Turn with me to 2 Peter 2. We
start reading in verse 13 I'll conclude in verse 13-19
of 2 Peter 2, which states, If we believe not, yet He, that
is God, through Christ abides faithful, He cannot deny Himself. He cannot deny Himself. Of these
things, put them, that is the church that the Lord has given
Timothy, Did I say Peter? Here we go. 2 Timothy. I'm looking right
at it. I haven't done that in a while. I used to say good evening when
it was morning, so I finally broke that habit. Now I've got
another. Ok. 2 Timothy 2, verses 13-19. 2
Timothy. This is the Apostle Paul writing
to, as he says, his son Timothy, the first bishop of the church
of Ephesus. So he's writing to Timothy, and
then Timothy will speak these things to the church. Verse 13, If we believe not,
yet God abideth faithful, He cannot deny himself. Of these
things, which I am writing you, put them in remembrance, put
the church in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they
strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting
of the hearers. Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not 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 are two examples, Hamanaeus and
Philetus. Incidentally, these two teachers
in the church who concerning the truth have erred, saying
that the resurrection is past already and overthrow the faith
of some. Nevertheless, the foundation
of God stands sure. Having this seal, the Lord knows
them that are his. And let everyone that names the
name of Christ depart from iniquity." Now in the context that we have
here in this young church at Ephesus, young pastor, There's
some things going on that are upsetting. For example, in verses
14 through 18, I ask you and I ask me and I ask us as a church,
as an individual, has any of these things happened to us? Or have we been the cause of
some of these things? Verse 14. Don't strive about words to no
profit. Have we ever striven with people,
have we argued with people things that don't matter? We sure have.
Biblical things? Probably as well. To prove our
point? I'm sure we have. It's not profitable. It's not profitable. That's why
Paul could say, earnestly, vehemently, singularly, I am determined not
to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." What about verse 16? Shun, leave off, walk away from
profane, cussing, and vain babblings. That's useless conversations,
idle conversations. Why? In the church, now this
is in the church, this is not You go out and you're, personally
it should be kept without the church and within the church.
But specifically within the church is the context, but we ought
to shun profane and vain babblings. Why? They will increase unto
more ungodliness. The scripture says ungodly or incorrect communications
corrupt good manners. So when you hang around with
unbelievers, and you're going to, I do, we all do, you've got
to be careful. Because they're not going to
absorb the grace from you, you're going to absorb what they do. That's just what we do. That's
what we do. So we need to be careful. But
in the church specifically, we need to be very careful. And
here's some examples. And their word will eat as a
canker. Now that word canker is gangrene.
That word canker is gangrene, and if you don't take care of
it, you're going to have to amputate something. As a matter of fact,
Paul says, I wish those who were bothering you were cut off, as
I think he says in Galatians. And he gives two examples. Now
these are men who were apparently teachers in the church at Ephesus.
Hymenes and Philetus, and you can find this in 1 Timothy, chapter
1, and in here. Verse 18, he's specifically speaking
about these two men who incidentally have erred concerning the truth. They're
saying the resurrection has passed already. Well, what's the problem
with that? It's just his opinion. No. And overthrows the faith
of some. Now, these people who they're
overthrowing is not the faith of God's elect because God's
faith can't be overthrown. But here's the situation, and
we've seen it here. And I've heard of it in other
churches, almost every great church. When you've got two people
of note who are teaching in the church. Now, some of the commentators
said these were pillars. I don't know about that. All
I know is that they were teachers. When you have teachers presenting
false doctrine, Then they get mad, and then they leave. They
don't just affect themselves. It's like a canker. It affects
the whole body. You've got to do something with
it. So when these two people leave, Harmonies and Philetus,
when they leave, I'm sure they took others with them. And we've
seen that here. But the church of the living God is the ground
and pillar of the truth. And in love, we have to deal
with these things. Bruce and I have had to deal
with these things. on occasion. And not just one person leaves,
usually. But that's just how it goes.
So, yes, this does happen in the church. Yes, this does happen
outside the church, depending on the company you keep. So what
is our hope? Or who is our hope? What is our
security? Who is our security? Our defense,
or positively, our rest in such situations. and verse 19. This is our hope, this is our
peace, this is our security. If we believe not. If Hymenes
and Philetus believe not. If they like a canker or leprosy
and others get this disease and they get discontented. They want
to see the church have programs for children or something like
that. And then specifically, the resurrection is past. Well,
Paul says in Corinthians, if that's the case, then our lives
are most miserable. What are we standing for the
truth for, for the faith for? So, if they don't believe, it doesn't
affect God. If we believe not, yet God is
faithful, He cannot deny Himself. And, specifically verse 19, which
goes with that, nevertheless, nevertheless, The word is, how
be it. The word is, however. The foundation
of God stands sure. Okay, now what is this foundation?
What is this? This is the first point. God's
faithfulness and His foundation. His faithfulness is His foundation. His faithfulness is our foundation. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1.
Ephesians chapter 1. It's Him and His eternal decree. Ephesians 1, verse 4. That's
the foundation of God. Ephesians 1, verse 3, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, according
as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy without blame before Him in love. It's
His eternal decree. And this eternal decree is founded
squarely upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy
32. Verse 4, verse 18, and verse
31. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse
4. He is the rock. That's the foundation. His work is perfect. For all
His ways are judgment, a God of truth, without iniquity, just
and right is He. Verse 18 of the same chapter.
of the rock that begat thee, thou art unmindful and hast forgotten
God that formed thee of the rock. He is our rock, He is our foundation.
And verse 31, for their rock is not as our rock, even our
enemies themselves being judges. Why are people standing? Because
as that song says, they're standing on sinking sand. They have no
firm foundation. And this foundation, as he says
in our text, he abides faithful. He cannot deny himself. It's
his faithfulness. That's his foundation. And that
foundation is his decree, and it's founded upon the Son. It's
sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1 verse 13. You don't
have to turn there, but I'm going to read it. 1 and verse 13. in whom also you trusted, after
that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
in whom also, after that you believed, you were sealed with
the Holy Spirit of promise." And fourthly, this foundation,
this sure foundation that Paul is talking to Timothy, he says, Nevertheless, the foundation
of God stands sure. This foundation is that blessed
covenant of free, sovereign grace. Turn to Psalms 89. It's that
blessed covenant of free, electing grace, free, sovereign grace,
which is founded upon the Son, sealed by the Spirit, Psalms 89. Look at how this is
worded. Verse 29-37. Verse 29-37 of Psalms
89. His seed, God's seed, will also
make it to endure forever, and His throne as the days of heaven.
If His children forsake His law and walk not in My judgments,
if they break My statutes, keep not My commandments, Then will
I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with
stripes." That's what we do. We are sinners, saved by grace,
but we're still sinners. We'll never move away from that.
But in the annals, the journals of God and His book, We're as
righteous as Christ. But look at what he says, I will
visit their transgressions. Verse 33, Nevertheless, my lovingkindness
will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness
to fail my covenant? Will I not break nor alter the
thing that is gone out of my lips, once I have sworn by my
holiness? That I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever
in his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever
as the moon and as the faithful witness in heaven." Selah. Stop and think about that. Where
are we at in here? We forsook His law, we walked
not in His judgment, we broke His statutes, but He still visits
us. I know our children were like,
Dad swatted me or Dad spanked me or Dad disciplined me. Be
thankful. Because that shows that your
dad and your mom love you. They don't do it for no reason. They do it because there's a
reason. Because you were out of hand. That's the way we are.
We're just God's children. But he says in Malachi 3.6, he
says that He changes not. That's a cornerstone characteristic
of God. It's an attribute. Therefore
you sons of Jacob, not everybody, you sons of Jacob are not consumed. This is nevertheless the foundation.
This is God's foundation. It's Him. It's His Son. It's
His work for us. It's just who He is, His character.
Nevertheless, Back to our text. Nevertheless, the foundation
of God stands sure. You can just say that over and
over again. I've sinned. Nevertheless, the
foundation, and His foundation is for me. We confess our sins. He's faithful. There's that word
again. And just to forgive us. That's
what children do. Seasons may come and go. Our
children will one day come of age. We will fade as a leaf. The heavens may falter. The suns
may dry up. But, nevertheless, the foundation
of God stands sure. How be it? However, that word
foundation, I got to digging on this one. It's purpose. Foundation. It's purpose of covenant. God's
foundation, God's purpose of covenant stands, will stand. Sure, that means it's stiff,
it's solid, it's strong. So that's the first thing. His
faithfulness and His foundation. His faithfulness is His foundation
and it's our foundation. That's why when we have a Hermenes
or a Philetus, we get out of line, But God will bring us back. He'll
deal with us. But He will keep His people. That's the truth
of Scripture. Rock-solid foundation. It's sure. Sure. Having the seal. The Lord knows
them specifically, particularly, discriminatorily that are His. That's amazing. Secondly, God's
faithfulness to His covenant promises. Let me read you something
here. The foundation of God stands sure. The foundation upon which
our faith rests is this, that God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. The
great fact on which genuine faith relies is that the Word was made
flesh and dwelt among us, and that Christ also has suffered
for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.
who Himself bear our sins on His own body on the tree. For
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes
we are healed." This is the substance, these things, Christ, His righteousness,
His life, His death, His resurrection for us, this is the substance
that speaks of in Hebrews, that great chapter of faith, of things
hoped for. And this foundation, this rock-solid,
sure, steady foundation cannot be moved. I don't care what CNN,
I don't care what CBN, I don't care what anybody says. If we believe not, yet He abided
faithful. I read something that Henry had
written a long time ago. election and predestination.
And it was talking about the gospel, the gospel of the grace
of God. And he says, if I have to believe
it and nobody else does, so be it. And that's kind of what we
say. And we want more people to believe
this gospel. What a joy, what happiness, what
blessedness there is. We want our children to be found
in righteousness, the righteousness which is of Christ and not of
the law. We want Him, we want them to see their sins and to
see the Savior. But if not, nevertheless, this
immovable, unshakable foundation of God Stand sure, having the
seal, the Lord knows them that are His. Even though we've got
two pillars, or two teachers, who were a part of us, and now
as John says, now they're no longer a part of us, they never
were with us, they walked away. Nevertheless, nevertheless, this
is our hope, our security, our defense, our rest in all situations. It's a person, it's Christ. Well,
surely and truly we know and experience our failures. But
from this book, he tells us of his faithfulness and his love
and grace sent to us all through his dear son. And we simply fall
upon the grace wherein we stand. We simply cling. We're like,
Jacob, I'm not going to let go until you bless me. I am not
going to let go. We plead the blood and mercy
bound up in that substitutionary work of the Son for us. We yell,
Lord save me ere I perish like it is in Matthew 8. We with heart
and soul exclaim, without you we can do nothing, as John 15
states. We boast not against the branches,
because we know the root bears us, not we the roots, says Romans
11. And we know that we've been taught
sound doctrine, to God be all the glory. We have been grafted
in. We have been grafted in, Romans
11. These are all grafted into what?
That root. The root bears us, we're not
the root. That's the solid foundation.
That's the solid foundation. He knows them that are His. In covenant decree, before the
world was, being selected out in eternity, chosen in Christ,
pardoned, cleansed, and fully atoned for, sealed, kept, blessed,
married, and carried all the way to Beulah's land. That's
what this nevertheless, how be it, however, the foundation of
God, God's foundation, God's rock, God's gospel, it's called
the everlasting gospel. We sing a hymn the sands of time are sinking. I believe it is. O Christ, He
is the fountain, the deep sweet well of love, the streams on
earth I've tasted more deep I'll drink above. There to an ocean
fullness His mercy doth expand, and glory, glory dwelleth in
Emmanuel's land. O I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved's
mine. He brings a poor vile sinner
into His house of wine. I stand upon His merit, I know
no other stand, not even where glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's
land. The bride eyes not her garment,
but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, but
on my King of grace. Not at the crown He giveth, But
on His purest hand, the Lamb, the Lamb is all the glory of
Emmanuel's land. I know we talk about streets
of gold and this and that, but brethren, we're going to be too
enamored with His beauty and His grace to worry about any
of that. Well, in conclusion, so knowing
that we're capable of ashamed that we're not rightly
dividing the Word, and knowing that we haven't shunned profane
and vain babblings as we ought, but we know that God's foundation
is sure and it's for His people. The Lord knows them that are
His. So that's at the end of the matter. There's always an
application as the old puritans used to say. The last part of
verse 19. Now, do I need to follow you
home and be like those in the Old Testament that talked about
elders that peeped? Do I need to get out my binoculars
and say, okay, I wonder what's going on down in Kelso? I wonder
what's going on? Do I need to do that? We encourage
one another, but simply the exhortation is, and let everyone that names
the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Now, I'm not going
to get specific. Depart. Wouldn't that woman sin
no more? Now, you knew Christ, He was
going to sin. But that's what the believer...
We're not lawless. Our law is unto the Lord Jesus
Christ. The love of Christ constrains
us. Brethren, beloved of our gracious
Lord, let everyone depart from iniquity. You know what iniquity
is. I don't have to define it. We have a conscience. Doesn't
the love of our Christ truly constrain each of us to follow,
serve, obey, and worship Him evermore? That's why we're here. This is a voluntary, this is
not a must, need to, whatever, for the believer. We long. I know as a parent,
I longed to hear the kids say, oh, we can't even go to church.
To say, I want to go. Lord, let me meet with God's
people. And Lynn and I were talking this
morning. We get complacent. And that's a bad place to be.
We get complacent. This place, you know, this, that. Now, second best. This is where the Lord, this
is our testimony, this is what we have in the community. Every
time somebody, there's cars there, they must be, now we're hearing
the same old message, the same old gospel, the same old Christ
with whom we love. And we will, we name His name,
let us depart from iniquity by God's grace. Nathan, would you
close this?