We're going to take as our text
here in 2 Timothy chapter 10 from the verses that we read,
consider primarily verse 10. And there is certainly enough
there, more than enough, to consider for the next few minutes. Notice
how the verse there begins. Therefore, therefore. Paul tells us what he's there
for. He's in prison. He's alone. He's suffering. He's facing,
as he tells us in chapter 4, certain execution. And he tells
us why in verse 4. Therefore, therefore, for that
glorious gospel that he preached, that's what he was there for.
Paul wasn't a lawbreaker. No. He was there for the testimony
of Jesus Christ. That's what he's there for, his
profession of faith in Christ and being faithful to his apostleship
and the gospel that God had told him to preach. That's why he
was exposed constantly to trouble and trial. That's exactly what
he said, as I think we may have mentioned last week. In Acts chapter 20, one of my
favorite passages, I almost know it by heart, but he said concerning
his sufferings, his certain trials, his afflictions, bonds that would
abide him wherever he went, Did they ever anywhere roll out
the red carpet for Paul when he came to town? Anywhere? Anyplace? Anytime? No. The very opposite. And yet, Paul said, none of these
things move me. I know they're waiting for me.
I know what to expect. Well, Paul, why don't you take
a detour around that place? Don't go to Philippi. Don't go
to Thessalonica. Don't go to Galatia. My soul,
Galatia, no sooner are you left than they begin to sow seeds
of discord. They begin to whisper into the
believers' ears, Paul's not an apostle. You shouldn't listen
to him. He doesn't know what he's talking
about. Imperils of the sea, imperils on the land, imperils among false
brethren, Paul said all the time. Why? Why? And now, Paul in 2
Timothy says, I see the finish line. I finished my course. The finish line is in view. I
see it clearly, Timothy. And I've fought a good fight. And I've kept the faith. I've
been faithful to what God entrusted into my hands. I've been faithful
to that one who loved me. That one who loved me so much
that he wouldn't allow me to abide in that darkness. with
that false hope and false peace, resting in the religious traditions
of my fathers. He loved me too much. Therefore,
on the Damascus road, he brought me down. Oh, yes, I've been faithful
to that one who called me out of darkness into his marvelous
light. And now, Timothy, I see that
finish line. My course is almost over. I'm
ready to go home and to be with him forever. That's what he tells us in chapter
4. Paul's profession of his faith in Christ is the therefore of
his present circumstances. And it's the reason also why
he endured them. I mean, after all, why did Paul
suffer like he did? He tells us here. Why did he
endure so very much? What possessed this man to submit
to such a thing, such a life? And before we consider the answer
that he gives in verse 10 or at least part of his answer that
we'll consider there, that pretty well sums it all up. As I thought about this and studied. I thought to myself, I just wonder,
John, I wonder what the Apostle Paul would think about Christianity
today. Wasn't there a magazine out not
long ago by that title? It may still be around. Or was
it a television program? I don't know. Christianity Today. I wonder what Paul would think
if he could look out on Christianity in the day you and I live in.
Everything is so quick, it's so easy, it's so simple. I mean, preachers have streamlined
this thing. I mean, most churches today produce
converts quicker than Ford Motor Company rolls cars off an assembly
line. They've got this thing down to
a slick, easy, fine art. As a matter of fact, they proudly
tell you it's easy. Hey, sinners, listen. You sinners. They don't say this, but the
Word of God does. You sinners that are dead in
trespasses and sin. You sinners that are without
hope because you're without God in the world. You sinners that
cannot take the first step to God and they tell such helpless,
needy sinners, it's easy as A, B, C. That's heartbreaking. I wonder what Paul would say
If he went into the average church, oh, it would be sad enough if
it was the exception. But my soul, it's the rule. It's the rule. There's few exceptions
to this rule. If he went in and sat down in
the average church service this morning, in light of his life,
his sacrifice, his sufferings. And he said, Timothy, you can
expect the same. But he said, it's worth it, Timothy.
It's worth it. I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed
what I've endured. I'm not ashamed of what I've
suffered. It was a worthy cause. I know
whom I have believed. And he deserves it all. He's
earned it all. He's merited it all. He paid
it all for this rebel. Yeah, I'm not ashamed. But he would sit. and see entertainment. Entertainment. All these interviews
this morning are evidence that the glorious gospel of the blessed
God is not good news to this generation. No. No, it's not. But Christianity today, salvation
that Does it involve denying self? Jesus Christ, the only
Savior, said this. He said this, except a man take
up his cross and follow me. You know the verse. What did
he say? He who is the truth. Except a man take up his cross
and follow me. He'll be OK. He's just going
to lose a little reward. His mansion's not going to be
as big as his neighbor's. His crown's going to have one
less diamond in it. No. If a man doesn't take up
his cross and follow me, if he doesn't deny himself, he cannot
be my disciple. He won't allow it. Ask the rich
young ruler. Our Lord put his finger on the
sore spot. You really kept all the commandments.
You really love your neighbor just like yourself? Well, then
sell everything you got and give it to your neighbors. And come
follow me. And the young man went away sorrowful. And the Lord Jesus Christ didn't
want to run after him and say, well, wait a minute now, let's
rethink this thing. Maybe we can reach some kind
of agreement. No. He said, you don't bow to
Jesus Christ. You don't bow to the Son of God.
Go away sorrowful if a man doesn't deny himself. He cannot be my
disciple, my soul. That is sure a different sounding
Christianity. following of Christ, true salvation,
than this streamlined nonsense today that's produced professors
galore. Professors galore. But children of God, something
vital is missing. Something vital is missing. That
which only not Walking up to an altar won't do this. Not shaking a preacher's hand,
it won't do this. Not believing five points of
Calvinism, it won't do this. A vital union with the son of
God himself, that's what Christianity is. That's what salvation is. It's being truly, bodily, spiritually,
yes, but nevertheless, in reality, united to the Son of God. That's the vital missing link
today. That salvation that Paul tells
us is in Christ Jesus in verse 10. True grace does that. True grace unites us. Yes, I know, I know that we were
chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Paul says, he mentions
that again, for the elect's sake. Thank God for that. But election
is not salvation. It's unto salvation. I know Christ
died for his sheep. I know he laid down his life
for his sheep. But I'll tell you this, until
this sinner comes into a living union with the Son of God, those
things mean nothing to me. I can't even claim them. If I
do, I have no grounds for doing so. How do I know I was chosen
in Christ? How do I know I'm one of those
sinners for whom He shed His precious blood? I know when He
calls me by His grace to Himself and He tells me. He tells me. He does that which no preacher
can do or church can do or just dry dead doctor can do. He says,
Larry, Chris, I am yours and you are mine. That's what gives
me peace. That's what gives me hope. Nothing
less than that. And that's what Paul said. If
any man be, in First Baptist Church or Second
Baptist Church or whatever. No, he said, if any man be in
Christ, in Christ he's a new creature. He's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
behold this wonder. Behold this miracle, this certain
miracle of God's amazing grace. Look what it's done. All things
are become new. Spurgeon came home that morning after trotting through knee-deep
snow. I mentioned this again the other
night. He said, oh, after God had removed
the scales from his darkened eyes, and he beheld the Lamb
of God. He said, I want to tell every
snowflake falling from the sky what God Almighty had done for
this sinner's soul. Didn't you? Didn't you? Oh, yes. He went home, and his
mother said, Charles, I perceive a change has come over you. Because
he before was so despondent, so depressed, so down, but now
he was walking on air, he was smiling, he was rejoicing in
the grace of God in Christ Jesus that he had just recently experienced. And he said, Mother, you're right.
You're right. Either the whole world has changed,
or I'm changed. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creation without exception. That's what true grace does.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, I'm not what I used to be. I'm
not what I used to be, and he tells us why. And this is not
inclusive of the Apostle Paul. This is true of every child of
God. We just quoted him. If any man
be in Christ, he's a new creature. He's a new creation. He has had implanted in his soul
the very life of God Almighty. Lazarus, come forth. Lazarus,
live. And Lazarus came forth, Lazarus
lived, and I think Lazarus knew it. I think Lazarus knew that
Jesus Christ, oh, he didn't understand all the why, all the rather,
all the how, but he knew I was dead. I was dead. And now I'm alive again. And
the next picture we have of Lazarus in John 12, he's sitting at the
table with Jesus Christ, feasting, feasting. And that's what grace
does. Paul said, that which changed
me is this. Nothing less could do it. But
by the grace of God, not to preacher, not to priest, not to pope, not
to church, by the grace of God, I am what I am. Who maketh thee
to differ from another? He asked those proud Corinthians.
They had gotten puffed up. Isn't that the word that Paul
uses over and again? Why are you puffed up? Why do
you have the big head? Who's made you the dipper from
another? Who made me the dipper? The change
that I profess, this salvation that I profess, where did it
come from? Who did it? That's the question. Who did it? If the change in
me is something Larry Criss produced himself, I'm on my way to hell. That won't do it. That won't
get the job done. Oh, but if, if I can join the
Apostle Paul and I can say, but by the grace of God Almighty. Is that your testimony? Is your
profession of faith in Christ the result of real grace in your
heart? I am what I am by the grace of
God. It's not the product of my own
doing. I did it. I did it. I went through all the religious
hoops. I did it. I charted to the isles. I said
the sinner's prayer. I got a Bible and tried to act
religious. I got a haircut and cleaned up
myself. Tried to get my act together.
And people patted me on the back and said, well, you sure did
got a father. God bless you, young man. Well,
you're a child of God. Join up. And I lay down at night
and say, man, what are they talking about, John? I don't know God. I don't know God. If I'm what
they say I am, is this it? Is this it? Because in my heart
of hearts, I knew I wasn't a changed man. I knew I hadn't experienced
the grace of God. And then I thought to myself,
well, either If these folks are right, I thought, well, then
even that's not enough to straighten out this mess that I am. Even
that's not enough. Even God's grace is not enough. You say, Larry, what a silly
thought. Yes, that's the state of mind
I was in being put through all these religious hoops. Oh, but
when God in his mighty, sovereign grace comes, oh, damn. Then I was able to say with Paul,
I know home. Children of God, does anything
else really matter? Lester, does anything else really
matter? I know home. I mean, yes, I love those precious
truths of God's Word. I love those blessed doctrines
of grace. But they find their sweetness,
their loveliness in Him, don't they, John? In Him. What are
they otherwise? What are they otherwise? Oh,
but in Him, in Him, I was chosen in Him. How can I appreciate
election until I realize He stood for me and God chose me in His
glorious Son? Oh, blessed, blessed. And then,
as well, what is redemption? What is redemption? What ravishes
your heart? What bows you down? What melts you? What melts you? God's grace has effects like
that, does it not? Does it not? What melts you before
the throne of His majesty when you contemplate, oh my soul,
He loved me and He gave Himself for me. He died for me. He was
made sin for me. He trod the winepress for me. And people everywhere again all
around us say, well, he died for everybody. What's the big
deal? Oh, that's not true. But when you realize he died
for you, especially for you, I'm shedding my blood for you,
you melt before him and you cry, oh, my soul. What a Savior. What a Savior. Paul was not,
as our text tells us plainly, Paul was not a fatalist, was
he? Paul didn't say, well, Timothy,
whatever will be, will be. No, no, no, no. Paul did not believe
and his very life proved it. His very life in ministry was
proof that he didn't believe it. God does not save sinners
regardless. No, no he doesn't. No he does
not. He doesn't save sinners regardless. God that ordained the salvation
of sinners ordained the means of their salvation. And Paul
said, that's why I endure all things for the elect's sake. Well, Paul, whatever will be,
will be. What's the problem? No, Paul said, no, no, no. God
has ordained the means. And Paul says, I endure all things
that they may also obtain the salvation of God, which is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory. James said, show me your faith. You say you have faith in God.
Show me your faith without works, and I'll show you my faith by
my works. Now, wait a minute, James. Paul
in Ephesians 2 plainly says, for by grace are you saved through
faith, not of works. And you now say, Can such faith
without work save a man? You say that's the faith of devils?
James is talking about the kind of faith that saves. There's
no contradiction there, of course. James is telling us exactly what
Paul did. Yes, faith alone saves, but that
true faith that saves is never alone. Never alone. It has as
its evident in fruit. those good works that he talks
about. You say you have faith and have
not works? James says that's the faith of
devils. They believe and tremble. And that's more than most professing
Christians do. The devils believe and tremble.
They, when the Son of God walked this earth, bowed down before
him and said, we know who you are. You're the Holy Son of God. And most professing Christians
today say they know him and they never bow down. They never tremble. It's just me and Jesus got a
wrong thing going. There's no wonder. That's the
result of that streamlined so-called Christianity. Oh, no, no. James
says, the faith that saves, the faith that unites a needy sinner
to their all-sufficient Savior has as its evident, its fruit,
those works. That's why when you read James
2 and he deals with that subject, he says, you see, you see, you
see. Rahab, you see by what she did
that she really believed. Abraham, the father of the faithful,
you see by what he did the evidence that his faith was genuine. Paul
knew. Paul knew that God had a remnant
according to the election of grace. He wrote those words. Paul knew that, but he also knew.
Paul also knew that God who ordained the salvation of sinners also
ordained the means, and he proved his faith. Oh, how the apostle
Paul proved his faith by the life that he lived in the service
of his glorious Redeemer. He didn't keep it to himself,
but he preached it anywhere, everywhere, to anyone, many or
few, many or few. Paul knew that the gospel of
God, he said in Romans 1, I'm a debtor to all men. I've made
myself so because I'm ready to preach the
gospel to those who are in Rome. I'm ready to go into the very
mouth of the lion's den. I'm ready to go there to the
very seat of so-called power. It's not a problem. Ooh, Paul,
aren't you scared? Aren't you scared? I mean, look
at the pomp, the power, the religion, the debauchery. the ungodliness
in Rome. Paul, are you sure you want to
go there? How can you do that, Paul? What are you going to take
with you, Paul? How are you going to combat all that stuff? He
said, I'm taking the gospel, which is the power of God unto
salvation. And Paul proved. Paul proved
that he believed that because until his dying day, just as
our text says, he preached it again and again. And you're,
therefore, for the gospel's sake, for the salvation of sinners. Someone said, well, if you believe
the doctrine of election, if you believe God's sovereign mercy,
electing love, particular redemption, effectual call of the Holy Spirit,
if you believe that, you won't have any burden for sinners.
You won't care You could never prove that by Paul, could you?
My, what pitiful words he used concerning his brethren. He said, I have a continual heaviness. Well, Paul, whatever will be,
will be. No, no, no, no, no! Paul said, I have a continual
heaviness in my heart because I see my brethren. My brethren,
according to the flesh. And it breaks my heart. It's
breaking my heart. They go about establishing their
own righteousness and their trust in their own righteousness. Paul
said, I understand that I was there. But he said they're going
to hell because they've not submitted to the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. I must become all things to all men that by all means
might save some. I endure that for the elect's
sake, Timothy, and you do the same thing. You remember in 2
Kings, Benedad, the king of Syria, surrounded Samaria, had them
enclosed. No one could go in, no one could
come out. That went on for so long that
they had eaten all the food. People were starving to death.
They even practiced cannibalism. And there was these four lepers
sitting at the gate of Samaria. And one looked at the other and
said, you know, if we sit here, we're going to die. We're going
to starve to death. Why don't we just go surrender
to the Syrians? What's the worst thing that they
can do to us? Kill us? We're dying anyway. We're dying
of starvation anyway. And as they got up to go, had made that Syrian army to
hear chariots, wheels, thousands, horses. And they said, oh boy,
we're in trouble now. The king of Israel has done joined
forces with the Hittites and the Philistines. Let's get out
of Dodge. And man, they took off in the
darkness and left everything just like it is. Just like it
what? Left it all. And here come the four lepers. They don't see anybody. They
go into one tent. Nobody's there. There's gold,
silver, food. They go into another tent. Same
thing. Tent after tent. Oh, they just
begin to gorge themselves. just begin to gorge themselves.
Man, we thought we were going to die. We were going to starve
to death. Now look what we have. We've
got more than we need. More than we need. And then one
said, oh, this is not right. We do not well, was his exact
words. We do not well. This is a day
of glad tidings. and we hold our peace. We left
the city of our brethren, our kinsmen, starving to death, and
here we have more than enough and we hold our peace. Let's
take it back. Let's tell them. Let's go back
and tell them. That's what the Lord Jesus Christ told that poor
demoniac that he said, let us pass over to the other side for. That's the reason. And he found
that poor man. That's a picture of Larry Criss.
I was a rebel, insane. Insane. And Jesus Christ came to where
I was. He found me and people had just
like they did him by various ways and means. A mother's tears
couldn't bind this rebel. A father's threatenings couldn't
bind this rebel. Now I was determined to have
my way come hell or high water, breaking hearts left and right. I told you about that young man.
whom both of my sons are named after. Roger Dale Carpenter looked
up to me. He looked up to me. And I knew
it, and I loved it. So I taught him everything I
knew, how to drink, how to cuss. And one night while we were drinking,
and he was drunk with the booze that I had bought him, we hit
a telephone pole. He died in the back seat right
behind me. He went out to meet God Almighty. Yet God, Jesus Christ, found
this rebel. And he said, come out of him,
you unclean spirit. And the next picture we see of
him and me, he's sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ, clothed
and in his right mind. And the Lord said, now you go
home. You go home and tell them. You tell your friend and your
family what great things God has done for you and have had
mercy on you. Well, wait a minute. He was just
recovered. He was just saved. Oh yeah, but
he was qualified. He was qualified to go and tell
all around what a dear Savior he had found. That's why Paul
said, I endure everything for the elect's sake, that they may
obtain the salvation, the salvation, God's salvation, this great salvation
by grace, child of God, There is nothing more valuable
in this world, in this life. Nothing we have, nothing we don't
have. There is nothing as valuable,
as blessed. There is not a greater treasure
a man or a woman can experience in this world than that salvation
that is in Christ Jesus. Mr. Newton wrote, it's going
to be in a bulletin soon. He made this comment. In the
hour when death shall open the door into eternity, many things
which now assume an air of importance shall be found as light and unsubstantial
as a child's dream. If your son or daughter And I
realize I'm going to speak to one or two that I'm aware of
had this very experience. But if your son or your daughter, your loved one, was suffering
from some disease, and there was only one doctor
in the world that had the knowledge, the wisdom, the skill, to cure
your son or daughter. Is there anything you wouldn't
sacrifice to get them to Him? Anything? Anything? Is there anything you wouldn't
do? Man, I've got to get that. I don't care if I've got to mortgage
the house. I've got to get them to Him. Oh, great physician of souls,
Please, please don't leave our sons and daughters to themselves. God, give us the grace, the burden,
the desire to pray, to witness, not to be weary in well-doing.
Increase our faith that your gospel is still the glorious
gospel and it's the power of God unto salvation and we do
not will if we possess this and we don't share it with them.
I've got to wrap this up. Salvation, Paul says, which is
in Christ Jesus. You remember John touched on
it this morning in his lesson. When John the Baptist came on
the scene and after Christ was baptized and he began to decrease,
that is John, his mission was fulfilled. He was the forerunner
of Christ. Purpose for living the reason
he came into this world was to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ
when Christ came on the scene and John Baptized him and God
Almighty said upon whom you see the Spirit descending from heaven.
That's him John said yes And I saw him I bear witness that
he's the Son of God, and he told everybody else look look away
from me Don't look past me. He's here. You don't need me.
He's here behold the Lamb of God And some came to him and
said, John, that one whom you baptized into Jordan, everybody's
following him now. They wanted to make John jealous.
Were they barking up the wrong tree? John said, oh, I'm so glad
to hear it. My joy is fulfilled now. He must
increase. John, what about you? I must
decrease. I must decrease. It's time for me now to step
off the scene, to leave the stage to Him. He's the Lamb of God. He's the Bridegroom. He's the
One that came down from Heaven. Those that have Him have eternal
life, not John the Baptist. And John in chapter 1 also told
them this, There standeth One among you whom you know not. Speaking of the Lord of Glory,
there standeth one among you whom you know not, as long as
sinners look to anything else but the Lamb of God. As long
as they trust their works, their worth, or their will, or a priest,
or a preacher, or a church, God give me grace to tell them, don't
do that, don't do that, no matter if it's my son, my daughter,
or you. Don't do that. Behold the Lamb
of God. When we come down to die, nothing
else is going to give us any comfort or any hope. If we know
we are leaving this world, nothing else is going to matter but this.
I know Him. Do I know Him or have I just
been religious all my life? After all these years, all these
years, will death reveal that I was just going along for the
ride? Oh, no. No, God, by His mercy
and grace, has given us that salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
eternal, eternal thanks be unto Him. And let us, like He told
that rescued demoniac, go home to thy friends and tell them
what great things He has done for you. And He's had mercy on
you. Have you gotten over the wonder
of that? Have you gotten over the wonder of that. God help us if we have. Thank you for your time.