Open your Bibles to the book
of 2 Timothy chapter 1. Our Lord sent his disciples out
to preach. At this particular time there
were 70 of them sent out, and they were endowed with miraculous
powers. they performed great wonders.
And they came back elated. They came back to tell the Master
of their great deeds and of their great success. And they said,
Lord, behold, even the devils are subject unto us. And then
the Master taught these men what is really important. He taught these men that in which
a man can really rejoice. When he said, Rejoice not that
the devil is a subject unto you, but rather rejoice that your
names are written in heaven. The assurance and the confidence
that our sins are forgiven, that we are seated at God's right
hand in Christ, that our names are written in heaven, this so
far outranks miraculous power or any other treasure or any
other blessing it so far outranks them that these other things
become absolutely nothing compared with this treasure. Your names
are written in heaven." Even Balaam, I call him the confused
prophet, I think he was, even Balaam exclaimed, Lord let me
die the death of the righteous and let my last days be like
his. David said, blessed is the man
to whom God will not charge sin. That's the blessed man. Not the
man who is financially, politically, socially, economically secure,
but happy, happy, happy is the man to whom God will not charge
sin. And when he listed God's blessings
in Psalms 103, the first one he listed was this. Do you know
which one it is? "...who forgiveth all thine iniquities. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits." And then he begins to name them.
And the first one that comes to his mind is this, He forgiveth
all thine iniquities. In verse 18 of 2 Timothy 1, the
chapter I read a moment ago, when Paul prayed for his friend,
Onesiphorus, he prayed this, The Lord grant unto him that
he may find mercy, mercy. in that day. That's it. The thief on the cross, by grace,
received God's greatest gift, and that's the gift of his Son,
life in Christ. Christ said to that thief, Today
thou shalt be with me in paradise. And to me, that's what it's all
about. That's what it's all about. But
what should it profit a man if he gained the whole world materially? And there's a lot of us to whom
material things are awfully important. Socially, and there are a lot
of us to whom social position is mighty important. Political
recognition Yea, even religious recognition. What shall it profit
a man if he gains all these things and loses his soul? Paul called
it the goal of faith. It's what faith's all about.
He said the goal of faith is the salvation of your soul. Look
at verse 12 of 2 Timothy 1 again. This is the text that I've chosen
tonight. The Apostle Paul was in prison. He was now old, Paul the aged. His life was drawing to a close. He said later on in this same
book, the time of my departure is at hand. I've finished my
course. The time of my departure is at
hand. Paul was old, he was now in prison. He was chained to a soldier night
and day, always chained to a soldier. He was expecting to die at any
moment. The breaking of any day may bring
into his prison cell word from the governor that he was to be
executed. Also, he was forsaken by his
friends. Look at verse 15. This thou knowest,
All they which are in Asia are turned away from me." He said,
I am forsaken of all men. This man who had written 13 of
the 27 books in the New Testament, this man who had personally met
the Lord on the road to Damascus and received from him a commission
to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, This man who had been stoned
several times, beaten with rods, scourged, shipwrecked, was now
in prison, closing out his days, old and feeble, forsaken by his
friends. He named some of them who were
very close to him at one time and now had turned their backs
on him. But instead of being discouraged
I imagine many of us would be very bitter, discouraged and
distressed. We'd probably be sitting there
talking about what we had done for the Lord, and now what he
had done to us. We'd probably be talking about
our victories of past days, and we'd be giving those who had
deserted us a hard time. But Paul was not discouraged
and he was not distressed, but rather he rejoiced. He says in
verse 12, In verse 11, he said, I was appointed a preacher by
God, an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles, and that's the
reason I'm suffering these things, for the which cause I suffer
these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed,
I'm not discouraged, and I'm not distressed. It always amazes me that ministers
in this day expect to be popular when all of the ministers before
them were unpopular. It always amazes me that men
of today claim to preach the gospel for which Paul was hated
and for which the apostles were martyred and for which all of
those in bygone days have suffered. And yet we don't suffer, and
we offend no one, and we have no difficulties. But Paul says,
I'm not ashamed, for I am persuaded, for I know whom I have believed,
and I am persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've
committed unto him against that day. Now, sooner or later, for
me and for you, this is what it will all boil down to. the
time of our departure. Sooner or later, this is what
it all will boil down to, the end of the line, facing death,
facing judgment, facing eternity. And in that day, as our Lord
said to his disciples, the thing that is going to be most important,
ought to be most important now, is our relationship with him.
Paul could come to the end of the line and deserted by his
friends, cast into prison, closing his life under guard, chained
to a soldier, broke, hungry, deserted, forsaken, alone. And yet he could rejoice. He
could rejoice in the hope which he has in Christ. Now tonight,
I want to test my hope with Paul's. I want to test my foundation
by his foundation. I'm going to look at four things
in this message, and I want you to look at them with me. First
of all, I'm going to look at what Paul knew. Paul knew something. He said here he did. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed.
I know something. And then I'm going to look, secondly,
at what Paul was persuaded of. And I want to see if I'm persuaded
of this same thing. And thirdly, I want to see what
Paul had done. Paul did something. He talked
about what he had done. And then I want to look fourthly
at what Paul was concerned about, something in this verse that
he was concerned about. Now, first of all, let's see
what Paul knew. He says here in verse 12, "'For
of which cause I also suffer these things, nevertheless I
am not ashamed, for I know I know whom I have believed." Paul did
not say, I know when I believed. Now, that's mighty important
to some people. I heard a preacher say one time,
if you don't know when you were saved, it's because you're not
saved. Well, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Paul
doesn't say, I know when I believed. I doubt that the Apostle Peter
could tell you when he was saved. We don't have any record of when
he was saved. Paul didn't say, I know what
I believe, although sound doctrine is very
important. It's important to measure what
we believe by the word of God. We must worship the Lord in spirit
and in truth. Doctrine's important. It's important
that I know something about the creation and the creator. It's
important that I avail myself of the information before me
in God's word on the fall of man. I want to know what happened
in the garden, don't you? I should avail myself of all
the information God gives me on the covenant, both of works
and grace, inspiration of the scriptures. The Bible says, Study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. the birth
of Christ, the incarnation, heaven and hell, the crucifixion, righteousness
of God, which is Christ, the Church, its responsibilities
and duties. It's important that a man study
God's Word. It's important that we learn
doctrine, but you can't anchor your soul on doctrine. And Paul
didn't say, I know what I believe. He didn't say, I know when I
believe. He didn't say, I know how much I believe. Boy, my faith's
strong. He says, I know whom I have believed,
a person. Christianity is not a doctrine,
it's a person. Christianity is not a law, it's
a person. Christianity is not just a way
of life, though it is a way of life, but it is a person, a living
person. Paul knew Christ because he had
met him. He met him in experience. He
said, listen to Galatians 1. Turn over there with me. Galatians
1, verse 15. Paul had met Christ. He said
in Galatians 1, verse 15, When it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, when
it pleased God to reveal his Son in me, he revealed Christ
in me. I was introduced to Christ by
God Almighty, by the Heavenly Father. He introduced me to Christ,
and he introduced Christ in me. Paul had met the Master. He knew
him because he'd met him. He met him personally. He met
him experimentally. He met him in regeneration. He
met him in the new birth. He met him by revelation of the
Holy Spirit. He'd met Christ. He knew Christ.
And then he had met him in the types of the Old Testament. Paul
was an Old Testament scholar. Paul knew all about the lamb.
Paul knew all about the brazen serpent. Paul knew all about
the sacrifices of the Old Testament. And as he went back and read
the Old Testament, he saw Christ in all these sacrifices, and
in all these types, and in all these shadows. He met him in
the gospel. Turn to 1 John 5. Listen to the
Apostle John, 1 John 5, verse 13. These things have I written
unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that
you may know you have eternal life, and that you may believe
on the name of the Son of God. That's why it's written. Paul knew Christ because he met
him. He met him in experience. He
met him in the types. He met him in the gospel. He
met the Christ of the cross, and he knew him. And then Paul
knew Christ because he had grown in a knowledge of Christ. He
exalted us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. Oswald
Smith wrote a great hymn, the words of which are very beautiful. Listen to them. I have walked
alone with Jesus in a fellowship divine. Nevermore can earth allure
me because I'm his and he's mine. In my failure, my sin, my sorrow,
broken-hearted, crushed, and torn, I have felt His presence
near me, and He's all my burdens borne. On the mountain I've seen
Him, Christ my Comforter and Friend, and the glory of that
vision will be with me to the end, in the darkness, in the
shatter, with the Savior I have tried. Sweet indeed have been
the lessons I learned as I walked with God. I've seen Him, and
I know Him, and He deigns to walk with me, and the glory of
His presence will be mine eternally. Oh, the glory of His presence! Oh, the beauty of His face! I'm His, and I'm His forever. because he won me by his grace."
What did Paul know? He knew a person, and that is
the sum and substance and essence of this whole thing. It's not
Brother Mahan preaches a good sermon, that's not it. It's not,
I like the Baptist church because they are soundest in doctrine,
that's not It's not, I go to the 13th Street Baptist Church
because it's a friendly church. That's not it. It's not, I believe
everybody ought to worship God. That's not it. It's not, I made
a profession when I was young and I was raised in a Christian
home and I don't want to go back on the raising. That's not it. It's not, I don't want to go
to hell, I want to go to heaven. That's not it. It's, I know Christ, that's it. That was Paul's comfort, that
was his hope, that was his joy, that was his strength. Whatever
you have, if you've missed him, you've missed the foundation,
you've missed the hope, you've missed life. And when you come
to the end of the road, when you come to the time of your
departure, if you have to go through this particular experience
through which Paul went, you're not going to find any foundation
on which to rest or any hope to hold, because it won't be
there. The Thirteenth Street Baptist
Church won't be there, and Brother Mahon won't be there, and the
baptismal pool won't be there, and the good old solid Calvinistic
creed won't be there. You're going to be by yourself
unless you have Christ. You see what I'm saying? I know
whom I have believed. That's it. I know whom I have
believed. What's your hope? I know whom
I have believed. What's your confidence? I know
whom I have believed. What's your religion? I know
whom I have believed. That's it. That's the whole thing.
Now what was Paul persuaded of quickly? and I am persuaded,
I am persuaded that He is able, I am persuaded that He is able
to keep me." Now, Paul doesn't talk about confidence in himself. He doesn't say, I'm persuaded
that I will continue in the faith. I believe I will. But O God, I pray that I may
never deny Christ. O God, I pray that I shall never
draw back from his grace. If one sheep of Christ could
fall away, I'd fall a thousand times a day, and so would you,
because we can put no confidence in the flesh Paul didn't say,
I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that I'm going
to remain faithful. I'm persuaded that I'm going
to hold fast to faith. I'm persuaded that I'm going
to complete the journey. He didn't say that. He said,
I'm persuaded that he's able to keep me. Paul didn't put his
confidence in himself, and he didn't put his confidence in
anybody else. He was forced on one occasion to rebuke the Apostle
Peter for his inconsistencies. I don't know what the boys do
with that who want Peter to be the first Pope. You know, the
Pope's supposed to be infallible. Apostle Paul nailed Peter to
the wall one day, and he said, Now, you're wrong. You're just
wrong as you can be. And he showed him how wrong he
was. Paul didn't put any confidence in preachers or apostles or disciples
or anybody else. His confidence was in Christ.
Paul saw too many churches fall away. Churches served their day. You can go to any of the old
churches, Martin Luther's church, John Calvin's church, Owen's
church, Whitefield's church, Spurgeon's church, and all the
rest of them, and they've all left the gospel. Too many religious leaders and
too many churches depart from the faith. God raises up a church
to serve its day. God raises up a minister to serve
his time. We can't put confidence in them
or him. Paul's confidence was in Christ. I like this little This little
hymn, "'Ah, Lord, with such a heart as mine, unless you hold me fast,
I feel that I shall decline and turn from you at last.' But the
Lord Jesus promised,' he said, "'My sheep hear my voice, and
I know them, and I give them eternal life, and they'll never
perish. And no man is able to pluck them
out of my hand. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and nobody can pluck them out of my Father's
He said, All that my Father giveth me shall come to me, and this
is the will of him that sent me, that all he hath given me
I lose nothing, but I raise it up at the last day. In the book of Jude, the Scripture
says, Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling. You say, Not me. That's what
the Apostle Peter said. The Lord Jesus told him he was
going to the cross, and he said, ìAll of you are going to be offended
because of me this night.î Peter said, ìNot me.î ìNo, sir, Lord. These other fellows might leave
you, but Iíll die with you.î And he was the only one that
really forcibly and audibly spoke out against Christ and denied Paul was persuaded, not that
he could keep the faith, but that Christ could keep him in
faith. We're kept by the power of God
through faith. He was persuaded that Christ
was able. Now Christ is able to keep us,
first of all, because he's willing to keep us. He said, no man takes
my life from me, I lay it down. I have the power to lay my life
down and take it up again. And I keep my sheep because I'm
willing to keep them. Secondly, I keep my sheep because
that's the job the Father gave me to do. I come not to do my
will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the will
of him that sent me. that of all which he hath given
me I lose nothing. Christ keeps us because he is
the only one who is able to keep us. He said, I have all power
over all flesh that I should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given me. And he said again, I have all
authority in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and preach the
gospel." I'm persuaded that if the Master
came back here to this earth to minister, that we would be
strangely amazed at how he would speak. Religious people, sentimental,
emotional, feminine type religious people have pawned Christ off
as a sissified type of individual. Christ was a man of holiness,
and a man of love, and a man of faith, and a man of submission
to the Father's will, and a man of humility, but a man of power. And when they heard him speak,
the people said, No man ever spoke like this man. The scribes
and the Pharisees don't talk like him. He speaks as one with
authority. Our Lord spoke forcibly and powerfully
and authoritatively. You can hear Him as He turns
and says to those thieves in the temple, My house shall be
called a house of prayer. You've made it a den of thieves.
Get out of here. You hear Him as He turns to the
scribes and Pharisees and says, You're a generation of snakes,
of poisonous vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the rapticum. Oh yes, Paul said, I know whom
I have believed, and I know he's able. He's able. He's able to keep. He's able
to save. He's able to deliver. He's able
to redeem, because he has all authority in heaven and earth.
He's the king. Now thirdly, what had Paul done? He said, I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I intelligently,
I know what I've done, willingly, confidently, lovingly, he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him. You're an old man now. You're
at the end of the road. Death is near. Paul, what is
your hope? On what do you stand? Well, I've
served the Lord. I've served the Lord. Yea, these
many years I've served the Lord. I've preached as a faithful minister. I've lived as best I could. I
can hear these modern-day testimonies. I've served the church. I was
a deacon, Sunday school teacher. I've tried to help people all
my life. What's your hope? Well, I've
had a religious experience, and I spent a lot of time in prayer,
and I always did tithe and give my income. Paul, what is your
hope? My friends have forsaken me,
I'm at the end of the road, the time of my departure is at hand.
I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded he's able to
keep that which I have committed unto him." I've committed it
unto him. My sins, I have committed all
my sins to Christ. Paul was a blasphemer. You hear
him say that? I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. I was injurious. The broken law
is heavy on my heart. The blood of Christian believers
is on my hands. I'm the chief of sinners, but
I've committed my sins to Christ, and he by his blood hath made
me white as snow. My sins, oh, the bliss! of that glorious thought. My
sins, not in part, but the whole, are nailed to the cross, and
I bear them no more. Praise the Lord. It's well with
my soul. I've committed my sins to Christ. What else have you committed
to Christ, Paul? I've committed my life to Christ.
If Christ, my Lord, wants me to grow old, I'll If Christ my
Lord wants me to die now, I'll die now. If Christ my Lord wants
me to die at home, surrounded by my friends, mourned by my
friends, I'll die there. If Christ wants me to die in
prison, beheaded, in hatred, surrounded by hardened criminals,
well, it's the Lord. Let him do what he will. His
providence is my path, His purpose is my desire. I've committed
my life to Christ. I don't know about tomorrow.
It may bring me poverty. But the one who feeds the sparrow
is the one who stands by me. And the path that is my portion,
be it through the flame or flood, He promised to go with me and
cover me with His blood. I've committed my life to Christ,
and then I've committed my body to Christ. Yes, he's going to
dissolve this tabernacle of clay, but he said he'd give me a new
body. Paul wrote about it in 1 Corinthians 15. He said, this
tabernacle will be dissolved, and when it is, we have a building,
a house eternal in the heaven, not made with hands, and when
this mortality puts on immortality, when this weakness puts on power,
when this shame puts on glory, then death shall be swallowed
up in victory. And we shall forever praise the
Lord. The instrument of death is already
prepared, but thank God it's in the hands of my Father. Now
that's the difference. I'm not afraid of a sharp instrument
if it's in the hands of my father. But I don't want to walk down
the street and meet a sharp sword in the hands of an enemy, do
you? I'm a little bit afraid. If Brother Ronnie Lewis was sitting
down there holding his twelve-gauge shotgun, I wouldn't mind at all.
He could point it up there all he wanted to. But I've met some
folks down the road I wouldn't want to be sitting there holding
a 12-gauge shotgun, pointing it up this way. So the instrument
of death is already prepared. That's what Scripture says. How
I'm going to leave this earth is already set. But thank God
that instrument's in the hands of my Father who loves me. And
the issue's been settled between us. I didn't settle it, my Lord
settled it. And the enmity between us has
been put away. God's not angry anymore because
Christ destroyed the enmity and took sting out of death, which
is sin, and put it away. And it's all right. That's Luther
and Paul. He says, I've committed it to
him. My soul, my sins, my life, my body, everything, it's in
the hands of Christ. All right, what was he concerned
about? What's all this about? I know whom I have believed.
I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day." Now, there's not anybody here that
won't agree with me that we have too many irons in
the fire. We've got too many problems.
We've got too many concerns. We've got too many things that
demand our attention and our time, and we're given too little
concern to two words. That day. That day. Paul mentions that day several
times. Here in verse 12, he says, I've
committed unto him against that day. You know what day he's talking
about? The day of the Lord. The day of death. The day when
this body is going to give up this soul. We may be talking
about tomorrow. That's what Christ said to that
rich young fool, thy fool, this day, this night, right now, thy
soul shall be required of thee. And then who's all these things
you've accumulated going to be? Who's going to possess these
things? What good are they to you? That day. I've committed this
to Christ against that day, that day, that day. Look at verse 18, the Lord granted
unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. Oh,
that's the day we're talking about. And I don't think we think
about it enough. So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. That day is getting
closer and closer every time our heart beats. Turn to 2 Timothy
4. Paul says in verse 6 of 2 Timothy
4, I'm now ready to be offered. The time of my departure is at
hand. I've fought a good fight. I've finished my course. I've
kept the faith. Henceforth there's laid up for
me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day. Oh, that day. that day of the
Lord, that day of His appearing, that day the Scripture talks
about of His coming, that day of His wrath, that day when the
grave shall give up the dead in them, and the sea give up
the dead which are in them, and death and hell shall be delivered,
and every man shall stand before God and be judged according to
the things that are written, in that day. In that day. We're living for
today. We're living for today and for
tomorrow and for next week and for next month. The Apostle Paul
was concerned about that day, that day of days when Christ
shall come. I know whom I have believed. I am persuaded, confident, that
he is able to keep that which I have committed to him. Have
you committed your life, your soul, your sins, your future,
your death, your judgment, your body, you committed it to Christ?
Against that day. If you haven't, I pray God that
you will. Coming down to the front of this
church, is not where you commit your sins and your soul and your
life to Christ, it's in here that you do it. Coming down here
is to tell people that it's been done, to confess Christ, to make
it public. Following the Lord in baptism
is to identify yourself with Christ. If that's been a sincere
commitment and a serious commitment, then you'll want to make a public
commitment. and be identified with the Savior in his death,
burial, and resurrection. So we give you that opportunity.
What number do you want to sing, Brother Ronnie? Number 224. If there's someone here tonight
and God has spoken to your heart in the past, today, any time,
and you wish to make a public profession of faith in Christ
and follow the Lord in baptism, or unite with this church, as
God has laid it upon your heart, we invite you to come forward.
As we sing 224. I know not why God's wondrous
grace to me He hath made known, Nor why unworthy Christ in love
redeem me. for his own. But I know him, I have believed
it, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've
committed unto him against that day. I know not how this saving faith
to me he did entreat. nor have believing in his word
brought peace within my heart. But I know him, I have believed
it, and am persuaded that he is able To keep that which I've
committed unto Him against that day. Sing the last. I know not when
my Lord may come at night or noonday fair. For if I walk the vale with Him, But I know, I have believed it,
and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have