If you would and you'd like to
follow along, please turn to 2 Timothy, chapter two. 2 Timothy, chapter two. And I'm gonna begin reading in
verse 11. It is a faithful saying, for
if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer,
we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will
deny us. If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful. Here's the four words I want
to preach about today. He cannot deny himself. I read a little something in
a bulletin, one was one from Tim James, and it wasn't about
this verse, but it quoted this verse here, and that verse just
kinda hit me all of a sudden. Now when I did the other three
faithful sayings, I think it's three in Timothy and one in Titus,
where Paul wrote this. This is a faithful saying. I
kinda skipped over this one. There's a reason for that, but
I'm not sure what it was now. I think I know, but we'll get
to that. But this is the one that hit
me, these four words. He cannot deny himself. And I
think that is probably one of the most gracious things I've
ever read. But first, to start off, it is a faithful saying.
If we be dead with him, we also shall live with him. And that's
not all the faithful saying, it keeps right on going. But
this is a truthful saying, a steadfast saying, a statement full of faith. That's what faithful means, full
of faith. An inspired saying. Paul the
Apostle was writing under inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he wrote
this down. Like I said, he wrote this, it's a faithful saying,
four times. Three of them to Timothy and
one of them to Titus. Now, to be honest, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, all of Paul's writings were faithful,
were faithful sayings. But here, this is something he
wanted to point out, in particular, to emphasize the truth he's fixing
to tell you here. He wanted to emphasize this particular
thought. What's that mean? It means pay
attention. Pay close attention. If we be dead with him, we also
shall live with him. Oh my. Now who's the him? Of course it's Jesus Christ.
It's Jesus Christ. Romans 6.4, we were baptized
unto his death. Because without, without the
death of Christ, we have no life. Without the death of Christ,
there is no life for human beings, period. Not in God's sight. All it is, without Christ, is
death, death. Oh, but in him, Romans 6.4, he
put it this way, therefore we are buried with him by baptism
into death that, there was a purpose for this, that, like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so, we also should walk in newness, of life, of life. So with his
death and resurrection, in him, we have died and we live. Like I said, there is no life
without him. But in him is life. He took our
death and we live in him. We should have died. We should,
we earned it. The wages of sin is death. And
I earned my death. But by his grace, by his grace
I have been delivered from the death that I justly earned. And
every one of his people justly earned their own death. But in
him, oh in him, He died with our sins in his body on the tree. Walter preached it a couple weeks
ago. His blood was shed. That blood was shed for his people.
And with that blood being shed, we are redeemed. We are redeemed. We were redeemed 2,000 years
ago when he shed it on the tree. Oh, we died with him and we live
with him. But without our death with him,
there is no life with him. And Paul's telling us, if we
be dead with him, we shall also live with him. Then he says,
if we suffer, we shall also reign. If we deny him, he also will
deny us. If we suffer, we shall also reign
with him. What's it say? In this world,
you could have tribulation. Exactly. In this world, you may
have tribulation. No, in this world, you're gonna
have tribulation. You're gonna have tribulation. In this world
you shall have tribulation. Who said that? Jesus Christ.
And guess what? That is as true as ye must be
born again. You understand, all these people,
they're going around all these churches, as they call them,
these mega churches, these assemblies, talking about how wonderful everything
will be if you just trust Christ. You'll have all the money you
want. You'll have all the health you can stand. Matter of fact,
you won't be able to stand it. You'll be so healthy. That's
a lie. Jesus Christ said, in this world,
you're going to have tribulation. And anybody that says any different
is telling a lie. and I don't care who you are.
It doesn't matter who you are. But Paul says if we suffer, we
shall reign with him. Now, it doesn't say that we're
gonna reign, it says we're gonna reign with him. You understand? He's got all the power and we're
gonna reign with him. You understand what that means?
He has put us on his side. I said it a few weeks ago, I
don't have a side. And here's the other part of
it, you don't have a side. But if we suffer, we shall also
reign with him. We only reign with him because
he's got all the power. He is the head and we are the
members of his body. We have his name. He is our bridegroom,
our king, and our lord. It said it a few weeks back. We
are called by his name, the lord, our righteousness. And if we
suffer, we're going to reign with him. Now here comes the
scary part, and I think this might have been part of the reason
why I skipped over this faithful say. Because it says if we deny
him, he will also deny us. I'm gonna tell you something,
that's a scary thought. Because this part of the verse
actually scares me. But I believe, for the most part,
this is a warning against apostasy. And that's scary. You understand,
people who apostatize have been somewhat following. You understand,
they're not just the heathen out there. They're not the people
who don't know anything about Christ. They've been following
for a while, and that scares me. But here's the thing, and
I had to think about this, and I did a little checking, and
to ponder in myself because I have doubts at times. Understand? And I know some of
you have doubts at times. I figure all of you do at one
time or another. I try not to live there, Mac,
but I know where it is. But here's the thing. When I am not analyzed my thoughts
about this, I deny myself in my doubts. You understand? I'm not denying
and I don't deny. I don't think I ever have. I
don't deny Christ. I deny my part with him. You
understand? Now, you can go back to Peter. When Satan desired to sift him
as wheat. And guess what he did? And our
Lord told him, he says, you're gonna deny me thrice before the
cock crows. And Peter did. But Peter didn't
deny that Jesus was the Christ. He just denied that he knew him.
I didn't know him. I didn't know him. But anyway,
Jesus also told Peter when Satan was gonna sift him his wheat,
I've prayed for you. I've prayed for you. That gives
me goosebumps. That your faith fail not. And
it didn't fail. And you know why it didn't fail?
Because Jesus Christ prayed for him. And his prayers are always
answered, yay and amen. And I thought about this, like
I said, and I thought about John Newton, the guy who wrote Amazing
Grace. He wrote Glorious Things of Thee
are Spoken. I love that song, Zion's city
of our God. He wrote, Behold the throne of
grace and many others, But he also wrote this. "'Tis a point
I long to know. "'Oft it caused me anxious thought. "'Do I love the Lord or no? "'Am I his or am I not?' He's
not denying the Lord. He's denying his part in it. And I know that feeling. That's
where my doubts are. "'If I love, why am I thus?'
Why this dull and lifeless frame? Hardly sure can they be worse
who have never heard his name. Now I know that feeling very
well. But that's not denying Christ. That's not denying Christ. I know my own doubts and fears,
but I don't doubt him. And I'll tell you what, that
does comfort me. When I doubt, not if, but when
I doubt, I doubt my part in it. Do I love the Lord or not? Am
I his or am I not? This is the thing. The true believer
doesn't worry about the Lord, he worries about himself. That's
how selfish we are. That's how ignorant we are. And
sometimes that's how faithless we are. I'm not promoting that,
but I want you to be aware of it. Some people will say, well,
if we deny him, he'll deny us, so don't we ever deny the Lord?
No, you just believe Christ. Just believe Christ. You're gonna
have doubts, you're gonna have fears. And Satan may sift you as wheat,
but usually it's your own self that's sifting your own self. But Jesus Christ prayed for Peter,
and I'm gonna tell you this, he also said, If you know me,
if you believe me, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And that's just as true as if
we deny him, he will deny us. I think what Paul was writing
here, Paul was writing here, was in
reference to what Matthew wrote down. These are the words of
Christ. But whosoever shall deny me,
before men. Him will I also deny before my
Father which is in heaven. That's some serious words. Paul is writing about those who
go out from us. But we also know why they go
out from us. They never were of us. They were never of us. Because
had they been of us, they no doubt would have continued with
us. Paul is writing of those who
deny that Jesus is the Christ. It's what John talked about.
For many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver
and an antichrist. Now you understand, these are
many deceivers. They are among us. They were
among those then. They were using the name of Christ,
but they were denying his power. What is it? Those that have a
form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. So I'm gonna tell
you something, if you deny Christ's power, you're denying Christ.
You're saying we say it wholeheartedly, I mean it, You can't preach Christ
high enough, and you can't preach man low enough. But there are those who have
a form of godliness, but they deny the power they have. They
use the name of Jesus, or Christ, or Jesus Christ, but they deny
his power in some way, shape, or form. They may deny his perfection.
Well, there's lots of people do that. Well, he was just a
man. Oh, I heard, was it? Kenneth Copeland's idiot wife,
I'm sorry. Gloria Copeland said, Jesus was
just a man filled with the Holy Spirit and you can be too. You
gonna compare yourself to the Lord of glory? You're a fool. You're a lying, deceived fool
and you're trying to deceive other people. They may deny his
perfection. They may deny his power to save.
He's done all he can do, now it's up to you. They'll deny
his power to keep safe. They'll say you can be safe and
then you can lose it. Christ said I'll never leave
you nor forsake you. John said, If you go out from
us, you never were a part of us. Peter said we are kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation. What ready to be revealed
in the last day? Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out and I'm gonna raise him up as the last day. If you deny his power to keep
people safe, you're denying him. Oh, there's some that deny him
by claiming their own sinlessness. I haven't heard it for a while,
Walter, but I have heard it in times past. I heard it on tape by Henry
the other day. Remind me of it. They call it
living above sin. Now doesn't that sound sweet?
Now listen, we're no longer the servants of sin. But that doesn't
mean we're without sin. That doesn't mean we can be without
sin. It's not possible. Because I
know in my flesh, still, right now, to this day, there is no
good thing in my flesh. Now in his spirit within me,
there's all kind of good things. And therefore, in lies the battle. But in denying that they have
sin, what are they denying? They're denying his advocacy.
They're saying his intercession and his power and his advocacy,
I don't need. But he ever liveth to make intercession
for us. Why? Because we ever need his
intercession for us. But here's the thing, if we deny
him, he'll deny us. His sheep shall hear his voice. And a stranger they will not
follow. Why? Because they're following him.
They're following him. And I think that might have been
why I skipped this one, because I didn't want to get into that.
And I get through all this to get to this part. And here's
the statement. Just see where Paul goes from.
If we deny him, he's gonna deny us. What's the next thing he
says? If we believe not, yet he abides faithful. Now isn't that glorious? What a statement. Talk about
the grace of Christ Jesus. The glorious truth. Now you understand,
let's very carefully the negative. Paul is not saying that Jesus
Christ saves those who have never believed and will never believe. It's not what he's talking about.
I mean, this may sound funny, but I thought about it and pondered
on it and I couldn't find another way to say it. Here's the thing,
if we believers, Those who have been revealed to Christ, have
revealed Christ in their hearts. If we believe not, he's faithful. He's talking about believers.
What, he's talking about unbelief in believers? Yes he is. And it's there. It's there, it's
there. If we believers believe not,
he's faithful. Because Jesus Christ can't be
anything other than faithful and true. Because he is faithful
and true. Not only to himself, but wait
a minute, to us. To us. To his people. He abides faithful. He lives
faithful. To us, his people. You understand? And Walter, you
said this years ago, and I remember it because I worry about this.
You understand, if I lose my mind through no fault of my own
or through my own idiocy, which can be rampant at times, I'll
admit to it. But if I lose my mind to the
point where I don't even know my own name or know yours, He's
faithful. He's faithful. You understand?
He's faithful. I can be a drooling vegetable,
but bless God, Jesus Christ is still faithful and true. Oh,
I'm telling you, that blesses my soul. Because I worry about
my mind. I remember Earl saying years
ago, he said, I don't know that I lost my mind, but I wasn't
sure where it went. I kind of have a feeling I know
what that means now. Oh, I'm telling you, folks, your
mind can betray you, but he abides faithful. My mind can condemn
me, but he abides faithful. We sing that song and we mean
it, I hope. Help thou, my unbelief. Why? And unfortunately, sometimes
it comes out. But he abides faithful. He abides
faithful. And then here, Paul tells us
how. He tells us how and he tells us why Christ Jesus is faithful,
even though we don't believe sometimes. I mean, he writes
it, and this is a glorious fact. And I love these four words. He cannot deny Himself. Himself. You understand, this
doesn't have anything to do with me, this has got to do with him.
If I don't believe, he's faithful. If I don't believe, he's faithful. You don't believe. You have doubts,
you have fears, you have overwhelming grief. He's faithful. Why? Because he cannot deny himself. Now you understand, this deny
himself here is the same exact word as in verse 12. If we, what
is it? If we deny him, he will also
deny us. That's the same exact word. In verse 12, it's condemnatory,
right? Ah, but here in verse 13, it's
glorious. He can't deny himself. You understand? A lot of people say, you know,
there's one thing God can't do. He can't lie. That's true. But
here's number two. This is scripture. This is inspired
of God, written by Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, which is us.
Jesus Christ can never deny himself. Oh, why? Because he's faithful
and true. He's faithful and true. He can't
deny himself. God cannot lie, and Jesus Christ,
because here's this, to deny himself would be untruthful.
I mean, that's it. He can't be opposite, even slightly,
against his own nature. He's God, oh. Because here, let
me put this as simply as I can. To deny one of his brethren,
that's what he called us, his brethren, the redeemed, to deny
one of those would be to deny himself. You understand, we say,
and we use this word, and it's a good word, he is our representative.
He is our federal head. He is the head, we are the body. But you understand, we're only
saying that because he said it. And he said it because it's true. And to deny, for Christ to be
able to deny would be to deny himself. If he denied a part
of his own body, he's faithful. Our failure Bless God for this. Our failure is not a cause for
Jesus Christ to deny us. He's faithful and true. And he
can't deny himself. Now somebody's gonna say, you're
giving people license to sin, they're gonna go out and sin
all they want. They do anyway. Leave me alone. I sin more than
I want to. I remember when Henry first said
that 30 years ago. But that blessed my soul. Because
that's it. I said more than I want to now. We still have unbelief in us. But he can't deny himself. Believers, I say, again, are
known, are called by his name. And you understand, that don't
mean a lot to most people, but that means the world to Jesus
Christ. Because you understand, he's the one that calls us by
name, and he's the one that brings us in, what? To himself. To himself. This is where we
end up. He cannot deny his people. Because to deny his people would
be to deny himself. You wanna talk about eternal
security now? I can do it. But I'm gonna tell you this.
You're either in Christ or you're without Christ. And I can tell you this, people
talk about election, and we do, and I love election. But here's
the thing, being chosen in Christ is not the same thing as being
brought into Christ. You got no cause to think that
he can't deny you until you believe him. That's what it's talking about.
Paul wrote this to Timothy, a believer, a brother, a fellow preacher. He cannot deny us. We are in
Him. Believers are. And this is a
truth I think, sometimes I think I'm guilty of thinking of too
lightly because we say it so much. Being in Him means that we are
inside Him. I mean, we say, oh, we're in
Him. And that's true, and it's great, but I don't wanna flippantly
say it. I don't wanna, I don't wanna
gloss over it because I'm so familiar with it. We are inside
the Son of God. Walter's been talking about it,
talking about the Old Testament sacrifices. When God sees us,
or when God smells us, he gets the aroma, the sweet savor of
his son. When he saves us, we put on the
garments that he gives us, the garments of salvation, plural,
but we also get the robe, singular, the robe of righteousness. What is that robe of righteousness?
That's him. That's him. That's him. He is made unto us wisdom and
righteousness. and sanctification and redemption. And guess what? He cannot deny
himself. Because to deny his elect, blood
brought in, brothers and sisters, would be to deny his own flesh.
Because we are his body and members in particular. I like that. He abides faithful. Our condition
And this is a glorious thing too. Our condition doesn't matter. He abides faithful. Our faithfulness
is not the issue. And thank God for that. Our performance is not a factor. Our imperfections don't count.
Not here. Not here, not in this context,
not in this verse where Paul's talking about. They do count
to us. And I don't like my imperfections, and I don't like your imperfections
either, but I'm not bringing that up. But we all got them. Our stumbling, our falling, our
miserably failing cannot make him change his love for his brethren
because he cannot deny himself. God, I like that. Thank God Almighty,
he cannot deny himself. John Gill wrote it this way.
It may be understood of true believers, whose faith sometimes
is very low, as to its exercise on Christ
and with reference to their future glory and happiness, but Christ
is faithful to all his. That's what his covenant with
God was all about in the beginning. I'm gonna save him and I'm gonna
bring him in. They're mine. The Father gave
us to him. And he brings us in. What? To bring them to glory and to
every word of promise concerning their happiness and to every
branch of faithful saying above mentioned and he is ever the
same in his love to them. At all times, and this is me,
at all times and under all circumstances, he cannot deny himself. Understand when, not if, when
we're in trials, difficulties, in losses, in crosses that we
bear, in adversities, in temptations, in persecutions, And in our own
sins, he's faithful. He is faithful. Any sin you make,
he either paid for it or you're gonna die for it. And he cannot
deny himself. Beloved, now, right now, we are
the sons of God. And Jesus Christ, the Lord of
glory, has said that we are his brethren. He's not ashamed to
call us brethren. Oh, and he abides faithful. Whatever
condition we're in, whatever condition we're going to be in,
he cannot deny himself. Take heart. Rejoice in him. Because I swear, I think Paul
just wrote them for me. No, he didn't. He didn't, you're right. Walter's
grinning at me over there. He didn't. He wrote them for
every blood-bought child of God. Oh, and I'm gonna tell you something. We are complete in him, and he
cannot deny himself. It's good our Heavenly Father. Thank you for this time in this
place Most of all Lord. Thank you for your son the Lord
Jesus Christ Who can't deny himself and he will not deny his brethren
He loved us and gave himself for us and will Will bring us
to a complete salvation Thank you, Lord. Be with Walter as
he comes to preach your gospel. Give him the words we need to
hear and give us ears and hearts to hear and understand. And we'll
give you all the honor and the praise and the glory in Christ's
name. Amen.