Turn with me to 2 Timothy, 2
Timothy chapter one. 2 Timothy chapter one. Now when
the apostle Paul writes this letter to Timothy, he's imprisoned
in Rome, and this is, the second imprisonment that he's had there.
And Paul is conscious that this won't end as the previous one
did. And he writes toward the end
of the letter these words, for I am already being poured out
as a drink offering and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight.
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. These are the
last recorded words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy. And as such,
we see that they're very similar to the words that he speaks to
those Ephesian elders when he's parting from them. Last words
carry great weight. especially when the substance
of them is so important. Well, what are the substance
of the words that Paul addresses to Timothy at the beginning of
this letter? That's what I want us to look at tonight. Well,
it's really, I think, the same thing that he was seeking to
impress upon those elders at Ephesus. He wanted to encourage
them to consider the great ministry which God had called them into
and the ministry that God had appointed them to. Now who, as
we look at this, why am I looking at this? The reason is we want
to consider who it is, who is the man that God appoints into
the ministry. That is so important. This is
who we want to see shepherding the church of God. Now, a few years ago, I don't know if
any of you remember, I brought a message from Acts 20 on that
passage where Paul is giving those last words to the elders
there at Ephesus and there was a brief message and I was wanting
to bring out these thoughts, you know, for us to consider.
This is, as I said again, I think something that is often not considered,
not considered, and when it is considered, sometimes it's not
considered in a right way, if I could put it that way. And we want to know who it is that
God puts into the ministry. How do we know? Well, in truth,
I could say, Consider our pastor. Consider our pastor. He's a man
called of God into the ministry. I have no doubt about that. He
has all the characteristics, all the qualifications and the
gifts of a man whom God calls into the ministry. And he has
them in great measure. And just on a personal note,
let me say, I don't hesitate to say that there's no one else
who I would rather have as my pastor. But I don't say that
to praise men. That adds nothing to any of us,
and it diminishes us in no way. I don't say that for that reason.
I say that because Paul, when he wrote, he said to those Ephesian
elders, you know from the first day that I came to Asia in what
manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord in all humility,
and then he goes on. And really what Paul is saying
is, as you consider the ministry that God has called you into,
look at me, consider my ministry. And so we need to think about
that. Look at our pastor in the years
ahead. Here is a man called of God.
This is who we want to see in the ministry. This is who we
want to see pastoring churches. And there may come a time where
that's important for us here. Isn't that right? So we need
to consider these things. And I'm not fit to really bring
these words. But let's just, the word of God
is, he speaks to us and he teaches us. So let's just see some of
the things that Paul brings out to Timothy here. And we'll see
how far we go. But let me just read these first
12 verses. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the will of God, according to the promise of life which
is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, a beloved son, grace,
mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with
a pure conscience as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember
you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you,
being mindful of your tears that I may be filled with joy when
I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you. which dwelt
first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I
am persuaded is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to stir
up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of
my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power
and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share
with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power
of God, who has called us, 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 to us in Christ Jesus before
time began. but has now been revealed by
the appearing of our savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished
death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of
the Gentiles. For this reason, I also suffer
these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep what I have committed to him until that day. That's a great passage, isn't
it? It surely is. Well, he begins, Paul, an apostle
of Jesus Christ by the will of God according to the promise
of life which is in Christ Jesus. Paul begins with the most important
point, He's made an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. He is who he is by the will of
God, not the will of man. Look down at verse 11. What does
he say? To which I was appointed a preacher,
an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. Appointed by God. Now, I mentioned, the Ephesian
elders, and this is what Paul said to them also. He said, therefore
take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. We can't emphasize this truth
enough. It's God who sets apart for the
ministry. It's God who appoints. We just
recognize the appointment of God if a man is truly called
of God into the ministry. If a man is called into the ministry
by the will of God and appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ, then
God will equip him with everything he needs for the ministry. Now
listen, no seminary ever produced a gospel minister. No seminary
ever produced a gospel minister. It's true, there have been gospel
ministers who have come out of seminaries, men called of God,
but they weren't called of God because of the seminary. Not
at all. And we need to recognize these
things. What are we interested in? We're interested in the man
who is called, put into the ministry, and equipped for that ministry.
That's who we want to see pastoring the churches of God. God will
give him all the abilities for the work, give him strength,
and everything else necessary for him to fulfill the ministry
that God has appointed him to. The abilities and gifts necessary
for the work of the gospel are all spiritual gifts. They're all spiritual gifts. They're God-given abilities.
gifts and abilities. This is why a seminary cannot
produce a man called of God. It's remarkable that so few Christians
ever consider the most important thing when considering a man
for the ministry. Is he called of God? Is he called
of God? If he's called of God, then in
a sense, that's all you need to know, isn't it? Well, in these first 12 verses
of Paul's letter to Timothy, the word of God teaches us something
about who it is that God calls, and the man that God calls. Well,
Paul says here, again in this first verse, he says he's an
apostle, and that designation we know is a very particular
designation only to a few men. to the rest of the apostles,
men appointed by God for that specific office in the church. This was a very distinct office.
But Paul says more. He says, an apostle of Jesus
Christ. Of Jesus Christ. And every man
who is a minister of the gospel by the will of God is a minister
of Jesus Christ. Paul uses that reference many,
many times, a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle
Paul gloried in this description of being a servant of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He served only Christ and his
desire was to serve only Christ. If a man is of Christ, well,
whose will does he do? If he's of Christ, whose work
does he do? If he's of Christ, whose words does he preach? If
he's of Christ, whose honor does he seek? But two, when Paul says he is
of Jesus Christ, he's not only speaking in reference to the
work of the gospel, but he is speaking in reference to who
he is. We saw some of that this morning,
didn't we? He's speaking in reference to who he is, to his identity.
And this is true, too, of every gospel minister. Turn over to
Galatians chapter two. Turn over to Galatians chapter
two for a moment. Keep your place here. And again, from this morning,
I can just refresh your memory with these things. At one time,
Paul took great pride in who he was by birth, by education,
by religion, and as we know, his assessment of his own righteousness
was this, concerning the law, blameless. But now he is of Christ and his
assessment of who he is is very different. In his first letter
to Timothy, Paul says, I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor,
and an insolent man. He's an entirely different person.
Well, how did that happen? Paul tells us himself right here
in Galatians chapter two and verse 20. Look there with me. He says, I have been crucified
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Now, this statement is a crystallized
declaration of the salvation and the life of the believer.
I don't know if you've ever thought of that before. Now listen, Paul,
in speaking about himself, this is who he is, in speaking about
himself, and let me just say, in this day of all of the obsession
and insanity of identity, This is all you and I need to be concerned
about. This is Paul's identity. This
is who he's speaking about. Listen, he relates and speaking
about who he is, he relates this entirely to Christ, to spiritual
union with Christ, to Christ crucified. to the life of Christ in him. This is all in this verse. To
the life lived by faith in Christ, to the love of Christ, and to
the substitutionary work of Christ in giving himself for Paul. That's
all in that one verse. Paul says, this is who I am.
This is who I am. I've been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me." In Paul's mind, everything having
to do with the life that he lives as a believer has everything
to do with Christ and him crucified. Turn back to 2nd Timothy, first
chapter there. The Lord Jesus Christ saved this
man. He called him by his grace and
from that moment, Paul viewed his whole life and existence
in terms of the Lord Jesus Christ. To Paul, when he thinks about
it, to Paul, this is the most important thing about himself.
He's of Christ. As we read the life and ministry
of Paul, we see that his whole life revolved around this person.
He was the center of Paul's life and Paul could never from that
moment think of himself apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. You hear the wonder of the grace
in his words when he says, who loved me and gave himself for
me. Well, The man who's called by
the will of God will have a message. This is the second thing. He'll
have a message. And if there's one thing we must
say if we're gonna have confidence that a man is called of God,
it's that he has a message. Not that he can prepare a message,
not that he can preach a message, but does he have a message? This
is something that can't be taught. It can't be taught. You know,
my dad said this from as far back as I can remember when we'd
hear a man preach. If he had a message, my dad would
say, he had a message. And it's true, isn't it? And
why is that? Because this is something that
is given of God. It's a gift of God. It can't
be taught. It can't be taught in any preacher's
school or in any Bible school or in any seminary. It's something
which is given of God. This is a gift of God, given
to those that he calls into the ministry of the glorious gospel
of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the most distinguishing
characteristics of the man called of God. And you know, the simplest
way I could say this is, does the Lord Jesus Christ speak to
you through the preaching of this man. Does he have a message? Does he have a message? That's
so vital and so important. Well, too, here in this first
verse, we see if he has a message, then this message is gonna be
according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus. Now
listen, hear what it says? It's according to the promise
of life which is in Christ Jesus. The gospel is a promise. It's
a promise, it's not an offer. I know that sometimes we even
speak about it in that sense, but nowhere in the scriptures
do we ever find reference to the gospel as an offer. It's
a promise. The word of God repeatedly speaks
about the gospel as a promise and the great spiritual blessings
found in the gospel are promises of God to us. Turn just a few
pages over to the first chapter of Titus. In verse one, let's just look
at these verses here and see how Paul begins this letter to
Titus in much the same way. Paul, a bondservant of God, beginning
there in verse one, Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus
Christ according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgement
of the truth which accords with godliness in hope of eternal
life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but
as in due time manifested his word through preaching, which
was committed to me according to the commandment of God our
Savior. The gospel is a promise, and
the more we see it in that way, the more we'll be blessed in
the richness of the grace of God that he would promise so
much to us before time began. Here's the promise of the gospel
to every poor and perishing sinner. Listen. For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Do you believe? Well, that's
a glorious promise, isn't it? Do you believe? Well, God promises
eternal life. Life in his son. And this is
why Paul says that This is according to the promise of life, which
is in Christ Jesus. Turn back there to Second Timothy. This is a promise of life in
Christ Jesus and no one else. Paul delights to speak of Christ
and everything he preached had reference to Christ. You know,
we get it. maligned and mocked and attacked
all the time. Those are the preachers that
just, all they preach is Christ. All they preach is the gospel. Really, did you know that? Well,
what did Paul preach? Nothing but Christ and nothing
but the gospel. When they make that statement,
what does it tell us about them? They don't understand the gospel.
They think the gospel is this small little, in their minds,
this story about the death of Christ on the cross. We preach
that, we get people saved, get them to make a decision, give
them the offer, get them to make the decision. Once that's done,
then we need to teach them how to live the Christian life. That's
why, see? They don't understand that the
gospel is the entire message of God's redemptive purpose in
his son. And like Paul, like I said, when
Paul spoke about all that God had done for him in the life
that he lives, it was entirely in reference to the gospel, wasn't
it? Now, let me not deviate too much. This is why Paul says,
for I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified, when writing to the church at Corinth. And
you know, also that verse in Romans 1, which is such an important
verse, where Paul writes, for I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
who believes. Now, I encourage the pastors and preachers
in New Guinea and exhort them, don't be ashamed of the gospel.
Why would you be ashamed of the gospel? It's the power of God. Isn't that a great encouragement
to any preacher? Wherever he is, whoever he's
preaching to, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. to everyone who believes. This
is the message we put confidence in, isn't it? This is the message
that Paul put confidence in. And Paul emphasizes the totality
of this message too in 1 Corinthians when he says, but of him you
are in Christ Jesus. who is made unto us, so many
think he's just made unto us justification, all the other
stuff, you know, we have to do ourselves. No, he's made unto
us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That's all you need, isn't it?
All you need. It covers everything. This is
the message which undergirds and explains the entire revelation
of God and the redemption of his people. Christ crucified
was the heart of everything in the message of the Apostle Paul.
Everything he preached, whether it was on the atonement, on justification,
or sanctification, or on sin, or righteousness, or regeneration,
or holiness, the work of the Holy Spirit, the faith of the
believer, the life of the believer, it didn't matter. Any topic that
he preached on was undergirded by the truth of the gospel message.
Turn, just flip over there to 1 John, chapter five. And as I said, Ken read this in the
morning, towards the end of the service, and what a rich summary this is,
isn't it? These are some of the, the most glorious verses in the
word of God, if you ask me. Look in 1 John 5, and begin there
in verse 9. If we receive the witness of
men, you see this talking about a message. What message? What
are they witnessing of? If we receive the witness of
men, yeah, and we do, don't we? We receive all kinds of things
from men. We believe all kinds of nonsense. All kinds of lies,
but what the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness
of God, which he has testified of who? of his son. God testifies of his son. This is the message of God. He
testifies of his son. He who believes in the son of
God has the witness in himself. He who does not believe God has
made him a liar because he has not believed the testimony that
God has given of his son. And this is the testimony that
God has given us eternal life. And this life is in his son.
He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son
of God does not have life. There we go, isn't that right? That's the message, that's the
message. This is the message which characterizes
the ministry of every gospel preacher. We'll turn back to
Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter one. When God calls a man into the
ministry of the gospel, this is a gift. This is a gift. Verse six, this is what Paul
tells Timothy. Therefore, I remind you to stir
up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of
my hands. This gift is a gift of surpassing
value. There's only one man who is worthy
of this ministry. Only one man who's received this
ministry by right, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. All others
receive it as a gift of the grace of God, because they don't merit it for
any reason whatsoever. It's a gift, and it's a glorious
gift. Ken just read this at the beginning
of our service. You don't need to turn there,
but let me just read it again to you. Paul, in speaking about
that mystery of the gospel, listen to what he said. We just heard
it. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body
and partakers of his promise, there it is again, of his promise
in Christ through the gospel to which I became a minister
according to the gift of the grace of God. given to me by
the effective working of his power. And listen to how he thought
of himself. To me, who am less than the least
of all saints, this grace was given. There's the man who God
calls. There's the man who God appoints.
These are the things that we want to look for. These are the
things that we want to see in the man to know and have confidence
he's called of God. You see that the great emphasis
that the apostle places upon the ministry being a gift of
God. That he, especially, that he
who persecuted the church of God would be given the gift of
the grace of God to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ. What a wonder. And what a gift
that is given to any of us who do have this great privilege
of being called into the ministry. Well, we read there of the laying
on of hands. You know, I've heard some creative
interpretation of all of that. Well, the laying on of hands,
what is it? It confers nothing. It confers nothing. The laying on of hands was the
outward sign of the spiritual reality that God had worked in
the heart of Timothy. To think of it right, just think
of baptism. Does baptism do anything? Does
that water that you go under accomplish anything? Does it
confer anything upon you? No, it doesn't, but it's a sign. It's a sign of the inward reality
of what God has done according to the working of his mighty
power. And the same is true of the laying on of hands and appointing
men into the ministry. I've done that and I've preached
beforehand telling people the laying on of hands is nothing
other than a confirmation, an outward sign, witnessing that
you believe that God has given this gift and done this inward
work, this inward work of calling a man into the ministry. Well,
Let's look down there to verse seven. Paul reminds Timothy of
this gift of God. And the reason he does before
the next verse is this is a great encouragement to any man called
into the ministry. If you know that God has called
you and given this great gift to you, it helps you through
those dark times. It strengthens you and it encourages
you. And so he continues there in verse seven, he says, for
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of
love and of a sound mind. You know, it's become tradition
that Timothy was a timid and fearful man. And that's because
of this statement in particular, but from the context here, and
other things we know of Timothy, this is unlikely. Look at verse
three. Listen to how Paul speaks of
Timothy right here in this passage. Verse three, he says, I thank
God, whom I serve with a pure conscience as my forefathers
did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers day and night,
greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears that
I might be filled with joy. Paul had a great estimation of
Timothy, didn't he? He loved this man. In writing
to the saints at Philippi, this is what Paul says, but I trust
in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may
be encouraged when I know your state for I, listen, For I have
no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. For all
seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But
you know his proven character, that as a son with his father,
he served with me in the gospel." What a commendation. Paul thought
so highly of Timothy, didn't he? It's so wonderful too when
you do have men like this in the ministry serving with you. They cause your heart to rejoice
as they did with Paul. But he says, he says, for God
has not given us a spirit of fear. Now this is something which
is a consequence of the fall. Fear is a consequence of the
fall, and we all struggle with it. Man fears many things. He fears sickness and poverty. In New Guinea, he fears sorcery. He fears evil spirits. Man fears
failure, the opinion of men. He fears death. The list is endless
of the things that man fears, man fears. But here Paul says
to Timothy, the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear. Why
should the child of God fear? God is his father. Christ is
his king. and especially the minister of
the gospel. Why should the minister of the
gospel fear? He's called according to the
will of God. He labors in the ministry of
the gospel. He preaches the gospel of Jesus
Christ. The spirit of God works in and
through him. Why should he fear? If there's any man who knows
that his labor is not in vain, it's the minister of the gospel. Whether men hear, or don't hear,
or whatever their response is, the word of the Lord doesn't
return void. We know that. It accomplishes
all for which he sent it, every time. And in 2 Corinthians, Paul says
this, he says, now thanks be to God who always leads us in
triumph in Christ. That's true. Who always leads
us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of
his knowledge to every place. For we are to God the fragrance
of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who
are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of
death leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading
to life. And who is sufficient for these
things? Not even the apostle Paul is
sufficient, is he? But God is. But God is. God has given us a spirit of
power. That's what he tells Timothy,
a spirit of power. And the power that God gives
in the ministry of the gospel is exercised in an entirely different
way than the power of this world. You know, and this, I can't go
into this too much, but I tell the men, you know, when you have
confidence in this, have confidence in this message, and have confidence
that this is true, when you go forth preaching the word of God,
whether it's in the churches or in evangelism, this is accomplishing the will
of God. What greater encouragement could
we have? He always leads us in triumph,
in Christ. Here's Paul to the Corinthians
also. He says, I was with you in weakness,
in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching
were not with persuasive words of human wisdom. That's most
of the preachers today, isn't it? They look good, they sound
good, Churches look good, everything looks good, and they're very
persuasive, but they're words of human wisdom. But Paul says,
we didn't come to you in that way at all. No minister of the
gospel comes to you in that way. He comes, he says, in the demonstration
of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the
wisdom of men, but in the power of God. The minister that God
calls and sets apart is a man who recognizes and makes clear
that it's God's work, and it's God's power, and it's God's accomplishment,
and that he himself is not sufficient of any of these things. All the dross is his, and all
the gold is God's. Well, looking there in verse
eight, verse eight he says, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings
of the gospel according to the power of God. You see, he says, therefore,
for these reasons, for these reasons that I've been speaking
about and so much more, do not be ashamed of the testimony of
our Lord. Know what he says there, the
testimony of our Lord, not his testimony, not the testimony
of Timothy. This is the testimony of our
Lord. How could we ever be ashamed? But two, look, Paul links not
being ashamed with suffering, being willing to suffer for the
sake of the gospel. In verse 12, for this reason,
you see that? He says in verse 12, for this
reason I also suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed. Why does a man become ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord? Fear of suffering. That's the
answer. Fear of suffering in some way.
suffering ridicule, suffering loss of esteem, suffering physically,
for some reason, it's fear, it's fear of suffering. And that's
why in that critical time, like Peter, who's held up before us,
why did he deny the Lord? Fear, fear of men, fear of suffering. Fear of loss of riches, fear of Suffering, the reproach
of men, all of these things, fear. Do not be ashamed of the
gospel, but share with me in this suffering. Every gospel
minister is willing, willing to suffer for the sake of the
gospel. What does Paul say? Is he concerned
about his sufferings? Not at all. He's in prison. He's expecting, in all likelihood,
that he'll be put to death. But what does he say? Whose prisoner
is he? Is there anything about the government
of Rome, his guards, the corrupt administration, or anything else? He says, I am the prisoner of
the Lord, the Lord's prisoner. He knows that all of these sufferings
are for the sake of the gospel. None of these sufferings are
out of God's control. None of these sufferings are
outside the will of God or the knowledge of God or the purpose
of God. None of these sufferings are
outside the power of God. Isn't that why we fear so much?
We somehow think that whatever's happening is outside the power
of God. Is there anything outside the
power of God? Quite the opposite. What does
Paul say? These sufferings are according
to the power of God. We often don't understand that,
but we sure can believe it, can't we? The gift of faith is such
a precious gift. A gift of immeasurable worth. But what of suffering? What of
suffering? Here's what Paul writes to the
Philippians. For to you it has been granted
on behalf of Christ. They've been given a gift. It's
been granted to them. It's on behalf of Christ. Not
only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. Isn't that remarkable? Paul urges Timothy to share in
his sufferings for the gospel. These sufferings are not a bad
thing. They're a good thing. These sufferings are according
to the power of God. How could he possibly be ashamed
of this message? How could he be ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord? Well, in this powerful exhortation
to Timothy, Paul reminds him again of this message of
incomparable worth, and he gives us one of the greatest summaries
of the gospel found anywhere in the scriptures. You know,
and I was going to work through this, look there in beginning
verse eight, but I'm just going to read through it. We're running
out of time, but let me encourage you. If anyone asks you, what
is the gospel? What is it that you believe?
Well, turn right here and work through it and say, here is the
testimony of the Lord. This is what I believe. Therefore,
verse eight, beginning there, therefore do not be ashamed of
the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share
with me in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power
of God, nine, who has 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 to us in Christ Jesus before time
began, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior,
Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. Isn't that a great summary of
the truth? The truth of the gospel, the testimony of our Lord. That's
the testimony. That's a message worth proclaiming.
This is a message worth suffering for. This is the message which
every gospel minister appointed by God is not ashamed. It doesn't
matter what happens. He is not ashamed of this testimony. He's willing to endure all things
for the sake of the elect. That's what Paul says in the
next chapter. Well, no, the man called of God is not ashamed.
Why? Why? Look there in verse 12 and
we'll finish there. He's not ashamed above all because,
as Paul says, for this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless,
I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed. I know whom
I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what
I've committed to him against that day. Well, what has Paul
committed to Christ? Let's think about that in conclusion. Paul has committed his soul,
his everlasting soul to Christ for his eternal salvation. He's
committed himself to Christ for justification before God, for
forgiveness of sins, for redemption through his blood, for deliverance
from the power of darkness. This is what he's committed to
him. He's committed to him for his
righteousness and his sanctification for the resurrection of the body.
for an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fades not
away, reserved in heaven for him. This is what Paul has committed. And more, he's committed everything
to him. Why? Because I know, that's what
he says, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able
to keep what I have committed unto him against that day. And that's a good hope, isn't
it? That's a sure hope. I can never
read this verse without thinking about this glorious statement
of Job. He says, oh, that my words were
written. Oh, that they were inscribed
in a book. That they were engraved on a
rock with an iron pen and led forever. And they are, aren't
they? They're now the word of God and
have been. and wealth be forever. And these
are the words that he wants to preserve for eternity. For I
know that my Redeemer lives. And he shall stand at last on
the earth, and after my skin is destroyed, this I know. This I know, that in my flesh
I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall
behold and not another. Oh, how my heart yearns within
me. And we can say that too, can't
we? I know, I know, I know whom I have believed. Amen.