This was God's will for my life.

Look at this imagery, he says, Paul an Apostle of

Christ Jesus, listen to this, by the will of God.

This was not a church got together and says, we

think Paul would be a good pastor for us, or

would be a good missionary for us. It wasn't a

group that came alongside and Paul had told me.

It wasn't that.

Paul one day said one day I want when I

grow up, I want to be a preacher. I want

to be apostle. I want to be a pastor. I

want to be a missionary. Paul says, I'm an apostle

because this was what God's will was for me.

It's what God chose me to do. What God called

me to do.

There was an a purpose that God had for my life,

and God called me in that. Listen to the It's

very interesting. One thing that you see about this first

verse is it is different in this. Look what Paul says,

Paul and Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God.

It's kind of interested. In the next words, he uses

according to the promise of the life that is in

Christ Jesus. If you take the word life there really

Paul's in references an internal life.

See if you take that and just add eternal life

according to the promise of eternal.

Life is in Christ Jesus.

What Paul's references.

He says, Listen, my calling to be apostle was not

only God's will for my life, but it was God's

will according to the promise that he had for eternal life.

See Paul understands that his calling had.

A redemptive nature in it, and that his calling fulfilled

God's redemptive plan for God's purposes. Right. Do you know

God promises eternal life for us? Right?

He promises in the Old Testament to the New Testament.

He promised that all who what called all the just

as John three six things for gods that love the

world that he gave is only by God said that

who's whoever believe in Him shall not have eternal life,

but what have everlasting life life. Right, that's a promise

by God that those who believe will receive. So Paul understood, Listen,

my calling is part of God's works, God's work of

bringing people to Christ, calling people from every nation to Him,

And that was something that God had a promise. You

remember Abraham's promise. God, he says, through your descendants, what

all nations shall be blessed? Right, not just Jews, but Gentiles.

Paul understood God promised Abraham that he would bless all

nations and bring salvation to all nations. And it started

first with the Jews. But when the New Testament come

and the New Covenant through Christ came, it was the

fulfillment of the abraham promise that the salvation would go

to the Gentiles.

And what was Paul's calling. Paul's calling was to go

what share the gospel with the Gentiles.

Paul understood, what God's called me to do is part

of God's redemptive plan. And when I'm doing his work,

I'm doing Kingdom work.

Yea, most of you know.

One of the things that we are passionate about it,

but that the missions. And we've done mission trips to Georgia,

We've done mission trips to Tanzania, We've done mission trips

at Kenya, to a hawk Cut, to Nicaragua, all kinds

of different places. A few years ago I was on

a mission trip. Before I came here, I was pastor

of Algrove Baptist Church in Creamore, and we led a

mission team there and there was a lady who was

on the mission team with us, and she owned a

small business and she had never been on the mission

trip before and she went with us and there when

we're in Tanzania, we do just a lot of different work.

We do a door to door evangelism, so we go

door to door into different remote areas that chair of

the gospel with people. We do open air meetings that night,

which is basically like a crusade where we see two

hundred three hundred people come every night to this crusade,

and in a week's time we'll see fifty two hundred

people come to know the Lord on average. Every day

with the word there, we're seeing probably ten to twenty

people come to know the Lord. And so she was

a part of that work, that door to door evangelism.

She was part of ministering to the ladies. We have

women's conference, we do, we do pastor training and I'll

never get what she said to me. She said, Pastor,

she said, this mission trip, she said, There's never been

a time in my life that I feel like the

things that I've done are making an eternal significance that

doing these things it's God's kingdom work.

It's changing lives.

This is what this is eternal work, she says, my

small business. I just don't see what kind of internal

impact that it's making. But I can tell you the

things that I've done on this mission trip, I could

see how these things are eternal work, kingdom work, God's work.

Can I explain to.

You today Paul understood that when God called him as apostle?

Has God called him as a pastor? It was kingdom work?

And can I just challenge you today, Listen as you

think about what and during legacy you left behind. I

wonder today what has God called you to? God called

Paul to be an apostle. You know, God's called every

one of you to do some type of kingdom work.

That might be a sunny school teacher here, that might

be a greeter, that might be sharing the gospel with

your neighbor, that might be sharing the gospel with your coworker,

that may be sharing the gospel with your classmate. But

every one of us today God's called us to do

his kingdom work. He's called us in different ways to

do different things, to accomplish those things. How are you

answering that call? How are you doing work that makes

a kingdom eternal difference?

How are you fulfilling that calling? I challenge you today.

You said, well, Pastor, I'm not a pastor. God didn't

call me to be a pastor. God didn't call me

to do at apostle. You ever heard the name Edward Kimball.

Edward Kimball was a Sunday's cool teacher that led one

of his boys in the Sons of class to the Lord.

His name was Dwight L.

Moody.

You see, a Sunday school teacher knew God had a

call on him, and he shared the Gospel with Dwight L.

Moody in his shoe store, and Dwight al Melody came

to know the Lord and that pastor would change the world.

You just never know how you fulfilling God's calling for you,

God's purpose for you.

Serving the church, serving.

And using your gifts in the community might change the world.

Not only enduring purposes. I want you to see and

during leadership. Paul demonstrates here and only had enduring purpose,

he has enduring leadership. Listen what he says here in

this passage in verse two, to Timothy, my beloved child, grace, mercy,

peace from God, the Father Christ, Jesus our Lord. He

identifies as a greeting of identify who's writing to acknowledge

that to Timothy. Then he describes kind of his his

thoughts at timomys how he described Timothy. He describes Timothy

as my beloved child is actually the same term he

used in the first letter. He calls him his true

child and the Faith. Here here he's the beloved child,

a child that he loves. It's interesting we know that

that Timothy, Paul was not Timothy's biological father. What is

he's referring to as he calls him his child, He's

is his father and the Faith. We know that Paul

led Timothy's family to the Lord, his grandmother, We're gonna

look at it in just a minute, his mother, and

later on that he would lead Timothy. We know that

Timothy would be one who would come alongside and serve

Paul and missions in ministry. As he was doing his

missionary efforts, Timothy and Titus was along with him. And

we see in THESSA Onis I was reading this week

that Paul would use Timothy as a courier to take

letters to the churches. And if that's like, we know

that Paul, Timothy took a letter that Paul had wrote

to the church, and so Paul had had been in

Timothy had been in ministry with Paul. He was not

only a father in faith, but he was a father

and ministry. He was a mentor to Timothy. He discipled Timothy.

And here Paul was describing.

That, he's reminding.

Him my beloved child. You know with that idea for Paul,

you know, for all our children, we have things that

we wish for them, right with good health. We wish

that they do well in their academics as they're in school.

We want their athletics or in fine arts, we want

them to do well for those things.

For Paul, what is the.

Wishes that he has for his child and the faith

he describes them here.

He wishes that he would grow in grace, mercy, peace.

From where from the Lord, from God, the Father of

Lord Jesus christis the same wishes that Paul says that

he has for Timothy in his first letter. You know,

as you think about this idea, there's there's really this

sense that Paul just doesn't see Timothy as a church member,

just not as a friend. He sees him as a child,

as a father, He sees him as a child. That

he's the nurturer, he's a teacher, he's a lead, he's

the guide, he's the instruct He's to be a remote

role model too.

And Paul has.

Taken on that leadership. And for Paul, as he's writing

his last letter, he wants Timothy to carry on that leadership.

There's this sense as he calls him my beloved child,

he's reminding Timothy, Timothy, as I leave this.

Place, it's not your turn to take on the mantle.

It's your turn to take on what you've learned from me.

What you've seen in me, how you've seen me teach,

how you've seen me care, how you've seen me love,

how you've seen me teach.

You are to carry on that legacy.

If there was a father of ministry for me, it

would be Preacher Jerry Phillips. You've heard his name probably

so many times in the last nine years. Preacher Jerry

Phillips and his wife Daffine Phillips were godly spiritual fathers

to me in ministry preacher. Jerry was not the one

who would tell me what to do. He was the

one who showed me what to do. He would take

me out on door to door visitation. He would take

me out to visit the sick in the homepound. He

would he would he would show me how to lead,

how to teach, how to pre how.

To care, how to pastor.

And I Pretgigiery passed away, probably five or six years ago,

but I really, I don't know if you'll ever really

get this sense, but I understand that that legacy of

Prettigery losing me and I have a responsibility to carry

on that leadership today as I pastor you and listen,

I one thing that I have learned I'll never get

a few years ago that was I was visiting a

pastor who cancer and he was dying and I watched,

I watched him decline and die, and that was striking

to me because he was young. And what struck me

was there was Jonathan, what happens when you die?

Are you?

Are you leading others behind you that after you die,

that will carry on what Prigigieri's taught you? And as

I came to be pastor, but as one of my

passions has been to train Devon and Tanner, to show them,

not tell them, to show them how to pastor, to

give them examples, to show the be that godly example

role model, to show them how to teach, show them

how they care, show them how to pastor that one

day when I am gone, maybe they won't say old

and feeble.

They want to say, you know.

What Pastor Jonathan was like, look at Pastor Devon, look

at Pastor Tenor. Look at who's their training today?

That is Jonathan. I wonder today for you. Can I

just tell you.

You might say that's a great pastor, and that's great

for you, But I can tell you I've been here

long enough to know there have been godly, godly men

and women of God who've.

Been laid people in this church. Bruce and Jerry Little

is an example. I can go through numbers and numbers

of different people. I had a list of people, but

the list got.

So long and I was afraid I was leave something

somebody off. But you know them.

You know the names of the godly people that have

gone before us and listening today and godly people who

were in this room. How are you raising up others?

Behind you, and how you here today are carry on

the leadership of.

Those who set the example for you today.

We need more of Bruce Little's Jerry Little's. We need

more godly men and women who are not only saying listen,

God's called me to share the gospel, but God's called

me to mentor young men and young women that the

faith of this church will endure.

For generations to come. So can I call you as

a church body? May we be a body.

That says God's given us a purpose that's in line

with his rediction plan, that God has given us godly

leaders in our church that we need to model and

pass on to others. I want you to see, for

Paul is not only enduring purpose, not only enduring leadership,

but enduring prayer.

Listen to verse three.

He describes praying for Timothy, I thank God whom I

serve as I did my ancestors, with a clear conscience.

As I remember you constantly my prayers night and day.

As I remember your tears I longed to see you,

I might be filled with joy.

Paul describes him praying for Timothy.

He describes as he starts his prayer, he prays thanksgiving,

He says, I thank God.

I thank God. And who's this? God is the God.

That he serves, Paul describes, and whom I serve. He

describes he serves as so did his ancestors, as did

my ancestors.

Paul is probably referred to.

The men of God who gone before him, like Moses,

like Abraham, like Samuel, like David, like many of the

great prophets who before Who are men of God who

serve God, who are part of God's redemptive plan. And

Paul understands that as he does his ministry, his ministry

is following the leadership of those who went before him.

And Paul says, I thank God, whom I serve as

the others have served before me. He described his prayer.

He tells what he thanks God for. He he thanks

God because he remembers Timothy. He describes the kind of

the consistency of his prayer. He says, remember you constantly

my prayers night and day. That this constancy, constancy is

not the idea the prayer without ceasing, like He's twenty

four hours of prayer just doesn't ever stop praying it.

It's really the idea of consistency. He consistently prays. Is

the idea that the word the imagery there in my

prayers night and day.

If you were calling in one Timothy.

He's talking about godly widows, and one of the aspects

of a godly woman a godly widow was a widow

who prayed night and day. I think it's beautiful to

understand Paul is not only tells these godly widows to

be persistent in prayer night and day, but Paul demonstrates

he also has that same example. He prays consistently night

and day for Timothy. He prays, and he remembers as

he remembers Timothy. He describes one of the things that

he remembers about Timothy. In verse four, he remembers, as

I remember your tears I longed.

To see you that might be filled with joy.

We don't know exactly the instance of when Paul might

be referring to Timothy, but is without a doubt.

We don't know when, but we do know it.

Demonstrates Paul knew that Timothy had great affection for it,

and part of that affection for Paul was not only

his affection for Paul, but also his concern for Paul.

I believe the tears has in reference of He's worried

about what's going to happen to Paul. He knows Paul

has been in prison, he's he knows Paul is headed

back to prison, and he knows that Paul may not

make it out of prison.

So Timothy the last time.

He saw Paul, he cried in their departure, knowing me

may not see his beloved mentor again. Paul remembers that,

he remembers the affection that Timothy and the concern that

Timothy had had for him, And Paul.

Prays for him.

He thanks God for him. What does he thank God for?

Well?

He describes that in the next verse, as are reminded

of your sincere faith, he prays, thanking God for Timothy's faith.

You know, as we think about an enduring life that

as we go that will carry on before us, we

want to have a life that has a during purpose,

that the things that we do have an eternal impact.

We want to have a.

Life that follows enduring leadership of those leaders godly maybe

it's a godly grandparent, maybe it's a godly mom, maybe

it's a godly teacher here or whatever may be. We

want to carry on that that enduring leadership that's been

modeled for us. But thirdly, we need to have enduring

prayers that are consistent. But also we want to be

enduring prayers that are modeled for others that will be passed.

On to others. You know.

I think one thing's interesting for Paul is Paul is

always rejuvenated by hearing what God's doing in others, and

he thanks God consistently. In Thessalonians six through eight, he

thanks God for the faith of others.

He praise God, praises God in his prayer life.

He praised thanking God for what God has done in

the life of others.

Or just a few weeks ago, we were.

My mother in law father in law celebrated their fifty

year anniversary, and so we threw a little party for

him and in South Carolina and went down and there

were some people there I had not seen in twenty

five years. Brannan and I just celebrated our twenty five

year anniversary. And there was a lady who was there,

and she was at our wedding, Brandian and i A's wedding,

and I have not seen her since the wedding. And

her name's Miss Sheila, and Miss Sheila came.

By me.

And she put her arm around me and she looked

as she said, I want you to know I prayed

for you, and she was referencing was before Brandy and

I dated. Brandy's daddy and her mama would be in

prayer Bible studies, and those Bible studies would pray for

who God pray for the man that would mary Brandy,

and pray that Brandy would have a godly husband. And

she put her arm around me that day and she said, listen,

I prayed for you before I knew you, and you

today are an answer to prayer.

I'll be honest with you, just as you can tell.

It still makes me emotional thinking about it. And this

is why it makes me emotional.

We got in the car we were leaving that place,

and I got in the car are with my youngest Caroline,

and I told Caroline that story and now said, Caroline,

you don't know it, but I want you to know

that just says Peets and Nana have been.

Praying for me.

I've never forgot that example of how they prayed. In Carolina,

I'm praying for your husband. I don't know his name,

but I'm praying that God will give you a godly husband.

See listen. I wanted to tell you that story because

it's so important.

That the people in our lives see us setting the

example of consistent prayer, and that we as individuals listen,

are not only that we're doing that, but we're modeling

that for the generations to come. I'll never get what

doctor Lawless says a professor at Southeastern. I was in

a seminar a few years ago, and he said, the

godliest students that he had at Southeastern are student who

faithfully recall their parents or their family members verbally praying

for them. Can I tell you individuals today, believers today, listen.

We are to have enduring purposes.

We are to have a during leadership that we set

and we model for others that we're mentoring others, that

we're following those who were before us. But listen, we

must be people who are enduring prayer. That our church,

our loved ones, our family members, watch us model prayer,

watch us model how to pray thanksgiving, Watch model thanking

God for what God.

Is doing in the faith in others.

Listen, We'll celebrate the accolades of our children our grandchildren.

How often have we come alongside them to just thank

God and tell them how we thank God for what

God's doing with them and their faith? Can I encourage

you today? How do you model prayer for others? How

do you consistently thank God for the faith of others?

How are you that example of prayer that others need

to see?

Which is he? Lastly? Today?

Not only is there enduring purposes and during leadership and

during prayer, but there's a during faith. Paul's reminded of

Timothy's faith. It's really a really interesting verse. Look with

me as we finish up this morn. In verse five,

somebody says, I'm reminded of your sincere faith. If you

just take that there, Paul is identifying because he's thinking

about Timothy. He's reminded him as he prays. What is

the one thing he's reminded of. He's reminded of his tears,

He's reminded of his faith. And so with that you

just think, Okay, Paul is assured, and he is asshured

of Timothy's faith.

But listen, he goes a little bit further.

Just as Paul says, I thank God whom I serve

as my ancestors. He thinks about those who went before him,

and Moses and Samuel and David and other men of

God who went before him, who served God as he does.

Now Paul is recalling to Timothy, who went before Timothy

and was an example of Timothy. And who is that

It's it's it's Timothy's grandmother. It's Timothy's mother. Listen what

he says, I reminded your sincere faith, the faith that

that first that dwelt first in your grandmother, in your

mother Unice, and now I'm sure dwells in you as well.

It's interesting he kind of begins this sentence in verse

five and also and ends it by affirming Timothy's faith.

But you would think why would he need a double affirmation.

He even says kind of at the end that I

am sure that.

Is in you. Why is he doing that?

Well, the reason why Paul is doing that is because

in verse.

Six in on Paul the themes of this letter.

As Paul knows, listen, Paul knows that Timothy is going

to a hardship Paul's in prison. Paul knows that if

Timothy follows his example, just as Paul face suffering. So

with Timothy, it's just as Paul face it temptation to

be ashamed of the Gospel, as he described in Philippians,

so will Timothy. He knows that if Paul, I mean,

Timothy continues following example, he's going to go through tribulations, troubles.

And for Paul, what should hold Timothy steadfast in amidst

of trials, amidst of tribulations, amidst of suffering, in midst

of persecution, in midst of.

Temptations to be ashamed. What should hold him fast.

Is the faith, the faith that's in him, the same

faith that was in his mother, and the same faith

that was in his grandmother. One thing you don't you

probably may know about me, you may not know about me,

is there is a legacy for me.

My grandpa was the name Jerre Lanier. He was a pastor.

One thing you.

May or may not have heard the story that when

my grandpa was a little boy.

He had a godly grandmother.

He also had a godly mom. One day he was

at a revival service, and at the revival service he

was not a believer. He came under conviction during that

revival service. Couldn't sleep for a few nights. That night,

during the revival service, his grandmother came up to him,

put her arm around him and said, these words, Gerrol,

I been praying for you.

Listen.

She heard that, he heard that she had been praying

for him, and then she said these words, would you

have my Jesus? And that night my grandpa came to

know the Lord. A faith that first started in my grandfather,

It was passed down to my mother, and now today

resides in me. You ever had a chance to, ever

had times in your.

Life that you just want to quit?

We all have right, All of us in this life

has triblations and trials. It's hard, right, it's hard living

for the Lord. I can tell you there's time in

my ministry. Like I said, nine years here have been

the ministry twenty years plus now, and I remember, there's

a time in my ministry that I'll be honest with you,

it's hard on every big get. Being in the kitchen

and looking at Bradie just saying, Brandie, I don't know,

maybe pastoring's not for me. The church was in conflict,

there was just a lot of turbol and I remember

looking at her saying maybe I should try something else.

You know, as we all been there, haven't we. Paul

knows that Timothy is going to get to those places

where he just wants to throw in the towel, and

Paul is saying, Timothy, listen in those days when you

want to quit, in those days when the trials comes,

the day when the cancer comes, the days when you

lose your loved when the days when the relationships start

falling upon, the days when work is terrible, the day's

when stress is that that's high, the days when it thinks, Lord,

I'm trying and I'm trying to live for you, but God,

it just doesn't seem that it's worth it, Paula, say, Timothy, endure,

just as your grandmother's faith endured. Just as your mother's

faith endured, Timothy, just as my faith endured to the end. Timothy, endure.

Can I say to you believe her today. I don't

know what you're facing today that makes you feel like

I just don't know if this church thing is worth it.

I just don't know if I really can do this,

if I can really make it.

Can I call on you to endure? Endure? May your

faith endure to the end. You pray with me.

Father, we thank you Lord for this morning.

Lord.

One day we're all You're gonna call us all to

go home, and we want elements of our life to endure,

just as Paul did. Lord, we want our faith to

endure the next generations, generations of this church that are

going to come along in the future. God, you've all

given us a part of that calling today. God, you've

kind of a calling on all of us. God, you've

given us godly examples that we are to carry on. God,

you've given us all people who we have been examples

of prayer. Lord, you've given us examples of faith. Maybe

it as a family member, maybe it as a friend

that's endured Lord in the same way. May our faith

endure today?

Or do we thank you Lord for this message? Lord?

We pray this morning that as you call us to

respond Lord to your word, that we won't resist you today.

Lord, but we were surrendered to you. Lord.

I pray for the person here today that doesn't have

a relationship with you, have never put their faith in

you for salvation. Or I pray that be those today

that you're calling to salvation, that they would say, Lord,

today I'm met, I'm a sinner. Lord, I believe that

you died on a cross for my sins, and today Lord,

I want to place my faith in you for salvation and.

What you've done for me on the cross.

Or I pray that be those today that will begin

their journey of faith right here, right now, right in

this moment, by confessing their need for you. Lord, how

are you lead us today? I pray you would just

call us to respond. I pray for those who need

to come to this altar, and maybe just pray for

loved ones. Thank God for loved ones. Oh, I pray

you do that they would respond, Lord to your word, respond,

Lord to your movement of your spirit. And Lord, I

pray that you would do a work right now in

this place.

In your name, we pray.

Jesus pain to Hi