Be Steadfast, Timothy!

All right, we're continuing on through the letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, the second one.

So please open your Bibles up to 2 Timothy.

We're in chapter 3, and as you flip open, let me just remind us what's going on here.

Paul is writing this letter from prison.

He's writing it to Timothy, who has been a leader in the church in Ephesus,

a city in the province of Asia, which is now modern-day Turkey.

And the tone of this whole letter has been encouragement and instruction and warning.

If we look just back over the last chapter, chapter 2,

we see that Paul has been encouraging Timothy to continue in the cause of Christ,

no matter how difficult things get.

Serve like a soldier, he said.

Run like an athlete to win.

Work like a hard-working farmer.

And Paul reminded Timothy, just in the last chapter, about the gospel,

emphasizing the kingship of Jesus

and the eternal life and glory that await those who believe in him.

And then as we continued on in chapter 2,

we saw Paul encouraging Timothy to live a holy life,

to set himself specially apart for the honorable purposes of God.

In contrast to how some of those false teachers were doing,

they were giving themselves to the dishonorable purposes of the devil, said Paul.

Last Sunday, we heard Paul warning Timothy about how things would be difficult in the days ahead.

How these last days, this last part of God's great story from Timothy's day until the end

will be characterized by religious pretenders and false teachers

and depraved infiltrators who claim to know God

and have an outward form of godliness

but can be recognized as false by their persistent sinful attitudes and behaviors.

Their love of themselves.

Their love of money.

Their love of pleasure rather than God.

And these kinds of people, if they do not respond to gentle instruction with repentance,

Paul says we're to avoid and to have nothing to do with them.

Well, now as we come to verses 10 to 15 this morning,

we see Paul now contrast himself with these false teachers and influencers.

So if the point of what we heard last Sunday in verses 1 to 9

was to help Timothy identify religious pretenders and false teachers.

The point of these next verses that we're looking at this morning

is to assure Timothy of who he can trust

and how he can be confident that his faith is well placed.

And so let me just read the passage for us here in 2 Timothy chapter 3.

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

And I'm just going to start it up in verse 8

and we'll read right down to the end of 15.

Just as Janus and Jambras oppose Moses,

so also these teachers oppose the truth.

They are men of depraved minds who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.

But they will not get very far,

because as in the case of those men,

their folly will be clear to everyone.

You, however, know all about my teaching,

my way of life,

my purpose,

faith,

patience,

love,

endurance,

persecutions,

sufferings.

What kinds of things happened to me in Antioch,

Iconium, and Lystra?

The persecutions I endured.

Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

In fact,

everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted,

while evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse,

deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you,

continue in what you have learned

and have become convinced of,

because you know those from whom you learned it,

and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures,

which are able to make you wise for salvation

through faith in Christ Jesus.

So what is Paul doing here?

Paul is reminding Timothy

of why he,

as an apostle of Christ Jesus,

can be trusted.

He's saying,

Timothy,

unlike these false teachers

and religious pretenders

who are claiming to have revelation from God

and to speak for God,

you can trust me.

You know me,

me,

Timothy.

Quite literally,

you have closely followed my teaching,

my way of life,

my purpose.

And Paul lists nine things from his life.

This phrase here,

it's a little different translation on screen,

but literally,

you have closely followed.

The sense of this is not like

how we might closely follow,

you know,

a story in the news

from a distance.

The verb that's used here,

the context here,

it implies a much closer kind of following.

It implies

intimate knowledge.

Timothy,

you were there.

You were with me.

Timothy was there himself

when Paul first came through his town.

He heard Paul's teaching firsthand.

And then later on,

he traveled with Paul

and worked together with him.

And so not only does he know

the teaching of Paul,

but he knows Paul's character.

He knows Paul's attitudes

and his conduct.

You closely followed my way of life,

says Paul.

You know that my living

matches my confession.

You know my purpose,

he says.

Timothy,

you know the reasons

why I've been doing

all that I've been doing.

You've witnessed firsthand

my faith,

says Paul.

Why was Paul doing all that he did

in the cause of Christ?

It was because he believed

that Jesus really is the Christ.

And Timothy,

you've seen that in my life.

You've seen it.

You know it.

He says,

you've seen and known

my patience,

my love,

and my endurance.

This is the big difference

between Paul

and the false teachers

and the religious pretenders

mentioned above.

If you glance back up

to verse 3 of chapter 3,

people will be

lovers of themselves,

lovers of money.

They'll be without love,

said Paul.

Without love,

lacking love.

But Timothy,

you've seen firsthand

my genuine love

and concern for you

and for others.

You've seen the patience

that I've had towards

all kinds of difficult people

and how I've borne with them.

Enduring all kinds of things

for the sake of Christ

and his good news.

Timothy,

you have seen

and you have known

my persecutions

and sufferings.

Paul really belabors

this point.

He expands on it.

He says,

what kinds of things

happened to me

in Antioch,

Iconium,

and Lystra,

the persecutions

I endured.

And we notice there

that he's very specific

about three spots

where Paul was persecuted.

Antioch,

Iconium,

and Lystra.

What's the significance

of these three locations?

All of these are places

in Timothy's home region

that are fairly near

to each other.

Antioch was a city

where the Jews

became angry

that Paul was preaching

the gospel

to the Gentiles.

And so they began

in that city

to contradict Paul

and it says

to heap abuse on him

and incite the leaders

of the city

against Paul

and Barnabas

until they had

basically expelled him

from the area.

So what did Paul do?

Well,

he carried on

to the next city

just down the road,

Iconium.

And Paul proclaimed

Jesus there.

And some of both

the Jews

and the Gentiles

there in that city

were plotting

against Paul

to mistreat him

and to stone him,

it says in the book of Acts.

Paul escaped

just in time.

What did he do?

He went down the road

to the next city,

Lystra.

And in Lystra,

Paul performed

a miraculous healing.

And the people there

began,

they became confused

and they started

trying to worship

Paul and Barnabas.

It says in the book of Acts

that they thought

Paul and Barnabas

might be the Greek gods

Zeus and Hermes.

It was kind of

a kerfuffle there.

And then in the midst

of all that,

the Jews from Antioch

and Iconium arrived

and they won

the whole crowd over

and they stoned

Paul,

so hurling rocks

at him violently,

they dragged him

outside the city

and they left him

for dead.

You can read all of this

in the book of Acts

or at least they thought

he was dead.

What's the significance

of this?

Well, Lystra

is the town

that Timothy was from.

That was his hometown.

That's why Paul's

reminding Timothy

of these locations

because Timothy,

you were there.

you saw how

they treated me.

You saw how

they persecuted me.

You saw how

I suffered.

Reflecting back

on all that persecution

and suffering,

this is what Paul says.

He says,

yet the Lord

rescued me

from all of them.

All my persecutions,

all my sufferings,

up until this day,

the Lord

has rescued me

from all of them.

Not that Jesus

kept him

from suffering

or being persecuted,

but that

from out of the midst

of that persecution

and suffering,

he rescued me.

He delivered me.

And Paul sort of

takes a step back here

to make a point.

Verse 12 and 13,

he says,

in fact,

everyone who wants

to live

a godly life

in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted.

While evildoers

and imposters

will go from bad

to worse,

deceiving

and being deceived.

And there's a lot here.

A general truth,

a general principle

of the Christian life

for all followers

of Jesus

is that we will

be persecuted.

We will be opposed.

And we kind of notice

a contrast

in this verse.

There's those

who want to live

a godly life

in Christ Jesus

and then there's

the evildoers

and imposters.

They kind of share,

at least in the moment,

a different course.

The Christ followers

will be persecuted,

he says.

But somehow

the imposters,

they seem to avoid that,

at least for the time.

I think Paul's

making the point

that persecution

and suffering

are marks

or are evidences

of true faith

in Jesus.

Paul wants Timothy

to remember

his sufferings

and his persecutions

because they are evidence

that his faith

in Jesus

is genuine.

Why?

Because people

generally

won't choose

to suffer

or even to die

for what they know

is a lie

or for something

that they don't

even really believe in.

Kind of believe it

but not really.

They won't suffer

for that.

What are the marks

of the false teachers

and the imposters?

Well,

if we just glance

back up to verse 4,

we see that they're

lovers of pleasure

rather than lovers

of God.

They'll take

the easy road,

the comfortable road,

the path

of least resistance.

Pleasure

and persecutions

are like opposites

here.

they love pleasure,

they love comfort

and so when the moment

of decision comes,

they're not going to choose

to suffer for the name

of Christ.

But Timothy,

you know that I was willing

to give up all of that

as I risked my life

and suffered painfully

in the cause of Christ.

Paul's main purpose here

is to anchor Timothy.

Yes,

there will be difficult days

in the days ahead

because of wicked people

and imposters

who creep in

and deceive.

But remember

how the teaching

that I gave you

matched my life.

People are going to try

and say all kinds

of things about me.

They'll try to discredit me.

But Timothy,

you were there.

You heard me.

You saw me.

You followed me closely.

You can trust the gospel message

that I gave you.

You know that I am the real deal.

I am no hypocrite.

I am no imposter.

I practiced what I preach.

Speaking of imposters,

in verses 12 and 13,

last Sunday I suggested

that the first half

of this chapter

was not so much

about the world in general

or unbelievers in general,

but specifically

about religious pretenders

and devious

spiritual influencers,

false teachers.

And this is kind of confirmed

as we get down here

to verse 13

where Paul draws

this contrast

between all who seek

to live a life

devoted to Christ

and those who are

evildoers

and imposters.

Imposters.

We notice that word.

someone pretending

to have a form

of godliness,

but it's just a form.

Someone confessing

the name of the Lord

is up in verse 19

of chapter 2,

but not turning away

from wickedness.

In a manner of speaking,

Paul's kind of reiterating

what he just said

in the previous verses.

These kinds of people,

evil doing imposters,

will go from bad

to worse.

This is going to be

the normal behavior

of some people

who are confessing Christ.

We need to be careful

how we understand

this statement

that evildoers

and imposters

will go from bad

to worse.

We need to be careful

that we don't lose sight

of what Paul just said

up above in verse 9.

He made two statements.

First, he said,

they will not get very far

because their folly

will be clear to everyone.

Then he said

that they will go

from bad to worse,

deceiving

and being deceived.

So Paul is not saying

that these evildoers

and imposters

will be more and more

successful at deceiving

the true followers

of Jesus.

I think verse 9

up in chapter 2

kind of says the opposite.

They're not going

to be successful.

Their folly

is going to be clear

to the true followers

of Jesus.

So in what sense

will they go

from bad

to worse?

Well, Paul doesn't

really flesh this out

in a lot of detail

except to say

they will be deceiving

and being deceived.

It could mean

that as time goes on

there will be more

of these kinds of people.

It could be

that as time goes on

the sheer number

of lies

and deceptive doctrines

being promoted,

false teachings,

will increase.

It could mean

that the deception

as we get closer

to the end

will be of a higher

quality and caliber

perhaps more and more

helped by the deceptive

work of the devil

and demonic influence.

And we glance back

up to verse 26

of chapter 2.

It could be

that the evil

being done

by these evildoers

and imposters

is just that much

more widespread

and influential

in the world

all while claiming

a form of religion,

a form of devotion

to God.

That's implied

with the word

imposter.

My sense is that

the closer and closer

we get to the end

when Christ returns,

the truer

that these words

in verse 13

will feel

that things

are getting worse.

we also notice

in this verse

that these

evildoers

and imposters

are not only

doing the deceiving

but that they themselves

are being deceived.

This suggests

that many of them

will actually believe

the lies

that they're spreading.

They themselves

have bought into them

hook, line, and sinker.

Again,

we glance up

to verse 26

of chapter 2

where we see

that Timothy's

false teaching

opponents

are described

as those

who have been

ensnared

by the devil

and taken captive

to do his will

and it seems

without even realizing it

they need to come

to their senses.

They don't even

really understand

what's going on here.

Let's come back

for just a moment

to Paul's statement

about Christian persecution

here in verse 12.

everyone

who wants

to live

a godly life

in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted.

First,

we should know

that this was something

that Jesus himself said

in John chapter 15

John 15:20

verse 20.

Remember what I told you.

A servant

is not greater

than his master.

if they persecuted

me

they will persecute

you also.

Jesus said

a similar thing

in Luke 21

Luke 21:12

verse 12

specifically applying

to his

disciples

but also

in principle

to all of his followers.

He said

before all this

speaking of some

of the things

that will happen

at the end

they will seize you

and persecute you.

They will hand you

over to synagogues

and put you in prison

and you will

be brought

before kings

and governors

and all on account

of my name.

That's actually

being fulfilled

right now

as Paul writes

this letter

in prison

being brought

before kings

and governors

on account

of the name

of Jesus.

So Jesus

taught

that generally

his followers

would be persecuted.

next we should

appreciate

the immediate

relevance

of this

statement

to Timothy.

Paul is in jail

he's soon

to be executed

as we've already

heard the majority

of professing

Christians

in the whole

region where

Timothy lives

the province

of Asia

have deserted

Paul

that's back

in chapter 1

verse 15

they're distancing

themselves from him

things are getting

hard.

One of the

major things

that Paul

has been doing

in this whole

letter is calling

Timothy

to join with him

in suffering

for the gospel

and so in

Timothy's day

this was written

in his region

and time

it's not an

understatement

for Paul to say

everyone who

wants to live

a godly life

in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted.

This would have

felt so true

to Timothy

and to everyone

in his church

in light of all

that they knew

was going on.

That's the second

thing about this

statement on

Christian persecution.

Finally I do

think it's important

that we take this

as an enduring

principle

not just for that

time

but also

for the centuries

that followed

and even for today

but not to the

point

that we judge

and criticize

Christians

who are not

presently

experiencing

persecution

persecution.

Persecution

is the normal

for the true

devoted follower

of Christ Jesus

and that's

because we live

in a fallen

and sinful

world.

It's a world

in the words

of Paul

full of

unrighteousness

that seeks

to suppress

the truth

that in the

book of Romans

but we've been

called to

proclaim the

truth.

It's a world

full of

darkness

and evil

deeds

said Jesus

in John

John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

while he

is the

light

that

exposes

that

darkness

we're

proclaiming

the king

that was

hated

and that

was

rejected

and that

was

murdered

by the

majority.

So for

those reasons

persecution

in its

various forms

and degrees

is to be

expected

just for

seeking to

live a life

devoted to

Christ Jesus.

However,

that does not

mean that we

should automatically

question the

genuineness of a

person's faith

simply because

they have no

persecution in

their life at

the moment.

In the larger

story since

Jesus came,

there have been

notable exceptions

to this general

principle.

There's been

times and places

where by the

grace of God

in answer

to the

prayers of

his people,

God has

given his

people favor

in the eyes

of leaders

and governments

and he's

brought renewal

and revival

in whole

regions.

And if God

works like

that in a

place,

then we

should expect

the natural

expectation is

that this

principle of

persecution

may lessen

in that place

for a time.

there was a

time when

many of the

early settlers

and colonists

of North

America were

either Christian

or if not,

were at least

raised to

respect and

uphold Christian

values by

their parents

and grandparents

in England

or in Europe.

And so in

Canada and in

the U.S.

in the past

100 years or

so, we've

enjoyed much

less persecution

than the norm

because of the

way that our

nation and our

society started

off.

There was a

time not

that long

ago when

everybody went

to church.

That was

just the

thing.

And so

their Bible

believing,

Christ-centered

churches all

over North

America like

ours, who

for the past

several generations

have known

very little of

government

interference or

anti-Christian

violence, but

have enjoyed

tremendous religious

freedom.

But of course

all of that is

we're starting to

see is now

changing.

It's shifting

back to the

normal for

Christians around

the world and

for Christians

throughout the

centuries.

So that's

thing number

three about

Christian persecution.

This does apply

to us, but we

just need to think

about it carefully.

Some people have

used this verse in

really weird ways.

They've kind of

looked at it and

said, well, since

this is true, that

everyone who wants

to live a godly

life in Christ

Jesus will be

persecuted, and I'm

not being persecuted,

well then we must

not be living

faithfully.

Therefore, maybe we

need to pray, we

need to ask God to

bring some persecution

our way.

I don't think so.

That's not what Paul

said in the first

letter to Timothy.

Pray that we might

have peace and favor

in the eyes of

governments.

So let's not pray

and ask God to

bring persecution.

Let's not fear that

our faith is less

than genuine simply

because we've

experienced very

little of it.

let's just keep

focusing on being

faithful to King

Jesus and on

declaring him

whatever comes our

way.

Let's thank God

for the freedom

that we have had

to gather and to

worship and to

speak about Jesus.

But let's not be

surprised if in the

days ahead,

persecution is

much stronger,

opposition has much

more teeth than in

the years behind us.

verse 14,

Paul writes,

but as for you,

continue in what you

have learned and

have become convinced

of because you know

those from whom you

learned it and how

from infancy you have

known the holy

scriptures which are

able to make you

wise for salvation

through faith in

Christ Jesus.

promises.

So no matter how bad

things get,

Timothy,

continue on in what

you have learned and

become convinced of.

Think about that.

What is that?

Well, it's the truth of

God,

the gospel,

the good news of

Jesus Christ.

And who has Timothy

learned these things

from?

Well, Paul's already

just mentioned himself.

He says,

you know me,

you know my life and

my teaching,

but Timothy,

you also know the

truth of God and

what led you to all

this in the first

place from your

mother and your

grandmother.

They're the ones who

taught you the holy

scriptures which was

the foundation to you

receiving and

accepting and

believing the gospel.

Paul mentioned them

earlier in the letter

back in chapter 1,

verse 5.

Timothy's mother,

Eunice,

and his grandmother,

Lois,

and how they had a

sincere faith.

And so I think that's

who he's probably

referring to here.

They were the ones

that taught him the

holy scriptures since

the time he was a

young child.

You know them,

Timothy.

You know the

genuineness of their

faith.

You know their

conduct.

You know that they

have integrity,

that their love was

genuine, that they

were faithful people.

And at this point,

Paul shifts and he

actually encourages

Timothy not just to

anchor his faith and

his knowledge of his

mother and his

grandmother and of

Paul, but he

encourages Timothy to

anchor his faith in

the scriptures

themselves.

And oh, I hate to

do this, but we're

going to hold off on

these next verses until

September.

16 and 17, the

verses that follow are

some of the most

important verses in

the entire Bible.

memorizing these

verses when I was a

kid and being

reminded of them over

and over again in

Bible college has made

all the difference in

my life.

These verses for me

have been one of the

golden keys to my

Christian growth over

the past two decades.

They're the foundation

of all my preaching

and teaching and any

spiritual leadership

that I've been able

to give.

And so they really do

deserve their own

sermon.

And we're going to

dig into them deeply

in September when I

return from my

sabbatical.

But let's just collect

up some of the things

that we've heard

already this morning

in these few verses

we looked at.

Paul's main thing

here is to encourage

Timothy to be

steadfast.

Difficult times are

coming.

Persecution is

intensifying.

And it's going to get

worse.

Evil people and

imposters are going

to make it hard in

the days ahead.

And so be steadfast

Timothy.

Continue in the

gospel which you

have learned, which

you have heard from

me and from others.

Follow my example

just as you have

until now,

Timothy.

Look at my life,

my way of life.

Look at my approach

to things, my

purpose.

Look at my faith.

Look at my patience.

Look at my love.

Look at the

opposition I

endured.

Paul really puts

himself forward as

just this example

of the truth of

the gospel.

An example to

follow as the

days get darker.

We often wonder,

what can I do

to encourage

my kids to be

steadfast in

their faith?

We've been

teaching them at

home.

We've been

teaching them here

at church for

the kids that

are in alive.

And as they

grow up, we

know that they're

going to face

the full pressure

of our world to

be anything but a

devoted follower

of Jesus.

How can we

encourage them to

be steadfast?

Paul's encouragement

here for Timothy

is his life.

How I have

lived.

You know,

Timothy, since the

beginning when you

first believed and

came on those

journeys with me.

Let's not

underestimate the

power of a life

lived for Christ

to encourage

others and to

help them be

steadfast.

Isn't this what we

want to be able to

say to our own

kids and to the

younger Christians

in our church?

Son,

difficult times

are coming.

And it's going to

continue to get

worse.

Evil people and

imposters are going

to make it hard in

the days ahead.

But be steadfast.

Continue in the

gospel, in the

word of God that

you have learned

from us.

Follow my

example, son,

just as you have

until now.

Look at my life.

Look at my

conduct.

Look at my

purpose.

My faith.

My patience.

My love.

The hardships I've

endured and how

Jesus has rescued me

through all of them.

Be steadfast, my

son, or my

daughter, young

man or young

woman.

To be able to say

that, though,

requires that we're

living that

ourselves, that we

have a life lived

for Christ to

point to,

doesn't it?

It requires that

we ourselves are

living with gospel

conduct, striving to

live uprightly.

It requires that we

ourselves are living

with gospel purpose.

It requires that we're

really trusting Jesus,

and I mean really

putting the full weight

of our lives on his

word and his

promises.

To encourage someone

like that requires that

we're actually living

patiently with

others.

I mean, if Paul had

been an impatient

guy, he wouldn't

have been able to

say this.

No, Timothy, you

know my patience.

You saw it.

It requires that we're

actually loving one

another truly from the

heart.

This is the kind of

life that will

encourage our kids

and our young people

to be steadfast,

even through hard

times ahead.

They need to see

that our faith is

real.

They need to see

that we have more

than just a form of

godliness that lacks

power.

Like the impostors up

in verse 5.

They need to see that

Jesus Christ really

does live in his

people and change

them and changes

them.

How will they see

that unless we

ourselves are,

like Paul said,

wanting to live

lives fully devoted

to Christ Jesus.

Before the days

of GPS and

electronics,

when sailors

lost their way

at sea,

how did they find

their way?

They navigated

using the stars

at night.

And the apparent

position of the

stars in the sky

changes with the

rotation of the

earth and with

each season.

You can see

kind of the

movement over a

time lapse of the

stars.

But one particular

star was especially

useful.

It's the one right

in the middle.

The north star,

Polaris.

It was so useful

because it's just

uniquely positioned

directly above the

earth's rotational

axes.

And as the earth

turns, every other

star seems to spin

around and move.

But the north star

appears to stand

still.

And so no matter

what time of night

or what season

it is, following

Polaris will lead

a traveler who's

in the northern

hemisphere due

north.

And so in this

dark world that

we're living in,

which is getting

darker, our young

people are being

bombarded with all

kinds of messages.

And some are

having doubts.

And some are

getting lost in the

sea of deception,

in the sea of

misplaced priorities

and misdirected

loves.

How will they

find their way

back?

I want my life

to be like Paul's.

A spiritual

north star.

Pointing to Jesus.

Pointing back to

the gospel.

And how it's

true.

Pointing constantly,

day after day,

week after week,

year after year,

till the day that I

draw my last breath.

life.

So that no matter

how tough things

get for my kids,

for the youth,

for new Christians,

for anybody else

watching my life,

that they will have

a view of the way.

A view of what's

true.

Should they leave

home like the

prodigal, that

they'll have a way

to see, yes, the

power of the gospel

is real.

I saw it in my

dad's life.

And so I hope

that's your heart

and prayer too.

Whether you have

kids or not,

there are people

watching us.

They are searching

for the way.

And we have an

opportunity through

our lives to show

them that this

really is the way.

Jesus is the way.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven,

we thank you that

you are patient

with us.

None of us,

not even Paul,

lived perfect

lives.

We struggle

with sin.

We struggle

with impatience.

We struggle

with not being

loving as we

should.

we are tempted

to take the

easy way out.

We would rather

be comfortable

than suffer.

But I pray

that you would

work in us,

that we would

become more

and more

like Paul

in these

words.

That our lives

would point to

you and bring

glory to you,

that we be like

spotlights on

you for everyone

in our world

to see.

We especially

pray for those

in our families,

our children,

and our young

people that

we're connected

with in various

ways.

Lord, it's a

difficult world

to live in.

And we see

the things that

are online and

we just gasp

at some of

these things.

We ask that you

would work with

power in the

hearts of our

children and in

our young people,

our youth,

and that you

would not allow

them to be swept

away or deceived,

but that you

would lead them

and guide them

through our lives.

Please do that

through us,

we pray.

In Jesus' name,

amen.

Amen.