Go with me back to Second Timothy
chapter one. Second Timothy one. I want to
finish out our day together. You want me to slide this down,
Brandon? We're doing this because Brother
Todd moves around a lot, so we're making sure that all this works
before he gets here. I want to finish out today, putting
a final word of emphasis on what our Lord is saying to us here
in Second Timothy one. This is really been an amazing
chapter. He said you have been given a
gift. The gift of salvation. I mean. Pan. The gift of salvation. The gift of the gospel. Do you
ever want to take the gospel for granted? You you know that
you will. I know that I will and we do,
but oh, we don't want to. The gift of the ministry, a ministry
of the gospel. He said, stir it up. Don't be
ashamed of it. Does that does that, you know,
religion can be so proud of their religion to everybody because
it's accepted by everybody and loved by everybody and they can. But the truth is so disliked. Lord, let us not be ashamed of
your truth. He said, be a partaker of the
affliction of it. Every man who has taken a stand
for God's truth has suffered persecution. Every woman who
has taken a stand for believing God's truth has suffered persecution
from it. And he said, be partaker of the
affliction with all of God's people, with Christ, with all
of God's people. He said, be bold in the declaration
of it, not arrogant, not prideful, just dogmatic, just very clear. And in verse 13, he said, hold
fast to it. Hold fast. I looked up the meaning
or the definition of hold fast in the Bible dictionary and I
was just so pleasantly surprised by the translation
or the definition of hold fast. It translates to have and to
hold. to have and to hold. That's a
term we use in a wedding ceremony, to have and to hold from this
day forward. What he's saying is be married
to, be committed to in that way. Be married to, verse 13, the
form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith and
love which is in Christ Jesus. Hold fast to this. Hold fast to this. I'd like for us to take this
as a real exhortation from our Lord, and we're about to see
why. He's saying, hold on dearly to
what God has given you. Verse 13, hold fast the form
of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith and love,
which is in Christ Jesus. What is the form of sound words? What sound words is he talking
about? Verse nine. Do you mind if I
read verse nine one more time? We read it a lot here recently.
Is everybody okay with me reading verse nine one more time? Who
hath saved us? and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. Those are the sound words. The middle of verse 12, He said,
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. That
is the form of sound words which we have heard in the preaching
of the gospel. The words concerning Christ,
we need to cherish what we've been taught and what we've been
allowed to believe concerning Christ. We have been allowed
to believe this. Is there boasting in our faith
in believing this? Is there pride? Well, at least
we believe. No, we've been allowed to believe.
We've been given the gift of believing. And he said, we need
to strive to never neglect it. Oh Lord, let us never neglect
it. Verse 14, that good thing which
was committed unto thee, keep it. By the Holy Ghost, which
dwelleth in us. We need to beg the Lord to keep
us. We need to beg the Lord to keep
us and to keep a fervent heart in us. for the things of Christ,
for the message of Christ and the truth of Christ. Because
if he does not keep us and keep that heart in us, we
will go astray. We will go astray. And Paul gives
a real example of that in verse 15. He said, this thou knowest,
you know this. that all they which are in Asia,
all of them, be turned away from me. You know, I just read that
for the scripture reading. I've been looking at this all
week, reading this all week, but I just read it in the scripture
reading and it hit me as I was reading it. They turned away from the apostle
Paul. You know, here, who are we? You know, well they've all forsaken
the message and said, who are we? They turned away from the
apostle Paul. But then it hit me, they turned away from the
Lord Jesus Christ. I'm telling you, if anybody's
kept, that's amazing grace. That's a miracle. This thou knowest
that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom
are Phygelus and Hermogenes. Those two men and every other
person who seemed to be a believer in Asia at that time turned away. How sad. How devastatingly sad. It's a sad reality, but I'm going
to tell you this, it happens. It happens and it's heartbreaking
and you just, you don't want to see it happen. But it happens,
it's so heartbreaking. Look at 1 Timothy 1, verse 18. 1 Timothy 1, verse 18. This charge I commit unto thee,
son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before
on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare, holding faith
and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning
faith, concerning looking to Christ alone, and hoping in Christ
alone. They've veered from that. They've
made shipwreck, of whom is Hymenaeus, And Alexander, whom I delivered
unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." Those men
seemed to be believers. They seemed to be supporters
of the gospel. But in the end, they left it. They turned from
it. And many examples of this have
been given throughout the scripture. Many examples. Look at 2 Timothy
2. Verse 15, it mentions one of
those men plus another one. 2 Timothy 2 verse 15, study to
show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, but shun profane
and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. and their word will eat as doth
a canker, of whom is Hymenaeus," he's mentioned again, and then
this other man, Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred,
saying that the resurrection's passed already. And they overthrow
the faith of some. They got off on some wild hare.
And people started listening to him, and they led people's
attention away from Christ to whatever it is. It doesn't matter
what it is. If you get hung up on anything other than Christ,
we have erred. Look at 2 Timothy 4, verse 10. He said, Demas hath forsaken
me. Having loved this present world,
and is departed unto Thessalonica. He left me, he forsook me, he
just chose the world. Verse 14, Alexander the coppersmith
did me much evil. The Lord reward him according
to his works. Of whom be thou ware, I'm warning
you of him, be thou ware also for he hath greatly withstood
our words. At my first answer, no man stood
with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not
be laid to their charge. How many times has that happened?
How many times has that happened? And what strikes fear into us
and keeps us clinging to the gospel and clinging to Christ
is knowing the fact that, but for the grace of God, there go
I. But for the grace of God, the
name Gabe, Gabe Stoniker will be right there. But for the mercy of God, there
go I. Now, hold on, Gabe. Are you saying
that we can lose our salvation? No. No. If God saved us, we're kept by
the power of God. If he saved us, we are kept by
the power of God. Turn over to Hebrews 10. Verse 38. Hebrews 10 verse 38 it says,
Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back from
looking to Christ and hoping in Christ, my soul shall have
no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw
back unto perdition, destruction, but of them that believe all
the way to the end. to the saving of the soul. God's people do not draw back
from faith in Christ. They do not draw back because
Peter said they're being kept by the power of God. Look at
1 John 2. 1 John 2. Verse 19, they went out from us, but they
were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that
they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Those who leave faith in Christ
alone were never in Christ alone. They were never in Christ alone.
God's people are kept by the power of God. But here's the
thing about it. Our evidence of the fact that
we're being kept by the power of God is we will deeply, deeply
fear not having salvation from him. We will deeply fear that. We will deeply fear not being
one of His in the first place. Just going through the form,
going through the motions. Am I doing that right now? Am
I going through the form? Am I going through the motions? Or is my heart here looking to
Him? Is my heart here to worship Him? To hear from Him? Our fear is leaving him in the
end. That fear will cause a man or
a woman to cry out for mercy. That is what causes us to cry
out for mercy. Where there is no fear, there
is no cry for mercy. That cry is the evidence that
we have it. The fact that God would put us
in a position that would cause us to cry for mercy, that's the
evidence he's already given it to us. The evidence of a soul
that does not have salvation is that soul never cries out
for mercy. Never. David cried in Psalm 51, have
mercy upon me, oh God, please have mercy upon me. You ever
find yourself just crying that? Lord, please just have mercy
on me. I can't do anything with this. Just please have mercy on me.
The publican in the temple, he cried, God, be merciful to me,
the sinner. Go back to 2 Timothy 1. Verse 13, it says, hold fast
the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith
and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed
unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. This thou
knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me,
of whom are Phygelus, and Hermogenes. And then he said in verse 16,
the Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus. For he oft refreshed me and was
not ashamed of my chain. He was not ashamed of me being
in prison. Verse 17, but when he was in
Rome, He sought me out very diligently and found me. You know, Rome
was a big place. And they didn't have the technology
that we have today. And this man searched and went
looking and looking, trying to find Paul. And he found him. Verse 18, the
Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that
day, and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus,
thou knowest very well." Paul said, Timothy, I deeply love
this particular brother, Onesiphorus. Onesiphorus, however you say
his name. And he said, I pray mercy for
him. I pray mercy for him. Paul didn't
pray health, wealth, or happiness. He prayed mercy for this man.
And that is what I pray for you. I pray that for me. And I pray that for you. That we may find mercy. Verse 16, he said, the Lord give
mercy. The word give is grace. I pray
the Lord will grace mercy. I pray that will be his gift.
Mercy, doesn't that sound Wonderful. Oh, I pray the Lord will grace
mercy. I pray that God will be gracious
and merciful to us, that he will keep us looking to him and will
keep us gathering together around his word. You know, if he takes
his finger off of us and lets us go and we scatter abroad,
that's a sad day. Keep us looking to Him. Keep
us hoping in Him. Keep us trusting in His blood.
I pray He'll keep us fervent in these things and not just
let us go astray. Prone to wander, Lord, we feel
it. If He keeps us, it will be through
the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. The preaching of the
person, the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what
we have right here. If he keeps us, if he keeps us
drawn to him, it will be through this right here. Paul ended this
first chapter with a beautiful picture of Christ, okay? This man, Onesiphorus, his name
means the one who brings profit, or the one who bears profit. He's a picture of Christ. Paul, being a picture of God's
people in prison, bound in the chains of sin and death, that's
where God's people are by nature, in the flesh. But this man, Onesiphorus,
he came to Paul And he did something for Paul. And look what Paul
said, verse 16. He said, Oh man, this is so good. You
ready? Verse 16. He said, watch this.
The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiferous. I'm sure he wanted mercy for
Onesiphorus, but this was his prayer. The Lord give mercy to
the house of Onesiphorus for he. Paul said the Lord give mercy
to his house, his household, because of something that he
did. He did a work. He did a work. Therefore, may the Lord give
mercy to his house. The Lord give mercy to his family.
His brethren, his bride, his children. That's Christ. That's a picture
of Christ. Because of a work that he did,
mercy has been shown to his house. Doesn't that bless you? What
was it? What was the work Christ did?
Verse 16. The Lord give mercy unto the
house of Onesiphorus for he oft refreshed me. He regenerated
me. That word refresh means he brought
a cooling to me. It means he recovered me from
the heat. That's what it means. He recovered
me from the heat. That's what Christ did for us
on the cross of Calvary. He brought relief from the fire
of judgment and hell. Why did he do that? Why would
he do that for us? The end of verse 16, Paul said,
it's because he was not ashamed. of my bondage. He was not ashamed
of my imprisonment. He was not ashamed of my chain. He was not ashamed to call me
a brother. Even though I was in the condition
I was in, that's amazing. He was not ashamed. To be joined
to me, verse 17. But when he was in Rome now,
Onesiphorus was from Ephesus. And Paul said, He came to me
where I was, in my bondage, in my horrible condition. He traveled.
And He came to me where I was because I couldn't come to Him.
So He came to me, and all of God's people say that about Christ.
He came to me where I was because I could not come to Him. Verse 17, when he was in Rome,
he sought me out very diligently and found me. He sought me and
he found me. He came to seek and to save this
sheep that was lost. And when he found it, when he
found me, He ministered unto me everything that I needed to
soothe and save my aching soul. Verse 18, the Lord grant unto
him, unto him, not unto me, but may it all be unto him. The
Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord. in that day. May all the glory,
all the honor, all the praise be given unto him in that day. The Lord grant unto him that
he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And in how many
things he ministered unto me. How much has he done for me? How much has he ministered to
me? How much has he given to me? At Ephesus thou knowest very well. He loved me. and cared for me,
Paul said, Onesiphorus did that at Ephesus, he did it at Rome.
And that's what we say about Christ. He loved me way back
then. He cared for me way back then,
He loves me now. He's made it clear He still loves
me right now. He cares for me right now. He
will love me and care for me all the way to the end. That's
Christ. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. For that reason, may
it all be unto Him. May God give us the grace to
hold fast to that. I pray God will give us a heart
For the message of Jesus Christ, a heart to have and to hold to
that from this day forward. Never depart from it ever again.
I pray God will keep every person.
You don't have to stay in this building. You don't have to listen
to this man talk, but I pray God will keep every person under
the message of Jesus Christ crucified until the day he returns. I pray
that not one soul here will say, I have no more need of these
things. Amen. All right, Brother Eddie, you
come. I'll give us a reminder while he's coming of our cleaning
and moving, if you don't mind.