Remember – How to Suffer Well

I'm Jared.

I'm one of the pastors here at Sacred Mission, and I'm excited to be with you this morning as we continue through the book of 2 Timothy, pinned by Paul to Timothy.

And uh, and if you understand where Paul was, we're gonna get into that a little bit.

Uh, he was in prison.

Um, and today we're looking at remember how to suffer well.

Before we jump in, I want to ask you this question.

Have you ever faced a moment in life where suffering felt unbearable?

Have you ever faced a moment in life where suffering felt unbearable?

Maybe it was the loss of a loved one, a betrayal of someone you trusted and loved, or season of deep uncertainty in your own life, your job, your children, your future.

In those moments, it's easy to forget what we know to be true in those moments.

We go down deep rabbit trails in our mind of worst-case scenario, and we forget all the things we know to be a reality, to be true.

You see, Paul writing from a prison cell tells Timothy and us one simple yet powerful command: remember Jesus Christ.

Today we're going to examine how remembering changes how we suffer.

So looking back changes how we move forward.

And we're going to start out this morning with our main idea.

I want to start with our main idea and then work throughout the rest of the text with that this morning.

And it's this our main idea is remember Jesus Christ in order to suffer well.

Now, I never want to downplay suffering.

We can make jokes, we can make light of it, but people are struggling in different ways, shapes, and form, even in this room this morning.

And so I, no matter what you are facing, if you don't remember Jesus Christ, you won't be able to go through those moments well.

You will struggle, and it won't be joyful even in those moments.

Let's jump into verse 8.

Paul says, remember Jesus Christ.

Now, why do we need to be reminded to remember?

Think about that for a moment.

Memory is a powerful thing, but also fragile.

In the busyness of life, we often forget what is important.

Not because it lacks significance, but because our minds are constantly pulled in multiple directions every single day.

Distractions, responsibilities, new information hits us every day.

I mean, think about the day and age we live in.

We are an information overload.

And if you seek it out, you can constantly be bombarded with new articles on the same topic.

If you're a sports fan right now and you're a fan in the NFL, you can be bombarded if you want with who your team might be drafting, who they might be picking up in free agency.

It's just constantly, and so we have this information constantly coming to us, or if the war or whatever it might be that's going on worldwide, there is news bombarding us every single moment, making it easy to overlook lessons, values, and truths we should hold on to and remember.

If you're a parent, this is something you probably deal with your children quite often, right?

You remind them to say thank you.

You remind them to look both ways before crossing the street.

You remind them to treat others with kindness, not because they don't know.

You've told them how many times, but because they need reminded.

Repetition strengthens memory and habits are built on what is remembered.

But it's not just with children, it's with ourselves as well.

We adults need to be reminded too.

We set alarms, we write lists, we place sticky notes on the fridge so we understand what we need to buy when we go to the store or order our groceries that week.

Maybe you highlight verses in your Bible.

There are whole systems out there being sold to help you to remember things.

And if you are someone who journals, do you ever revisit old journal entries to remind yourself of what you've been through in the past and how beneficial that can be?

Why?

Why do we do this?

Because we forget, we get busy.

And sometimes what we forget isn't just where we left our keys, it's the things that shape who we are.

If you were to scan through scripture, we see the theme of remembrance woven throughout, from the beginning.

Where God repeatedly tells his people to remember what?

His faithfulness, remember his commandments, remember his promises.

He knows our tendency to forget, and he graciously calls us back to remind us.

Here are some great examples.

Deuteronomy 8, 2 through 3.

And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

And he humbled you and let your hunger, let you hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

First Chronicles 16, twelve.

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

Ephesians 2, 11 through 13.

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands.

Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now, in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

And then we come to 2 Timothy 2.

And Paul starts out verse 8 by saying what?

Remember Jesus Christ.

Why do we need to be reminded to remember?

Because what we remember shapes how we live every single day.

What we recall influences our decisions moving forward, our attitudes.

It also includes our faith.

Forgetfulness can lead to distraction and drift.

But intentional remembrance keeps us anchored.

But anchored in who?

Jesus Christ.

So what should we remember?

He says, remember Jesus Christ.

What should we remember?

He goes on in verse 8.

He highlights two crucial phrases that if we were just to simply skip over, we would miss the importance of them, the full significance.

It's easy to overlook deeper meanings behind the words of Scripture, especially when we don't take the author's intent at face value.

In verse 8, Paul writes, risen from the dead and the offspring of David.

These two statements carry immense weight.

They help us understand what Paul is trying to help us understand if we dig a little deeper.

The phrase risen from the dead powerfully affirms Jesus' divinity, declaring that he is fully God.

Paul reinforces this in Romans 1:4 when he says, and was declared to be the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 1:4

Additionally, risen from the dead not only confirms his victory over death, but also signifies that he truly died and rose again, paying the penalty for sin that we all deserve, which is death.

But then he talks about the second phrase, the offspring of David.

This affirms his humanity.

He was actually born and is a descendant of David in the Old Testament.

Why does this matter?

Why does that matter?

Because this is at the heart of the gospel that Paul preached.

Jesus lived a real human life.

He never sinned.

He died the death that you and I deserve, and he rose again, conquering sin and death.

Paul isn't just reminding Timothy of the gospel, he's urging him to endure.

And the verses leading up to this passage, as we saw last week, which Pastor Tyler did a phenomenal job in that sermon, Paul is preparing Timothy for the reality of hardship.

He's making it clear, endurance begins with remembering Jesus Christ and all that he endured.

So Paul is basically saying, so Timothy, no matter the struggles you face, no matter the challenges you endure, remember what Jesus went through.

Of all people, Paul as well is saying this, which we'll get to here in a moment about Paul's life.

What about you and me?

What about the struggles you're currently going through and facing as we speak this morning?

You come in here with weights heavy on your shoulders for whatever you might be facing in your life right now, or this week there's going to be challenges that are going to pop up, and how will you handle those?

When discouragement creeps in, when you feel like giving up, whether in parenting, work, your faith, or even life, stop and remind yourself Jesus endured, so I will endure.

Fix your eyes on him and keep going.

But hear me, this isn't just a motivational pep talk.

It's easy to go, I'm just gonna dig deep, I'm gonna figure this out on my own.

I'm not standing here telling you to push through in your own strength.

That's ridiculous.

This isn't about digging deeper and finding some hidden power within yourself.

No, fix your eyes on Jesus.

The author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 12, too.

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Salvation begins and ends with Jesus.

When you feel like giving up, look to Jesus, follow his example, remember him.

This is why Paul could say in verse 9, for which I am suffering.

Why?

Because his eyes are focused on Jesus Christ.

That was Paul's mindset.

Paul didn't meet Jesus on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, believe in Jesus, and then just move on.

Thanks, I got this.

He continued to focus on Jesus Christ.

And this is why he could say, For which I am suffering, suffering how?

Bound as a chain in chains as a criminal.

Look at verse 9.

For which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.

Now let's pause for a moment.

It's easy to throw out people suffering in general.

And it can be encouraging when you're going through very difficult times to turn your eyes on Jesus and focus on him.

Whether you're struggling through difficulties, maybe you're going through a deep depression right now, currently, and you don't know how you can keep moving, how you can continue to go on.

Maybe it's in parenting right now, you are struggling.

The children are driving you absolutely insane.

And you don't know how to manage it.

Maybe you're struggling because currently you recently just missed out on a promotion, or maybe years ago and you're bitter about that.

Maybe you're struggling because you recently lost your job.

Maybe you currently have a difficult friendship.

You might be going through some difficult moments as we speak in life right now, but here in the context of 2 Timothy, we have to remember why Paul is encouraging us to suffer well.

What has led to the suffering Paul is facing that he's talking about?

It's the gospel.

The end of verse 8, Paul says, as preached in my gospel, then beginning in verse 9, for which I am suffering.

Now we have to remember when Paul pinned 2 Timothy what was taking place.

This was his second and final imprisonment in Rome, where he is bound in chains as a criminal.

Now, church history helps us understand what's taking place here in this moment as Paul is pinning this letter.

Paul was going to be beheaded during this second imprisonment in Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero, hated Christians.

If you go back and read through church history, it is rumored and believed that Nero was the one who actually set the fires in Rome and played a fiddle as it burned and blamed the Jews for that taking place.

He would light Christians on fire to light up his gardens.

He hated Christians.

So at this point that Paul is pinning 2 Timothy to Timothy, he will be executed shortly after this.

But what is interesting is the dichotomy Paul has in mind here.

I am bound as a criminal in chains, but the word of God is not bound.

Which is pretty incredible.

Nero believes that he can chain the messenger and he can chain the gospel up.

He can chain the word of God up, but the word of God, the gospel can never be changed.

It will never be bound.

We live in an incredible time of history.

We can look back since the founding of the true church in Acts and then trace throughout history how the gospel advanced.

A lot of times we look for peace, we look for moments of comfort.

But when has the greatest times of gospel advancement taken place?

Not when there's peace.

Not when there's comfort.

Not when there's a life of ease.

It's when the church is attacked.

Tertullian, the early Christian writer who lived around the year 200, made this statement.

He said, The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

Meaning that every time a person was executed and blood was shed for the gospel, God would use that for the spread of the gospel.

More people would say, well, if they believed it was enough to die for, then I'm willing to believe in the gospel as well.

This is why Paul could suffer because he knew the word of God was not bound.

Whatever happened to him would move the gospel further.

This is why Paul said to the church in Philippi in Philippians 1, 12-14, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

So that has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Now come back to verse 10.

Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.

How could this be?

Number one, because the word of God cannot be bound.

Centuries later, a man named William Tyndale helped the spread of the Protestant Reformation, driven by his belief that Scripture should be available to the common man in his own language, English.

At this time, Scripture was not available to the common man.

It was to the wealthy, to the elite.

The plowman, as he called him, the farmer, the average person only spoke English, and they did not have a copy of the Bible in their own language.

And as a result, William Tyndale decided that he would spend his life translating the Bible into English, which was illegal.

The Catholic Church saw this as a threat and declared him a heretic.

Before a watching crowd, they strangled him to death and burned his body.

See, no matter what the Catholic Church did to Tyndale, the word of God and the gospel would not be strangled.

Why?

Because Tyndale, like Paul, believed in the unstoppable power of God's word.

Today, you and I have the English Bible in our hands because of a man like William Tyndale, condemned as a criminal, just as Paul was in 2 Timothy.

And why would Paul do this?

Verse 10 for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus.

I love what John Stott, a theologian and scholar, said in his commentary of 2 Timothy regarding verse 10.

He said, The elect obtain salvation in Christ, not apart from the preaching of Christ, but by the means of it.

Now, why is this important?

Because Paul mentions the word the elect.

Now, Wayne Grudem, a theologian and author, he defines election as this: an act of God before creation, in which he chooses some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.

Now, if that is what election is, then why would this encourage Paul?

Because Paul knew that according to what he wrote the church in Rome in Romans 10, 17, so faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.

That because he preached the gospel, verse 8, people would hear the word of Christ, the gospel, and believe.

Because of election, Paul knew that there would be people that would hear the gospel and some would believe.

It wasn't bent on him.

This is why Paul could endure all the suffering he went through.

Have you ever read in 2 Corinthians where Paul explains the suffering he went through?

Listen to what he says in 2 Corinthians 11, 24 through 28.

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes less one, which they believed 40 lashes basically would kill you.

Three times I was beaten with rods.

Once I was stoned by rocks.

Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, dangers from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure, and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

He was attacked from every way.

Brothers in Christ to his enemies.

Why did Paul go through that?

Why would he go through all of that, dying almost multiple times?

So that the gospel would spread.

So that people would profess faith in Jesus Christ.

It should be the same for you and me.

Election should bring you and me the same comfort it brought Paul, knowing that when we share the gospel, there will be people who will believe.

Election reminds us that it's not about how eloquent we are with our words.

It's not about beating someone in a debate, it's about being faithful to share the gospel.

It might be the first time you share the gospel with someone, or it might be the 100th time you share the gospel with someone.

When God enlightens someone's mind spiritually to understand the things of God and he draws them to Jesus Christ, then they will be able to confess, as Paul says in Romans 10, 9 and 10, because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

And how do they know what to confess?

Because you've shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.

That's how.

That because of sin, there's nothing that you and I can do to save ourselves.

Jesus lived the perfect life that you and I desperately strive to live but can't.

Jesus defeated sin by dying the death that you and I deserve to die for our sin.

And because Jesus rose again defeating death, you and I have access to God the Father through the only mediator we need, Jesus Christ.

I love how Peter helps us understand further the idea of eternal glory compared to now in 1 Peter 5, 10.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

In the midst of suffering for the gospel, that's a little confusing because I'm guessing it doesn't seem like a little while.

You think Paul's life after he was called by Jesus seemed like a little while?

You think Peter, for what he suffered, seemed like a little while?

For example, back on February 14th, Jenny Humphrey posted in the Sacred Mission app under the Prayer Channel asking for prayer for a fellow brother in Christ who has been imprisoned in Libya since March of 2023.

Why?

Because he was sharing the gospel.

His court date was set for a few days later, on February 18th.

She asked the church to pray because he was going to court to face either the death penalty or to be deported.

Well, that date came and went, and his verdict was postponed and rescheduled for April 15th.

It got pushed out even further, which can be an answer.

Prayer.

He wasn't executed, but he's still sitting in prison.

Now I say all that to say, because do you think for this brother in Christ this feels like a little while?

It will be over two years of being imprisoned for the gospel by the time his court date arrives in April.

Why does Peter say in 1 Peter, after you have suffered a little while?

Because both he and Paul agree that the eternal glory in Christ far outweighs any suffering you may face today.

From God's perspective, our life that we live here and now is very brief.

I know it can feel like a long time, especially when you're in the midst of a major trial in your own life.

No matter how long or difficult your trials for the gospel may be, they are nothing compared to the overwhelming joy of eternity of being with Jesus Christ.

I think sometimes this is hard for us to grasp because in America we don't really suffer for the gospel.

Not to the point of death, not at this point.

Maybe you've suffered at work for the gospel.

Maybe people at your job know that you're a follower of Christ and they exclude you.

They make comments, they joke about it.

We do have people like Diedrich Bonhoeffer, who was out of Germany but then went back to Germany.

He was a German pastor and theologian who resisted the Nazis.

On April 9th, 1945, he was executed just before the end of World War II.

And as he was led to the gallows to be hung, witnesses claimed he had remarkable peace, and he calmly said, This is the end for me, the beginning of life.

His viewpoint was not momentary, but eternal.

Now his life was beginning.

This is why Paul could say in Philippians 1.21, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

And since this is Paul's final letter, he would pin, he is close to the end.

Listen to what Paul says in 2 Timothy 4, 6 through 7 at the end of this letter.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

If Paul saw the end of his life as victory rather than a loss, if Bonhoeffer faced death with peace, then we have to ask ourselves: how do we view our own lives?

How do we view our purpose?

How do we view the finish line in front of us?

Our perspective should be eternal when it's reality, it's earthly.

And this is our story this morning.

We are too focused on the temporary instead of the eternal.

We are too focused on the temporary instead of the eternal.

Now, I'm not saying to just get rid of like all your responsibilities here and now.

I'm not saying as a father, just neglect your kids and just become so spiritual you can't.

If you can't get up off the couch because you're reading your Bible to play with your kid, you're doing something wrong.

Get up earlier, stay up later.

But what is our mindset?

Both men, Bonhoeffer, Paul, Tyndale, men and women of church history lived with an eternal perspective, not just for the here and now, but for what was to come.

So the question is, how does this change the way we live today?

How does having an eternal mindset and eternal focus change how you live today, this afternoon, this week, as you go to work?

Listen to how Paul continues in verses 11 through 13.

What we come across here, as Paul says, the saying is trustworthy should clue us into something that the readers, as they heard this being read, would have picked up on.

The statement that Paul makes here is about what would have been known.

This saying is trustworthy, meaning that this was something that at this time would have been verified because people would have heard it and believed it.

I mean, take an example like you might understand today, a phrase like hard work pays off.

Right?

We all believe that, and I don't know anyone who would disagree with that statement because we've seen it proven over and over again.

A person's career, an athlete, a hobby.

It's a trustworthy saying in that it has been verified through experience, and many people have witnessed its truth firsthand.

So when we come to verses 11 through 13, this was not something out of the blue that Paul is getting ready to say.

This wasn't something that would have shocked anyone.

I know Paul can sometimes be jarring to us when we read him, but this statement coming up would not have shocked them.

John Stott, who was a theologian author and passed away in 2011, I like how he sets us up to understand verses 11 through 13 in this commentary on 2 Timothy.

He says this it consists of two pairs of epigrams, which are general axioms of Christian life and experience.

They apply equally to all believers.

The first pair relates to those who remain true and endure, the second pair to those who become false and faithless.

Now the first epigram we see is in verses 11 through 12A, and the second epigram we see is 12B through 13.

And it flows from comfort to challenge and then back to comfort.

So let's jump into the first epigram in verse 11.

If we have died with him, we will also live with him.

Sounds very familiar to what Paul said in Romans 6.5.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

This is very comforting, right?

If we died with him, we shall live with him, being Jesus.

If we endure, we will also reign with him, being Jesus.

Now, why would this be comforting?

Because it also sounds like what Paul said in Philippians 1.21.

For to meet the live is Christ and to die is gain.

Because it's all about Jesus.

It's about being with Jesus.

It's about following Jesus, being a disciple of Jesus.

When you're a disciple of Jesus, you imitate Jesus.

You do what he does.

You're with him.

I mean, they talk about when you were a disciple of someone, you walk so closely behind that there would be dust on the front of your, basically your robe, your outfit, because you were walking so close, as they kicked up dust, you would have dust on the front of you, on your feet, because you were so close to them.

If we go back to verse 8 where Paul said, remember Jesus Christ, this is why it's sacred mission, one of our first values is Jesus first and foremost, making Jesus the focus in every aspect of our lives.

If we are going to endure and suffer well, our eyes must be fixed on Christ.

We must focus every aspect of our lives on Jesus.

Why?

Because we're called to imitate Jesus Christ, to be disciples of Jesus.

Why would we expect to live any different lives than Jesus did?

I mean, I sometimes get shocked, and I shock myself sometimes when I think through this.

Like, why would I think I would have it easier in this life than Jesus did?

Fully God comes to earth, does everything right, is perfect, never sins, and he is executed.

But I'm like, man, I oh, I don't really want to read my Bible today.

Like, come on.

Jesus was abandoned, beaten, and crucified?

If we truly are out in culture sharing the gospel with neighbors, friends, family members, why would we expect our lives to be any different than Jesus?

When you share the gospel with someone, it's going to be a conflict with their current life.

They're going to push back.

If we share in the same life as Christ here on earth, we will share in the same life for all of eternity.

But then we shift into the second epigram where we come to the challenge.

The first is if we die with him and if we endure.

The second part is if we deny him and our faithless.

Now, why would this be challenging or difficult to hear?

Because of the results of our denial and faithlessness.

Now, when Paul says in verse 12, B, if we deny him, he also will deny us.

This sounds very similar to what Jesus said in Matthew 12, or Matthew 10, 32-33.

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my father who is in heaven.

But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my father who is in heaven.

See, a follower of Jesus Christ can easily avoid suffering for Christ by denying him and claiming not to know him.

Think about Peter.

It was easier in that moment, standing by the fire, to deny Jesus.

Made his life easier.

But right before we get to Matthew 10, 32 through 33, we have Matthew 10, 28.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus' denial of us is far worse than our denial of him.

Why?

Because our denial of Christ only spares us from temporary trouble, but his denial of us results in an eternal loss, one far greater than we could ever comprehend.

But then we come back to a comforting statement.

One that should cause us to stop.

As we've read down through the two different epigrams, everything aligned really well.

It makes sense.

If we died with him, we'll live with him.

If we endure, we will reign with him.

If we deny him, he will deny us.

But it doesn't line up the same way here.

If we are faithless, he remains faithful.

William Hendrickson was a New Testament scholar who wrote many commentaries.

I love what he says regarding this statement.

Faithfulness on his part, meaning Jesus, carrying out his threats as well as his promises.

Faithfulness on his part means carrying out his threats as well as his promises.

A lot of times we leave that part out.

We just like his promises.

We like the good stuff.

We don't like the terrifying threats.

This is a word of warning.

Why do we know that?

Because of how Paul ends verse 13.

For he cannot deny himself.

God remains faithful to his character no matter you do or not.

Why is that comforting?

Because God does what he says he will do.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Why is that important?

Because at some point, when you suffer for the sake of the gospel, remember the God we serve.

Let us be like Paul, who said in 2 Timothy 4, 6 through 7, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Paul endured, he fought the good fight, he finished the race, and he kept the faith.

Why?

Because he never lost sight of Jesus.

He fixed his eyes on Christ.

So how do we endure?

How do you and I suffer well?

We remember.

We look back.

We remember, this is our gospel vision this morning.

We remember Jesus Christ, his suffering, his victory, his faithfulness.

And in him we find the strength then to press on.

So today, whatever battle you're fighting, whatever burden you're carrying, fix your eyes on Jesus.

Don't lose sight of him.

Keep running your race.

Keep fighting the good fight.

Keep the faith because he is worth it.

Let's pray.