Good morning. It's good to see you all today. Well, this morning we're going to talk about preparing the next generation of leaders for the church. But in doing that, it would be easy to sit there and hear me say that and say, well, that's clearly not going to be me. and check out. Don't do that because we're going to talk about what they look like because we're going to talk about what Christians are supposed to look like now and then how as a result they're able to train leaders for the church of the next generation. So let me just pray for us and we'll get into our text. Heavenly Father, thank you for today. Thanks for the time we can enjoy spending in your word. Thank you for each person that you've brought here today. And we know that's by your divine plan. And so I pray that by your grace, you would accomplish your purposes in each individual's life here today in ways that only you can through your word and through the work of your Holy Spirit. Just thank you for your grace. Thank you for your provision for us. And thank you for this time in Christ's name. Amen. So we're gonna be in 2 Timothy chapter one. So if you'd want to follow along in your Bible, you can do that. 2 Timothy chapter two, beginning in verse one. And let me just give a context. The Apostle Paul has, you know, he's faced a lot of difficult circumstances in his life, and he's been close to death on many occasions, but never as close as he is now, because this is the last letter before he dies. And so he's writing instructions to Timothy and in giving these instructions he's trying to pass on to Timothy the things that are going to be so important for the future of the church. Now keep in mind that Paul was at one point opposed to the church. He hated Christians. But when God opened his eyes to the truth on the Damascus Road, it completely changed his whole life in every respect. And so he learned as he walked with our Lord, he learned what the priorities of the Christian life really must be. And he's lived those priorities, and now he wants to make sure that continues in Timothy's ministry. Now, let me say that So much of our culture, they want to hear an easy Christianity. It's all about you, just so you can go to heaven. But that's not the Christianity of the Bible. And the Apostle Paul is not going to talk about things that relate to personal pleasure, retiring and just let other people do it all, enjoy in your later years. He's going to just get down to right, right down to brass tacks and say, here's how you live your life till you die. Okay. And it's not going to be easy road. So just hang on. Right. I mean, he's just going to get right down to it. So, so here we go. Second Timothy chapter two, verse one, he starts by encouraging Timothy. And this is important because if you think Christianity is kind of a pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you can do it. You can't. None of us have that. That's why Jesus came to die for us. That's why when we come to Christ, he gives us his word, and then he gives us his Holy Spirit to indwell us and give us understanding in the word. Why does he do that? Because we can't do it. We can't do it. So he gives us all the resources that we need. His word. God and the Holy Spirit indwelling us so that we can accomplish the work of God. So he starts when he talks to Timothy by saying, you therefore my son. Now, Timothy's not his biological son, but Timothy is his son in the faith. Let me just say, when we talk about discipling other people, it's not a program. I'm not saying you can't use tools in that process, but actual discipleship is not a program. It's a relationship of one believer investing their life and love in another believer. Paul refers to Timothy as his son. because that's the kind of relationship they enjoy. And when we talk about training the next generation of leaders, let me be clear that I am not talking about a program. I'm talking about a relationship. I'm talking about the opportunity that you may have to recognize the giftedness in another person who is younger in the Lord, and then you have the privilege to encourage them and help equip them and mentor them to continue to serve the Lord. It's a relationship, and the relationship with Paul and Timothy is a very sweet relationship. So he says to Timothy, and Timothy's not a kid at this point, right? You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. It's an interesting phrase, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The emphasis is that as Christians, folks, the thing that we cling to, the thing that sets our course in life is the undeserved benefit we've received from God. It's His grace, unmerited. We would never ever deserve it in a thousand lifetimes. And yet God has bestowed His grace upon us, the undeserved favor, so that we can know Him and so that we can serve him. And he's reminding Timothy, this is not all about you, Timothy. It's about what our God of grace will accomplish in your life and through your life. And so when we talk about training and investing in people's lives, folks, we're talking about God's provision to make that possible through your life. God's provision to make it possible. And so you don't have to fear or feel overwhelmed by the burden. You need to feel blessed by the opportunity knowing that God provides all that is needed for you to grow and for you to invest in other people to grow. Now in 2 Timothy chapter 1, in verses 8 to 10, it says this, therefore, these were also Paul's instructions to Timothy, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me, his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 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 granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. But now it's been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Now folks, listen to what he says. Don't be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord or of me, his prisoner, but join with me in suffering. You remember when Paul was on the Damascus Road and God saved him. You remember how he defined what Paul's life will be? I mean, this isn't the point of Paul's conversion. He just comes to know Christ and the Lord says, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake. There's an introduction to Christianity. And now Paul's instructing Timothy. And what's he saying? The same thing. He's saying the same thing. And folks, I'm just telling you, suffering is supposed to be a part of the Christian life. If you don't want it, you don't want to be a Christian. Because Christianity is not a message that says, hey, you wanna go to heaven, you can go to heaven. That's not the message of Christianity. The message of Christianity is that before you come to Christ, you're actually an enemy of God. You're his enemy because of your son. He's holy, you're not. You will never be on your own. The message of the gospel is not, hey, how many people wanna go to heaven? Well, I mean, there's always somebody, not me, but you guys, come on. That's not the message of the gospel. The message is we're enemies of God. And there's nothing we can do to resolve that. So God did it by sending his perfect son to die on a cross so that he could pay the penalty for my sin. He could pay the price that I deserved. And for me, I need to recognize that I'm His enemy. My only hope is that Christ will stand in my place. So see, when I put my faith in Christ, turn from my sin, and I turn to Christ in faith, Christ becomes my substitute. And so now, when God sees my life, He sees the perfect righteousness of Christ. Because Jesus took my sin upon himself and paid the price. And now, does that mean that I'm going to go to heaven? Yes, but that's not the whole picture. The whole picture is now I'm a new person. Now all of my life priorities have changed. Now, my heart says, because God has demonstrated such love for me, I can love Him. And in loving Him, I wanna serve Him. And He says, if you're gonna serve me, you need to be okay to suffer, because that will be part of your life. But I will give you everything you need. You will have my grace. You have my spirit. You have my word. I will provide everything." And so he starts with, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Cling to the gospel. Cling to God's provision. And then he says, now here's the deal. In verse two, the things which you, Timothy, have heard from me, Paul, in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Four generations. Paul has instructed Timothy who needs to instruct faithful men who will in turn instruct faithful men. Four generations. And folks, we've gotten in this whole weekend has been about the church being responsible to train people. Okay, now listen close to me. I am not anti-seminary, okay? But I am anti the church not taking the primary role to train people in ministry. That's the church's responsibility. Our Lord set the example, it's demonstrated in the book of Acts, it's repeated here, that the church trains the next generation. You know how it is, you get concerned about your kids, you get concerned about your grandkids, right? So what do we do about that? Train the next generation of leaders. You don't just serve in a church and you get done and it's like, well, I'm done, I'll find somebody else. You train people. You train those whom God raises up, you invest your life well, and you're training them, anticipating the impact they will make on the next generation, and then as they equip the next one, it goes on, and it goes on, and it goes on. That's the responsibility, that's the privilege of training. It's of investing in lives. It's discipling. It's discipling people to be deacons. It's discipling them to be elders. It's discipling them to be vocational elders or pastors. It's discipling women to be godly women, to be theologically sound so they can invest in these young women who are hearing a message that's awful out there. so that women can help invest in our young ladies so that they would be spiritually mature and theologically sound. And so following this now, he's gonna give us a description of what faithful Christians look like. Okay, so this is for everybody. He's gonna describe what faithful Christians look like, and then that's gonna help us to know how to invest in the leaders of the future. So the first one, you ready? Here's the first characteristic of a person who's maturing and growing in their faith. They are battle ready. They are battle ready. We're not talking soft, convenient, comfortable Christianity. They are battle ready. And he starts out with a simple phrase, suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. That's the first point. So how do you describe a person who is a good soldier? I mean, what does a good soldier look like? Now, when we think about that, okay, it's one thing to think about that at a distance, but let's say you're in Ukraine. What do you want the soldier next to you to look like? If you're a soldier, what do you want the guy next to you to look like? Yeah. Well, you probably don't want to mess around. Yeah. I knew I should have learned how to clean this gun in boot camp. You want somebody paying attention. You want somebody, because you know what? They're trying to kill you. They hate your guts. And they're trying to kill you. And you want that guy next to you? Serious about the job. Serious about it. In Matthew 8, 5 to 9, there's a picture that helps us. different circumstance, but helpful. When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, military guy, imploring him and saying, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented. Jesus said to him, I will come and heal him. But the centurion, the military man, says, Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed, which is tremendous faith, right? Just say the word, that's all you need to do. And then the centurion says this, for I also am a man under authority with soldiers under me. And I say to this one, go, and he goes. And to another, I say, come. And he comes. And to my slave, do this. And he does it. What is he saying? A good soldier follows instructions. A good soldier listens, learns, responds the way that he's supposed to. Having a guy out there that's a maverick going, eh, I got it. That's not who you went next to yet. where you guys as Christians, we are in a battle and we need to be equipped for the battle and we need to fight the battle exactly as we're instructed. That's why again, when we call Jesus Lord, it means master. And so the idea is Christians, when Jesus is Lord, that means we are in submission to him trying to learn all that he wants us to know so we can live exactly how he wants us to live so that we can serve him well as a good soldier. Paul makes it clear that a good soldier must suffer hardship. In 2 Timothy 3.12, the same book, it says, indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. It doesn't say all who call themselves Christians. It says all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. So we say, well, why aren't more Christians persecuted in our country? Well, it's because of our country. No, it's not. It's because so few are striving to live godly, standing up for the truth, proclaiming the gospel, being bold. It's not because of where we live. It's because of how we live. We need to understand that. So you guys, how many of you are military folks here? Been in the military? Okay, so there's a big difference between being in the reserves and being in the war, right? Okay, the reserves, you can sign up for the reserves and you'll go through rigorous training, okay? And then you have to go for training every so often. And why are you doing that? In case you're needed, they're gonna call you up Well, what's the difference between the reserves and being shipped off to another country where there's a war? It's like the real deal, okay? We've been practicing. We've been crawling around and hiding and trying to stay awake all night and learning how to use our weapons and how to respond. And if we get caught or trapped, how to try to get out and communicate in complicated circumstances. But now, you're there. I promise you, you think different when you're in the battle than when you're preparing for the battle. Because now, real people are shooting at you. Real people are blowing people up. Real rockets are being fired. Does that make you think different? Make me think different. Because I think a lot of Christians are living as though we're in the reserves. Yeah, when the battle comes, it's like, you guys, the battle's here. This is the battle. We are in the war. I mean, look around. I mean, listen to the news. Is it awful out there? Do people need to hear the gospel? Is the world gonna hate Christians? Yep. We're in the battle now. Side note, for those of you that listen to a lot of the news, don't listen to more news than you read your Bible. It'll save you a lot of misery, right? In fact, I'll be honest, I would say, watch way less news, read your Bible much more, you'll be much more healthy, happy, committed, faithful, right? God's in control, not that, not those unbelievers out there. It's not the reserves, friends. In 1 Timothy 1.18 it says, This command I entrust to you, Timothy my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight. We need to be battle ready. You guys, the battle's now. We're in the war now. The need for the gospel is now. The need for the church to rally and continue to grow and be healthy to make an impact on the world, it's now. This is the time. And will you suffer? Yeah. I mean, that's what Christianity is about, right? This is not heaven. Just saying. This is not heaven. That's yet to come. This is the battle. Heaven's yet to come. stay in the battle. So that's number one, battle ready. Number two is undistracted devotion. Undistracted devotion. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Several things that are going to be important there, okay? So if you're in war, And you've got your buddies on guard duty and you know that he hates guard duty. But the enemy is like out there in the dark. But he's on guard duty. But you know, he just goes out there and messes around, you know, reading a book or playing a video game or whatever in the world he does. How does that make you feel? That's unsettling. He's distracted. He's not staying alert. He's not paying attention. He's got other things going on in his life. And you guys, his goal is not to please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. His life is still pretty much all about himself. Well, folks, it's been interesting. I know that we're all tired of hearing the word COVID, but I'll tell you something that is interesting to me. As I travel around and visit different churches, I've found that it's quite intriguing how many people who profess Christ, who find it difficult to ever share the gospel, They were able to get absolutely passionate about whether to wear a mask or not. And they were willing to talk to anybody with extreme emotion and conviction about what should happen. And it's like, but I've never seen them passionate like that about the gospel. Never. I was sharing this in one church in the middle of COVID and a lady walked up to me And I knew, you know, sometimes as a speaker, it's like, I think this is not gonna go well. You know, and I was just cautioning people, you know, don't be more passionate about other things than the gospel. And she came up, and she said to me, but you know, God has given the scientists all the knowledge. I'm like, like Darwin? Which, that didn't go over great, but, And then it's like, wait a minute, I don't really care where you stand. I don't. If you wear, if you don't wear, I'm fine with that. Do what's best for you. I'm totally fine with that. But you can't get more passionate about that than you are about the gospel. Wait, and she started going on. Stop, stop. Let me ask you one question. When was the last time you shared the gospel with somebody? And her response to me was, well, I'm not an orator like you. I said, that's not the question that I asked. I asked you, when was the last time you shared the gospel? To which she replied, well, you slapped my hand. It's like, that's not the point. The point, you guys, listen to me. We are so distracted by things that take our attention away from the gospel and we're willing to get passionate about them and talk to anybody about them when we wouldn't tell a soul the message that can save their soul. That's bad. Same with politics. Oh, we get caught up with politics. You guys, come on. At the end of the day, who's in charge of politics? Huh? Do you really think that our president is in control of all? It's God. I don't care who gets in that office at the end of the day. I'm just telling you, it's God. I mean, I do care, but I don't care in the sense that if the wrong guy in my mind gets in, that God is somehow messed up. He didn't mess up. He uses godly and ungodly people to accomplish his purposes. He is fully in control. I don't need to be worried about that. What I need to do is fulfill my responsibilities, which is being in the battle, battle ready and undistracted from the mission. Undistracted from the mission. You guys, I have to understand that I'm here on a mission. And when I start getting pulled over here and I'm willing to get all excited about this and I'm willing to get all excited about that and I get more excited about a football game or a disease or politics, anything, that is more important or exciting to me than the gospel, then I'm distracted. I've lost my focus. In the first hour, we're talking about, listen, the great commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And you guys, the whole idea there is if you love God supremely, you have no competing loves in your life. When you have competing loves in your life, you do not serve God as you should. You just don't. So I've shared these verses about three or four times over this weekend, so I'm hoping by the time I'm done, you'll know what I'm saying. Most people know Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace you've been saved through faith, not of yourselves, gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. But verse 10, verse 10 says, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. If you're a Christian, in eternity past, not only did God determine that He would save your soul, but He also determined the works that you would do while you're on this earth. He determined what he's going to do in your life and through your life. The works that are going to be accomplished through your life. His child, the ambassador for Christ. He has specific things he's going to accomplish in and through your life. And you guys, as a soldier, you must be always ready and looking to accomplish what God intends for you to accomplish in your life. every moment, every day, constantly looking, an alert soldier recognizing, I'm here because God has specific things he's going to accomplish in and through my life, specific people that my life will intersect with, so that I can accomplish his work. Peter reminds us that, listen, God has saved us and chosen us. Why? So we can proclaim the excellencies of the one. It took us out of darkness into its marvelous light. Titus 2, 11 to 14, it says, the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds. Understand. that it's easy to look forward to glory. I mean, how many times you've heard folks say, I just can't wait to be with the Lord. It's like, well, then finish the work He sent you here to do. Don't just look down there. I mean, look there with anticipation knowing that God has set me on a course to finish the work that He ordained that I would accomplish on this earth. And as I'm anticipating that, I'm busy accomplishing that work knowing that when that time's done, I'm with Him. It's not all about just hanging out until He takes you home. It's about finishing the work He called you to do until He takes you home. And when you've finished it, you're done. God takes you home. Many of you know, I'm remarried. This is my wife Pam up here. My first wife, she's with Jesus. And you know why? Because I stood by her bed and I watched. You know why? She finished her work and she finished well. Praise God. But as I stood there and looked at her lifeless body, you know what I knew? I'm obviously not done because I'm still here. And so I better stay the course to accomplish the work that God has me here for. Whatever that means. Whatever context God wants to do that for his glory. When he's done with me, I'll be done. But the work obviously is not done. So we need to be battle ready. We need to be undistracted and we need to be submissive. Also, if anyone competes, he switches now from a soldier to an athlete. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. Now, here's an interesting thing. When it comes to being an athlete, especially a professional athlete or an athlete who's competing at high levels such as Olympics and things like that, I mean, those folks invest a lot, right? I mean, their whole life is consumed with whatever sport that they're in. And when it says that you don't win the prize unless you compete according to the rules, I just want you to know this is very easy to find illustrations of people who don't compete according to the rules. Some of them are amazing. All right, so let's share with you a few. Maybe you'll be as shocked as I was. Did you know Spain won the gold medal at the 2000 Paralympics for basketball? but they were eventually stripped of their title. This is Paralympics, okay? These are handicapped folks that are competing in basketball. Afterwards, found out that 10 out of the 12 players on the team did not qualify as disabled because the disability had to do with mental ability, mental challenges, and they intentionally did poorly on IQ tests so that they could compete. I mean, really. 10 of them lying to win a gold medal, which obviously was taken away. It's like, that's cheating. That's cheating. Okay, but how about in 1980, Rosie Ruiz won the Boston Marathon, but it was taken away after they found out that she actually took the subway for part of the trip. Now maybe she was jogging on it while she was going, I don't know. Most of us probably know about Lance Armstrong, the most phenomenal cyclist in his time. I mean, he won race after race after race, and then in 2012, it was found that he'd been doping the whole time, the whole time. And they eventually caught him. He was stripped. A couple of these get pretty whacked. Like in 1994, if you recall this, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a man with a baton and was forced out of the 1994 US Figure Skating Championship. That's really cheating because the man was the husband of one of the wife competitors. Yeah, honey, I can help you. Watch this. That didn't go well. Remember New Orleans Saints? They just kind of took a different twist on cheating. What they did is they gave some bonuses to the guys if they actually physically injured the other players, like took them out of the game. Cheating. It happens all the time. At the highest level. So, how does a person cheat in the Christian life? You know, I mean, the verse It says, also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. He's using that as an illustration of the Christian life, just like the soldier. So how do you cheat? Well, first of all, when you cheat in the Christian life, you never get away with it. Never. I mean, kids, you can manipulate your parents, you can deceive and you could... I'm just telling you. When it comes to Christianity, Proverbs 15, 3 says, The eyes of the Lord are in every place watching the evil and the good. That's why I don't get it when people profess Christ and they think that they can be in a room that's closed with nobody there and they can do things that are clearly ungodly and think that they're okay. It's like God and His heavenly angels are all watching you going, Really? Do you really think we're not here? Come on! You don't need to be concerned about your wife or your husband or your kids. Believe me! Hebrews 4 says, your life is laid bare before God. There's nothing that you think that He doesn't know. He knows the words before you say. He knows you perfectly. And so, how is it that a person could make this effort to cheat in the Christian life? Well, you see a picture of it in Matthew 7 verse 22 and following, when it says, Many will say to me, this is our Lord, many will say to Jesus on that day, Lord, Lord, did not we prophesy in your name? And in your name cast out demons? And in your name perform many miracles? In other words, they're saying to Jesus, Master, Master, remember I went to church, Remember, I helped in this and helped in that. Remember, I did all of these religious things. Master, master. And Jesus says, I will declare to them, even though you say you know me, I will declare to them, I never knew you. I never knew you. And then he explains why. He says, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. So they're doing some religious things enough to feel like they're okay with God. But they're actually defining Christianity the way they want it to be, kind of a buffet Christianity. And they're calling that Christianity. And so they think, they really believe they're fine with God. And God says, no. The illustration he uses afterwards, and this is important, because listen to this. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, floods came, the winds blew and slammed against that house and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them. We'll be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, floods came, winds blew, slammed against that house and it fell. Great was its fall." Okay, notice that both of these people hear the words of Christ. Both of them know the exact same theological truth. It's likely that both of them can tell you about the Christian life. If I ask you today, you guys, what's our responsibility with the unsaved? This is a little interactive, right? I know we probably don't always do that here, but hey. What's our responsibility to unsaved people in this world? Tell them the gospel, right? Does everybody here know that? Okay. What's the responsibility of young people to their parents? I mean, they've heard that a thousand times. Oh, I'm glad to hear you. It's the honor. and obey. You guys, what's the relationship that believers should have with the Word of God in the sense of the commitment to the Word of God? What are we supposed to do with the Word of God? Read it, study it, meditate on it, right? Obey it. And we're supposed to love, oh, how I love your law. It's my meditation all the day. We know those things, right? We know those things. What's our responsibility in the church? It's the body of Christ. We serve one another. We use our gifts in the church for the glory of God. We are never just an isolated person coming in and out of the door. No, no, no, no, no. You say, where do I serve? Well, serve the person next to you. Serve the person across the aisle from you. Love them. Reach out. Care. Pray for them. Interact. You guys, it's not just doing a project. It's not just doing a project. It's relationship, ministering to one another. You guys, the thing, what I'm saying is, we know so much theological truth. These people knew theological truth. But it didn't transform their lives. They think that when they get to heaven, if they can answer the theological questions, they're going to be okay. And God's saying, nope. Just because you know the truth doesn't mean you're in Christ. It's knowing the truth, and he says, acting on it. Acting on it. See, you can create in your own mind what you want your Christianity to be. In the Sunday school, I was telling people, people get hurt in the church, well, I'm just not gonna go to the church. Oh, so they sin, so now I'm gonna sin. That's not very swift. Church is a tough place. There are hard things that sometimes happen, but you guys, God commanded us to be involved in the church, so we're involved in the church. Does it get painful at times? Yeah. Yeah, but he says we're gonna suffer, that's part of the Christian life. But we don't neglect the priorities that God has given to us and how we minister within the body of Christ. We have to do that. Listen to this in 2 Timothy 3, verses one to six, it says, but realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come." Now listen to this description of what it's going to be like. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, in other words, all kinds of divisions, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Ready? holding to a form of godliness." I mean, doesn't that just rock you? You hear that? In the last days, this is the way it's going to be. People are going to be living these terribly ungodly lives. In fact, it says that they are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God in the very next phrase, holding to a form of godliness. They probably found a church that they can go to and it's all good. Doesn't matter. It says, holding to a form of godliness. And then the next phrase, although they have denied its power. In other words, they call themselves Christians. They've redefined Christianity so it meets their life desires. And they'll continue to live their sinful pattern of life And if you ask them if they're a Christian, they will say, of course I am. Of course I am. But their life is totally contrary because their life has not been transformed by the power of God through the renewing work of the Holy Spirit. But they think they're okay. Isn't that an amazing picture? You guys, in the last days, there are going to be lots of people that know the truth and don't live the truth. But I want you to understand, I talked about really two categories of people there. The first category are people that could come to a church like this, come in and out, be a part, but still not be living their lives that are in submission to Christ and how God defines the Christian life. But they're going to a good church, so they feel okay. and yet they've not really submitted to living their life as God has called them to. So they've not been transformed by the renewing of the Holy Spirit. And get, understand me, that process is a whole lifelong process, but it does have to start and progress. The other group are people that are just living blatantly sinful lives and still thinking that they're Christian. So there's ways that if you will, you can cheat. and think that you're going to be okay. You can deceive. You're not deceiving God, right? You might deceive people. You certainly deceive yourself when you're not running according to the rules, running the race according to... You're not reading what Christianity is about and then living your life in relationship to that. You're just creating this own, your own perspective of what you think the Christian life should be and what God should do and how you should be okay. So, we've got to be battle ready. We have to be undistracted, submissive, and then the Christian life is a life of diligence. The Christian life is not a life for lazy, careless people. It says in verse six, now it switches to the farmer. The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. You know, the idea of being hardworking is actually to labor to the point of exhaustion. Okay? It's actually to labor to the point of exhaustion. The Christian life is not an easy life. The work that needs to be done is immense. The opportunities are everywhere, but it requires us to be very, very diligent. In 2 Timothy 2.15, it says, be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed. accurately handling the Word of Truth. We live in a culture where, I mean, I don't even know how many times I've had people say to me, Rock, I know that I'm supposed to study the Word, I just don't have time. You guys, I'm just telling you, that's a lie. You do what you want to do. You use your time the way you want to use it. You set your priorities the way you want them to be. And if you don't have time, it's because there are other things you've been willing to fill your time up with and you're not willing to let them go. And if that's how you're going to live, that's how you're going to live. But don't say it's because you don't have time. I think it's better to say, I have competing loves that are more important to me than my love for God and my love for His Word. I've said this again in this conference, but you guys, it's worth repeating, that if you're struggling to have time to be a diligent student of the Word of God, first of all, there's no way you can be a good soldier of Christ Jesus without being a diligent student of His Word. So if you want to get that fixed and you've struggled with that in your life, don't try to get up 15 minutes earlier. Don't try to stay up 15 minutes later, right? Get your schedule in front of you. And certainly there's going to be things in your schedule you do because you enjoy them. There's nothing sinful inherently in them. But there are things that absorb your time that if you remove them, you would have quality time to spend in God's Word. But when you say that to people, most don't want to hear it. They'd rather be struggling to find time for the Word of God because they have competing loves. You've got to be willing. When Jesus says, deny yourself, I don't think he's saying deny yourself sinful pleasures. I think he's saying that we need to be willing to let anything go that gets in the way of being all that God wants us to be. So that can be good stuff. I mean, things that are not inherently sinful, but because they absorb so much of my time, they become sinful because I can't be who God wants me to be. And that's a struggle for folks because a lot of times the truth is when you get down to it, they don't want to let those things go. They are competing loves. And so that creates the problem that we have. What I used to do in counseling is I'd give people a daily schedule with 24 hours a day on each day, broken down in 30-minute segments, and I'd say, take this home and just fill it out for the next two weeks. Everything you do every 30 minutes of every day of these next two weeks and bring it to me to look at and let me see if I can find some time. You know that people didn't bring those back. I don't blame them. Right? Because I told them, I'm pretty sure I can find some time. Just bring me the list. I didn't have to worry about reading them. Galatians 6, 8-9 says, For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we'll reap if we do not grow weary. In Hebrews 10, 36, For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. You guys, Christian life is a life of diligence. endurance, determination. It is for a period of time, but the period of time is your whole life. That's what it's for. You know, in verse 7, it's interesting. He says, Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. It's interesting that Paul would take that break right here with Timothy. And he's gone through these things. You need to be thinking about the next generations. And then he's saying, okay, here's what it looks like for a person to be, you know, because he's instructed Timothy what? To train faithful men, to train other faithful men, right? And he's giving the description of what it looks like for a person to be a faithful servant of Christ. And so when he gets to seven and he says, consider what I say for the Lord will give you understanding and everything. He's saying, listen, think about these things. Think about what the Christian life looks like, because this is going to help you to identify people, faithful men, that you can train for the ministry. You've got to think about this, what this looks like as it's lived out in the Christian life. They're to be battle-ready, undistracted in their devotion, submissive to the Word, diligent, and the next one is, he has to be gospel-oriented. He has to be gospel oriented. And so now he uses Christ, draws our attention to Christ when he says, remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. descended of David according to my gospel." You guys, the gospel orients us to all the circumstances of life. It's not like you learn the gospel to get saved and then you go on. You constantly have to think about the gospel and what the gospel means and Christ's work in the gospel. In Romans 1-16, Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In Hebrews 12, 2 and 3, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. The joy of accomplishing the work of God and redeeming mankind. But then it says He despised the shame and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. And then it says this, for consider Him, consider Christ, what He's done for you. who endured such hostility against himself, lest you grow weary and lose heart. See, the gospel keeps us oriented. When we start feeling sorry for ourselves, think about what Christ did, think about what he endured, and that will help you to think right and to serve well. And then in verse nine, we see the personal commitment and the pretty incredible perspective of the Apostle Paul. It says, for which I suffer hardship. That is for the gospel. even to imprisonment as a criminal. But the Word of God is not in prison. Now, you guys, I want you to think about this. Paul's in prison. And while he's in prison, other people are out there sharing the gospel, some for good reasons, some for bad reasons. There are people out there that don't like him. They're thrilled that he's in prison. But you don't hear him saying, Why'd God put me here and let those guys out there? I mean, don't you think it'd be better if they were in prison and I was out there still proclaiming the gospel? He doesn't do that. Keep in mind that every circumstance God takes you through is an opportunity for ministry. Every circumstance God takes you through is an opportunity for ministry. You know that? Because what circumstances do is circumstances bring us into a connection with other people, oftentimes people we didn't want to meet. But God's going to bring our lives into an intersection with those people. You think that's intentional? Yes! Our whole life is about ministry, right? That means when God takes you down a road with circumstances, it's for the purpose of the gospel. Paul said in Philippians 1.12, I want you to know, brethren, my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. So you've got to think right. You've got to think right. You know, the guy's got to come out and kill the bugs because you've got bugs all over the house. You know what? That's a gospel opportunity. You never know, right? fender bender. You call it an accident. It's a divine appointment. Not one you wanted, but you're going to meet somebody you didn't want to meet. Could that be a gospel opportunity? Of course it could. You get a diagnosis. That's a hard diagnosis. Now you're going to start meeting people you didn't want to meet. But you know what? If you're in Christ, no matter how bad that diagnosis is, It's likely that doctor coming in to serve you may be in far worse condition than you, or the technician, or the custodian in that hospital room. They may be in much worse condition than you because they need Christ. Circumstances are opportunities for gospel ministry, you guys. But we tend to get so focused on our circumstances and overwhelmed with our circumstances that we can't see the person right across from us. who in God's eyes is a person who desperately needs the gospel. Circumstances are opportunity. Paul says, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal, but the word of God is not in prison. What he's saying is regardless of the circumstances I'm in, The gospel can continue to accomplish its purposes. It's not going to be inhibited in any way. And as a believer, I need to constantly be aware of the opportunities that God brings my way. I've often said, don't waste your pain. You're gonna face it, don't waste it. Look for opportunities, make a difference in the name of Jesus. So that rather than saying, yeah, I was so sick and had to be in a hospital all that time and it was just awful, awful. You can say, yeah, it was awful, it was rough, but I got to share the gospel with three people when I was there. opportunities abound. Don't make it about you, make it about the gospel. You know Paul's life, you know when he talks about his willingness to endure things, he suffers imprisonment and then in the next verse he says, for this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. Now listen to me, you guys, what Paul is saying, I am willing to go through any circumstance in this life, if it will give me an opportunity to share the gospel with those who are going to come to Christ. And you know, I mean, he's got a testimony to back it up, right? So he's at the end of his life, but here's what his life was like. 2 Corinthians 11, 24 and following, five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. Now we can read that easily, you guys, but that's like about kills you. We can't even imagine. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Now you guys, sometimes we look at those things and we fail to remember that like God being sovereign, things are going well, but God is also sovereign when things don't go so well. You know that. He doesn't make mistakes in your life. So He's still sovereign when things don't go well, it's just sometimes we don't want to talk about it so much because it's more uncomfortable. But you guys, the next one, he says, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day. I have spent in the deep. Well, who's in charge of shipwrecks like the weather? God's sovereign over all things. That's what God wanted for him. I've been on frequent journeys and dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I've been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst, often without food and cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there's a daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?" You know, he was deeply concerned about the churches he ministered to. And then he says, if I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weaknesses. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I'm not lying. A good soldier is one who has a passion for the gospel. And you guys were a Christian to say, God, whatever road you take me down, I just want to serve you well. I want to recognize the opportunities. I want to accomplish your purposes. And God, if that means you take me down the darkest of roads, for the sake of your glory. So be it. My strength will come from your grace and I will trust you to accomplish your purposes. And that is why I'm on this earth, right? That's why I'm here. That's why he saved me and he left me here to accomplish his purposes. Paul had such a passion for people, for the gospel. He said this in Romans 9. I'm telling the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh." In other words, he's saying, my passion, even for my own people who have rejected God so much, is that if it could happen I would even be accursed for their sake that somehow they would come to understand the gospel and respond. So folks, that's a description of the obedient Christian life. Battle ready, undistracted, submissive to the word, diligent, gospel oriented, willing to endure anything for the sake of God's work being accomplished. I am not saying One of us does that perfectly, because we don't. But it is the course we pursue. And we strive to be all that God wants us to be for His glory. We're not trying to earn salvation. We're just trying to live out our salvation and serve. You know, we talk about the good soldier. He wants to please his commander, his master. We want to please ours, our God. our Father, our Savior. And so for the church, we need our believers to live those lives, okay? As believers, that's how we need to live our lives. And then as we're doing that and we continue to grow in our faith and mature in our faith, then we have to be thinking of the next generation so as God brings up these young people and they come in and then God saves them. Then we want to invest well in them to equip them biblically, to equip them theologically, to help them to mature in their faith. And you guys, some of them, even some of these little guys back here, one day could easily be the men that God is raising up to be deacons and to be elders and to be pastors. These young ladies to grow up and to be ladies that are theologically sound, committed to being mature, wanting to learn theology so they can help teach the younger women. to be biblical and to be godly. That's how the church thrives. We've kind of gotten the habit when somebody has a potential for ministry, we send them off to a school and then they go somewhere else. I'm not against training, but I'm against it being completely separate from the church. Train them here. Use the resources you need, but train them here. Raise them up. Invest well in them. That's the picture. And you can imagine Paul, because Paul, as he comes to the end of his life, you guys, he's got to be so encouraged, right? Because as he prepares to die, God has already given him the privilege to invest in one man after another after another, and they're carrying on the ministry. Now, it's clear. There are some people, he said, they've abandoned the faith. But at the same time, there were so many that he had to invest in, and so now he's going to die, but the ministry has been multiplied and magnified. That's what we want to happen at the end of the day. So he can die in peace as his job is finished. His work is done. He's going to go be with the Father, but he's encouraged by what's going on. And he's reminded Timothy, this is the mission, man. This is the mission. Don't lose sight of it. Don't be distracted. A lot of wonderful things to do. Our God is a good God. It's a privilege to serve him. It's a privilege for me to be here today and over this weekend. It's been wonderful. Thank you for the leaders of Providence to be so kind to us and hosting us and allowing us to participate with you all. We love you, and we see you either randomly at different places or every few years here, but it's been kind of fun to build the relationship, and I can't believe we've got people being married now. It's like, wow, life keeps changing, doesn't it? There's such a big difference, isn't there, between growing up and growing old? Anyways, I'll close on that. We better pray. Lord, thanks for this time. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your patience with us, but thank you for your clarity with us so that we can understand what it means to truly live for you so that we can recognize if there's danger areas in our lives. Lord, I pray for this church. I pray by your grace that you would continue to grow people hearing your word. I pray that you'd bring folks in that you would want to be here. I pray really that those who are here would just be such wonderful testimonies, committed to living out life in a way that pleases you so that others come into this congregation, that it just would become a wonderful place to equip the saints for the work of service. Thank you, God, that you accomplish your work by your power and for your glory, and we just have the privilege to be a part of it. I pray in Christ's name, amen.