Good morning. Welcome to Seoul Bible Church this first week of November. We have much to do. You can see many of the announcements in the bulletin. We do want to prepare our hearts to worship this morning. This morning Mrs. Henderson will be playing Jesus Priceless Treasure. He is our truest friend. This is number 452 in your hymnals. It is also right there. As you open your bulletin, you will see this in both English and Korean. We do, before she plays, we do want to welcome a visitor this morning. Forgive me if I mispronounce your name. Kasia is from Hawaii. and she knows the athletes. I think that summarizes it. So let's give her a hand and welcome her. Mrs. Hendricks? Yeah. so We belong to Jesus, and Jesus satisfies. The scripture, as you look here in your bulletin, 1 Timothy 4, verse 13, reminds us. Paul says, till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Let's begin with a song of praise, hymn number 19, Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven. Let's stand to sing. We'll sing, uh, we'll sing all four verses. Raise up, soldier, for the land of the free and the home of the brave. ♪ The Lord God, the spiritual Savior ♪ ♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord as the last day came ♪ ♪ As the morning springs to claim Him ♪ Praise my Savior, so great are You, so tall are You, King to bless. Alleluia! Alleluia! Lord of kings, King of kings! O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Sakyamuni, Sakyamuni, Shakyamuni, Shakyamuni, Shakyamuni, Shakyamuni, Shakyamuni, Since I've been on the line, I've heard your proclamations. Amen. You may be seated. You see in your bulletin that our theme this morning is give of your best to the Master. We understand as Christians, everything we do ultimately should be done for the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when we come together on Sunday, we worship God by praising him in song. We worship God in giving tithes and offering. We worship God as we look at his glory. As we come to Numbers chapter 7, Israel has just completed a building project. They built the tabernacle. It's an exciting time. But the tabernacle is empty and needs to be furnished. Number 7 is 89 verses, almost 100 verses about how the 12 tribes each bring in a gift to fill that tabernacle. I will show you mercy. We will not read all 89 verses. But we're going to read the first 17 verses and then we will jump to the end in verses 84 through 89. So if you don't have them open already, please open your Bibles to Numbers chapter 7. I will begin by reading the first three verses. Numbers 7, 1 through 3. Now on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils. He anointed them and consecrated them also. Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their fathers' households, made an offering. They were the leaders of the tribes. They were the ones who were over the numbered men. When they brought their offering before the Lord, they had six covered carts, twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders, and an ox for each one, then they presented them before the tabernacle. On the day when Moses spread the rain cloud and poured oil on it, and on the day when he poured oil on all the instruments, the chiefs of Israel, the leaders of their tribes, and the chiefs of the congregation, and the leaders of those who wore the garments of the Lord, Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting. and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service. Yehoah kethom oseh illo harasaneh. Kuhasel kudregeso bada levin ege juwa, taki jigimdero kemo bongsa e suge hal jenira. Verses six through nine. So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon according to their service. These were sons of Levites. Four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Mariah, Mary, Ari, and the second son of Levi, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, the priest. But he did not give any to the third son, to the sons of Kohath, because theirs was the service of the holy objects which they carried on their shoulders. Now, in Matthew's verse 10, The leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed. So the leaders offered their offering before the altar. Every leader had his day, verse 11. Then the Lord said to Moses, let them present their offering, one leader each day for the dedication of the altar. So now we will look at day number one and then go to the end. So we will look at verses 12 through 17. Now the one who presented his offering the first day was Nasham, the son of Amenadab of the tribe of Judah. And his offering was one silver dish whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a great offering. One gold pan of tin shekels full of incense. One bull, one ram, one male lamb, one year old, for a burnt offering. One male goat for a sin offering. Verse 17, and for the sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five male lambs, one year old. This was the offering of Nasha, the son of Amandadath. On the second day, Judas, the son of Amminadab, the son of Nazareth, who brought the gift of the Holy Spirit, took one of the 130 silver plates and one of the 70 silver plates. He filled these two bowls with fine powder mixed with oil, and filled one of the 13 gold spoons with incense. I'll do a time-lapse video for the next 11 days as one by one the leaders of each tribe go through And we come down to verse, you see there in your bulletin, verse 84 to finish the chapter. I will read verses 84 through 88. This was the dedication offering for the altar from the leaders of Israel when it was anointed, 12 silver dishes. 12 silver bowls, 12 gold pans, one silver dish weighing 130 shekels, and each bowl 70. All the silver of the utensils was 2,400 shekels, according to the Shekel of the Sanctuary. The 12 gold pans full of incense weighing 10 shekels apiece, according to the Shekel of the Sanctuary. All the gold of the pans 120 shekels. All the oxen for the burnt offering, 12 bulls. All the rams, 12. The male lambs, one year old, with their grain offering, 12. And the male goats for sin offering, 12. Verse 88. And all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace offerings, 24 bulls. All the rams, 60. The male goats, 60. The male lambs, one year old, 60. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed. Yes, sir. On the day when the oil dried up, the chiefs of Israel came and said, Your treasure is a treasure. There are twelve silver coins, twelve silver coins, twelve gold spoons. There are one hundred and thirty coins in each silver coin, and seventy coins in each silver coin. According to the three rules of the Bible, there are 2,400 silver ingots, and there are 12 gold spoons filled with incense. According to the three rules of the Bible, there are 13 in each, and there are 123 spoons of gold. So the people give their offerings and then God meets with Moses. Verse 89. When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with him, he, Moses, heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony from between the two cherubim. So he, capital H, he, the Lord, spoke to him, Moses. Let us go to the Lord in prayer as we ask the Lord to help us to give our best. Our Heavenly Father, Lord, all the earth, all the fullness thereof are yours. Lord, you made all things. Everything belongs to you. And Lord, as your children, as your servants, we come to you giving what we have, giving ourselves. We know that the gift that pleases you most is the gift of ourselves, not the gift of ourselves. Lord, we are yours. We are your children. You have blessed us greatly. You have given us salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you, we praise you. But Lord, not only have you given us eternal life, you have given us yourself to be our father, to be our Lord and our Savior. We have fellowship with you, and Lord, that makes us glad. And we have fellowship with one another because of our fellowship with you. And this also causes our heart to rejoice. As we fellowship with you, Lord, you speak to us through your word. O God, as we meet today, as your word is proclaimed. Give us ears to hear your word. Help us to attend. Help us to pay attention. Lord God, you know our burdens. You know those things which would distract our thoughts. Help us in our time together to look about to where our Savior is seated on the right hand of God. Oh Lord God, help us to focus. Help us to stay awake. Help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. Help us in our prayers, in our worship to glorify you. And Lord, as we fellowship with one another, encourage us. Speak to us, Lord, we are listening. Direct us, Lord, we will follow. We pray for our missionaries. You know the needs of each and every one. We pray that you would bless their gospel proclamation. Whether it's translating the scripture in Myanmar or Lord giving gospel courses to prisoners through faith ministries, Lord just bless these people. Lord, we ask that you would bless those missionaries, that you would anoint those missionaries who are behind the pulpit proclaiming your word today. Father, we do pray that as we come before you with our prayers this morning, that you would indeed hear from heaven and do mighty works. We pray these things in Jesus' name with thanksgiving for all you were given. Amen. As I mentioned earlier, this is the first week of November. In many Korean churches, this is the day of Thanksgiving. Other churches around the world are observing an international day of prayer for the persecuted church. Hebrews commands us to remember those who are in bonds for Christ's sake. We're going to put down the screen and we're going to watch a short six, seven minute film that shares about some events in Columbia, South America. This will help us to be aware of how we can pray for the persecuted church in South America and then we will have a time of prayer where our deacons are going to pray for South America with Brother Hendrickson. We will pray for the persecuted church in India. Brother Nam will do that, and then Brother Ackley will finish with praying for the Muslim brothers and sisters who are persecuted from the Sacred Cross. the reason why they believe in Christ, the reason why they are persecuted for believing in Christ. We can understand what the situation is, and we can pray for that. After this video, three of us will come out one by one. Brother Alexander will talk about the persecution of Christians in South America. Next, Brother Anthony will talk about Islam. So, after the film, I'm going to ask Mr. Henderson and Mr. Nam and Mr. Attlee to come pray in sequence. We're going to make it. Where is it? There's a pipeline. I suppose you know the consequences if you're late. Dinner. Have a good day. You didn't tell me you were a pastor. You're alive. Your name is Gloria. You may be someone. As you can see, I know everything about you. And I don't even know your name. Marcos. Marcos. Would you like to come in, Marcos? I can offer you some coffee. You talk to me. I know you also talk to my rivals. How do I know where you are going to decide? We only serve the law. If you want to keep that up, you will join with the other bastards in the area and work for me. If they are in the O.K. world, they are no longer pastors. Tell the kids and me and some other guerrillas, they will shoot you in the head in front of your family. Consider my offer carefully. We'll be back tomorrow. Father, please give us the strength to stand in your witness. And may your salvation reach through us here in the red zone. In Jesus' name I pray. My mother was a Christian. I have something for you. Hold on a minute. Give this to your mom and take one for yourself. You think you would make me a Christian by giving me a Bible? I hoped that you wouldn't listen to that. I'm a Christian when I lie wounded on the battlefield. Where are you going? I'm sorry, but where is Marcos? You know Marcos? Yes. He's dead. I mean, you know him. He was my friend. And the pastor who gave you the bibles? I am. Can you hear me more? Are we ready? Well, without lights, we won't be. Let's pray. Lord, as we come before you today, we are thankful for your kindness. We do not suffer as these, but on their behalf, we come before you today. Witnesses to your power, you have made the promise The gates of hell shall not prevail against your church. And we bear witness, not only in our time, but in the generations past, how your word has crossed the communist lines. And we have brothers and sisters in Christ in lands that deny your existence. and fight your word and persecute your people. And yet, they are there. Missionaries being sent forth from communist lands to reach into Muslim lands and others because your power is greater than Satan's. And your word is more powerful than all other things, able to divide us under the spirit and the soul, and is a student of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And we bear witness that your word, faithful as it is, is able to conquer. even the hardest of hearts, as we see the reenactment, we see the power of the gospel, the dunamis, the dynamite, that is able to dislodge the hardest heart, to soften it, and to bring to Christ those whom you would have. And so in South America, as Ortega and Maduro and others threaten, your word has more power than any leader of any country in Latin America. And so we ask that you would move upon them, draw them to yourself, and make your people safe in those lands where they are threatened. For the name and the sake of the one who is the foundation of the church. In his name we pray. Amen. Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for many blessings that you bestow upon us over past days. We pray for those who are in atheist countries. like communist North Korea, communist China, Muslim, Pakistan, Hinduism, India, et cetera, et cetera. I probably ask you to take care of them so that they're going to feel fine. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's continue. Lord Heavenly Father, as we now turn our hearts and our minds upon the persecuted peoples in Muslim lands, Lord. Lord, you know that this region has no geographical boundaries, Lord. It reaches from Africa, across Asia, the Middle East, and into Europe, Lord. Lord, we pray for those who are suffering under oppression this morning. Lord, we thank you for their devotion to you, that despite all that is threatened, all that is done to them, that they continue to seek your word, to seek your faith. Lord, we thank you for those who are in foreign lands who would risk life for just a taste of the gospel world. Lord, I thank you for the opportunity that you gave me to meet the man that I don't even know his name, who was so hungry for the least scrap of table scraps that he could get of the gospel that he would risk his life to speak to a group of American soldiers who were standing around dispelling the banquet that we had the ability to attend. that we didn't like the way the service went. We didn't like the way the chaplain brought the message forward. And then this man showed up, so hungry for the smallest amount of food. Lord, I thank you for opening my eyes that day. I thank you for giving me a renewed thankfulness for what we have. May we not grow ungrateful in our abundance. Lord, we live in a region of the world that we can come and praise you freely, and yet we don't. We have the opportunity to reach the lost, to go up, to carry forth the precious Word of God, and yet we don't. Lord, as we pray for these people in the Muslim world who suffer, who thirst and hunger for your Word, let us never forget the blessings that we have and not take them for granted. Lord, we fail to educate our children. We fail to direct the next generation in the fight against tyranny. And then tyranny comes. Lord, we do pray that you would just bless us all. Once again, we do think of those in Muslim lands, those missionaries who are there working those students of Bible colleges in different areas who return home to their home areas and carry forth bravely the Word of God. Lord, we pray that you would give them strength. We pray that you would give them courage. And most of all, Lord, we pray that you would give them protection. Lord, as we lift our eyes towards you, we thank you this morning. We pray for these things. In your name we pray. Amen. Some are giving their all for Christ. risking their lives in his service. Praise the Lord for these inspiring role models of faithfulness. Their example should inspire us to give of our best to the Master. There are many people who are grateful for the fact that we are giving our best to God. As we sing hymn number 302, it says, give of your best. As we sing this, could you also sing this as a prayer? Lord, help me to give my best to you. I will give my best. to you. Let's stand to sing. Into the land of the free and the home of the brave He loves us every day and night long, and puts mercy on our way. Give Him your loyal devotion, give Him the best that you have. Fear of your past, so go faster! Fear of yesterday, so go earlier! Now, in salvation's name, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Give of your backs to the Master. Give in first, placing your heart. Give in first, placing your service. Once you've given, every time. Give in through your child, be given. All is given, all is secure. Give up your past to the Third, O Sir, put your hopeless dreams on her head. In the midst of your blessing, be my lips when we pray. You know it's hard without a brother. You know it's too true and too soon. You know you're on top of the nation. You know you're the best that you have. You know you're a master, a master. You know the strength of a man. Some of us no longer have our youth to give to the Lord, but we can continue to give ourselves to the Lord. And we can now give our tithes and offerings to the Lord. I'm going to ask Brother Ackley and Brother Nam. Brother Ackley, if you would lead us in prayer once again. Let us pray. Lord, once again, we do stand before you in thankfulness. Thankful for what you have given us. Thankful for what you will give us. And asking your blessing upon us each day. Lord, we pray that you would be with us now as we take this time to give back a portion of that blessing that you have given to us. May it work to move forth your kingdom. May It allowed for one more to come into your kingdom, to hear your word. Lord, we pray that you would be with us, help us to be diligent, help us to give all that we can. In your name we pray, Lord. Amen. We were at number seven a few moments ago. Brother Hendrickson is going to share in just a couple minutes about the finances, now that we've taken the offering. Before he does that, I would like to share with you a letter that I received this week from Arch Ministers. You remember a few weeks ago we had a special offering for those hurt by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Helene and Milton. Tim Potter from Arch Ministries wrote us, we at Arch would love to express our deepest gratitude to you and your dear people. for their sacrificial offering of disaster relief. He asked me, please share our thankfulness with your sweet people. That's what I do now. And he continues, it's an honor to share in the sufferings together with God's people. We are so thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ like those in Seoul Bible Church. He says we look forward to thanking them in person someday. And he goes on to describe how he is the ministry is continuing to help those in need. It's good for us to take account of how we are serving the Lord, to recount how we are serving the Lord. And that's why I asked Brother Hendrickson at this time to share what we've been doing with the finances you have given to the Lord and so on. Brother Hendrickson? Okay, all of you have this sheet As an insert, I'm looking at 2Q, second quarter of this year, from April 1st to June 30th. Our currency with the Korean won and the U.S. dollar. Beginning balance, 72,932,036, 68,521,393 as ending balance. And then the U.S. dollar balance of $9,696.51 and $3,455.57. These balances reflect what has been coming in and what has been going out. Then we break it down into the monthly operation, April, May, and June for each month. You see there before you the figures for income and expense. Then we took those totals and we took the average and then we added in the dollars. As you see on this side over here, monthly average of Korean won plus monthly average of dollars, we put those together and that's where we get the 12,033,089 and 8,653,892. That's with the US dollars converted With the currency conversion we got from xe.com, 1,368 won for every US dollar. That's the base figure that we used to convert from one to the other. So you do see that in the second quarter. And of course, our church asset, the Do Young Hoo apartment, 330 million. That was the acquisition price. That is an asset for each quarter. Third quarter. We have the same setup. Beginning balance for third quarter, you'll see, comes from the ending balance of the second quarter. It's that exact same figure. And for each one, the ending balance of quarter two is the beginning balance of quarter three, as it should be. Then we have July, August, and September. Income and expenses, totals, averages. Again, we took the dollar amount and put that in with the Korean and got the total monthly average at the bottom of each column. We know also other expenses of various kinds. In the right-hand column where it says major fixed expenses, those are expenses we put out every month. Building utility, 1.44 million, pass the Q. 1.2 million, the seminary, 0.6 million, pass the Q, 0.4 million. There are others, but those are the major ones. Same thing on third quarter, pass the bright, 0.35 million, and that, I believe, had been begun in second quarter, if I'm correct. That was switched over, yes, and so it was made a monthly, there was some, basically starting in January, they started paying me for that. Okay, so first, second quarter, third quarter, that also is a major fixed expense. So you see these figures here for second and third quarter. Again, our conversion factor is $1,368 for every U.S. dollar, and that's the financial report You may go over that. On third quarter also, you'll notice under the description, on July 25th, they transferred 12,580,200 won over to the U.S. account because we pay our missionaries in U.S. dollars, not Korean won. So we had to do that transfer to give $9,000 into that account to put our mission money out there. So that was why we did that on July 25th. Other things, other matters, these dollar figures come from the monthly averages in the U.S. account. And so any further questions on that matter can be directed also to Pastor Gray. And with that, I close my report. We wanted to share that, to share what the Lord, how the Lord is using your giving. You will note in both quarters, we are spending more than we're bringing in. Some of that was one-time expenses, as we had waggers and other things. But we also need to consider whether we are doing what we need to to support the church and to make sure that our missionaries are able to be supported. The biblical principle is where you're fed is where you give. You know the needs and you know what you get is between you and the world. I'll just write that out. What you give is between you and the Lord. I'm not going to ask you to give more. I'm just asking you to pray for us. and church workers need to eat. 402 yugokalas are ringing out. We'll sing 402 before we dismiss the church. We'll sing the same, all 30 verses. ♪ You're calling me now ♪ ♪ Over the top of the ocean ♪ ♪ Deep in the soul of sunshine ♪ ♪ I will go on and on ♪ And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown. We shall wear a crown. We shall wear a crown. And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown. In the name of Jesus, amen. His blood is over Israel, His blood is over Israel, His blood is over Israel, His blood is over Israel, His blood is over Israel, His blood is over Israel, His blood is over Israel, Can't you hear the word I sing? Let the song of the Lord ring. When the battle's over, we shall wear a crown. We shall wear a crown. We shall wear a crown. When the battle's over, we shall wear a crown. In the dirt, the hill, still and high. I'm proud of you. O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, You're gonna find that it's true, just you see And when the battle's over We shall wear a crown We shall wear a crown We shall wear a crown And when the battle's over We shall wear a crown In the new year, we shall wear a crown Wear a crown, wear a crown I appreciate Jay and Ariel helping with Children's Church this month. The athletes had that last month. This is an important time for the children. Well, we've just completed First Timothy half last week. Now, 2nd Timothy is Timothy's or Paul's last letter. And it is written as the Apostle Paul has the sentence of death upon him. Paul took Quill to hand. He wrote. knowing that he was soon to go to his eternal reward. He wrote basically alone. He had been forsaken by many. Yet as he writes, he is confident that the Lord is still with him. Today we have prayed for the persecuted churches of South America. of Asia and of the Muslim world. We know today our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. And I want to say this carefully, but I want to say this emphatically. These brothers and sisters in Christ are blessed. Before we turn to 2 Timothy chapter 1, I invite you to turn to Matthew chapter 5. Of course, this is the Lord's Sermon on the Mount. And our Savior's introduction was the Beatitudes, Blessed Are. And of course, you know that the word blessed is the Greek word that can also be translated happy. So we're going to start at the end of these Beatitudes. We're going to read Matthew 5, verses 9 through 12. Here, Jesus Christ the Lord says this. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice, verse 12, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great. For in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Our journey looking at Christ's promise to build the church has taken us to Ephesus. We have seen the birth of the Ephesian church as the Apostle Paul was on his missionary journey. We have studied the letter to this Ephesus church, the book of Ephesians. We have studied the letter to the pastor of Ephesus, Timothy, 1 Timothy. First Timothy, you could say, was written at the beginning of Timothy's pastorate. when Timothy just became pastor, or soon after. And so now, as we come to 2 Timothy, Paul is ready to end his ministry here on earth. Paul has started churches. He already has a dozen New Testament letters under his belt. He's already written 12 letters of the New Testament. And as we come to 2 Timothy chapter 1, I hope your Bibles are open, Paul has a final admonition. This admonition is, be faithful. And the key part of this admonition we find here in the sermon title. Suffer with Jesus, suffer for Jesus. So if your Bibles are open, we're in 2 Timothy chapter one, I will read the first four verses. These first four verses will remind us of God's call and our paths. 2 Timothy 1 verses 1 through 4, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus to Timothy, my beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience, the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. By the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, Paul, the apostle of Christ Jesus, sent a letter to his beloved son Demodei, saying, I am thinking of you day and night, day and night, thinking of you day and night, For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I'm sure that is in you as well. For this reason, I remind you, kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, and love, and wisdom. Think of the faith that is not false in you. This faith is first in your great-grandmother Louise and your mother Eunice, so be sure that it is also in you. Therefore, I make you think of the grace of God in you with my mercy, so that you may make the fire burn again. 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 has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought by an immortality to light with the gospel, verse 11, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, and the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to you. Therefore, do not be ashamed of yourself who has become a prisoner for the evidence of our sin or for the Lord, but receive the reward and punishment together with the power of God alone. If God calls us to be saved and to be called the Lord God, Not according to our actions, but according to the grace given to us by Christ Jesus before his end and eternity. Now that we have appeared by the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am sure that you will not be deceived by death, but by the gift of life. For the gift of life, I have chosen you to be my disciples, my apostles, and my teachers. Therefore, I am sure that you will not be ashamed of your suffering, and that you will know who I am, and that you will keep what I have promised until that day. Verses 15 through 18, finishing the chapter. You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are the jealous and homogenous. The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my change. But when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me. The Lord granted him to find mercy from the Lord on that day, and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus. All the people in Asia know the reason why you abandoned me. Among them are Hogel and Homo genus. Please visit my house on the 15th of this month. I often make myself happy, and I am not ashamed of my death. I don't remember who said, but you might have heard the quotation, impending death concentrates the mind wonderfully. If you knew your death were going to be today or sometime soon, What would you say? What would you do? That was the situation, Paul, wasn't it? And of course, his death would leave a huge hole in the church, a huge gap. Here is an apostle, here is a church planter, here is one whose wisdom the Holy Spirit and God has used to build many churches. They would mourn their spiritual father. They would miss the very one who had discipled them, equipped them, trained them, warned them about false teachers. Paul's love for them, each and every one, would be felt even more as he was no longer there. He was in heaven. There would be no more business. Paul would not visit the church again. And you remember how the church mourned that when he said that in Acts 20. There would be no more letters from Paul. And yet, God would be faithful to this church and to this pastor even without the Apostle Paul's presence. Now, in these first seven verses, I want you to see how Paul encourages Timothy to be faithful. Paul is basically saying, Timothy, remember how God brought you to himself. Remember your godly heritage, verses 5 through 7. Remember your Father in Christ, remember how I prayed for your grace, mercy, and peace, verses one through four. The thing that we see in the first four verses is Paul is not primarily concerned that he escaped from prison or escaped from death. His concern is for Timothy, his son in the faith. And so he is praying that the Lord would, verse three, the grace, mercy, and peace of God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ would be Timothy's. Paul isn't focused on himself, but he's focused, verse 4, on Timothy praying for him night and day. And so as he comes to verses 5 through 8, what we see is that his reminders to Timothy is, remember your spiritual heritage. Brothers and sisters, a Christian family is a blessing for God. Psalm 127, verse 3. tells us that children are a heritage of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is his reward. Children are a blessing from God. From the beginning, at creation, God commands husbands and wives to be fruitful and multiply. That's not what Korea says. That's not what China says. That's what God says. In Genesis 18, right before Sodom and Gomorrah, God says that he is going to tell Abraham his plan. He tells Abraham, and Sarah learns it too, She's going to have a kid. She's going to have a son. Sarah laughs. Sarah laughs at Abraham. And right after that joyful, perhaps skeptical laugh, God tells Abraham what he is going to do. It's odd. And so God says in Genesis 18 verse 17 The Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? Verse 18, since Abraham will surely become a great, mighty nation, in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Verse 18, Abraham will become a great, mighty nation, in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Now circle verse 19, those of you who will be parents, this is key. I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what he spoke about. That is a verse that all of us as parents should have engraved on our hearts that this is what we want to do with our kids. To teach and train our children in the way of the Lord. For we ourselves to model righteousness and justice in the house and in the world. One more passage that reminds us of the importance of the Christian home is Deuteronomy 6. Of course, this is that wonderful central passage. We should read the first nine verses. I'm going to read verse two and verse seven. So verse 1 tells us to command these things, teach these things. Verse 2, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep his statutes, his commandments, which I command you all the days of your life and that your days may be prolonged. The greatest commandment is verse 5, to love the Lord our God completely. God's word needs to be in our hearts, verse six. Now again, notice verse seven. Now now, teach them God's word diligently to your sons and talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk in the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. Find them as a sign on your hand and they will be as frontlets on your forehead, verse eight. Now go back to 2 Timothy 1.5. Paul says, I am mindful of the sincere faith which is in you. Which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I'm sure is in you as well. So Timothy, as he knows Paul's going to die, remembers his godly heritage. His grandma, Paul, who brought him to Christ. Make your mom proud. Make your grandma proud. Make me, your spiritual father, proud. Verse six, for this reason, I remind you, kindle a fresh gift of God which is in you through the lame heart. Because God has brought us to himself, because we have genuine faith, we need to stir up the gift that God has given us. Remember, when you believe in Christ, you're born again, John 3. And so we're told there in John 3, when the Holy Spirit gives us life, he regenerates us. We are born again. He gives us spiritual life, as Ephesians 2 tells us. To every Christian, to every believer, the Holy Spirit gives gifts as he chooses, 1 Corinthians 12. And here Paul says, you know, you've got this fire, these embers, stir it up, kindle it up, make those gifts blaze with fire, with passion, with use. Brothers and sisters, we must not neglect the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us. We must not hide those gifts under a bushel. We must not bury our talents as a foolish servant did. Timothy. You see the word Timothy in Timothy. Timothy watching Paul die. watching enemies mobilize against the church. might be tempted to be frightened, or scared, or silent. Paul says, God, verse 7, has not given us the spirit of faith, but a power of love and of a sound mind or self-discipline, as verse 7 says. When Moses died, Joshua faces a promised land full of enemies. The man who brought ten plagues on Egypt fed them daily with manna from heaven. The one who saw that his enemies were swallowed up by the earth was dead. Moses was dead. But Yahweh, the Lord, remained. And Joshua 1 says that the Lord promised to be with Joshua and to give him victory. Why should we be willing to suffer for Jesus, to be faithful? We have a godly heritage we have been saved by Christ through. A second reason we find in verses 15 through 18, we've got companions. we have people going with us who can encourage us. Yes, Demas, yes, these Phygelus and Hermogenes, verse 15, yes, they follow us. Yes, there are people who love the world and leave it. But when we're tempted to say like Elijah, I alone am left, we're wrong. The Lord assured Elijah there were 7,000 faithful men in Israel. And for Paul, there was this blessed believer, this man from Ephesus that Timothy knows so well, Onesiphorus. And when everyone is dropping by the wayside, there comes Onesiphorus. two presidents seeking Paul out, refreshing him, strengthening him, being a blessing. Brothers and sisters, this is why we need the church. We need one God. We are a great company of people who are on our journey to Zion together. We are all going to heaven. And when you feel I alone am left, you are not. God's power is available. God's people are present for fellowship, for prayer, for encouragement. Oftentimes, the only reason we are alone is because we choose to be alone. Today there are more ways to contact a believer. than ever before. There's church. There's email. There's phone calls. There's so many other ways. Finally, not only did Paul encourage Timothy with these two ways, we see that he encouraged Timothy to share in suffering. Look at verses 8 through 10. He says, don't be ashamed of me or the gospel, verse 8. And he offers a gracious invitation at the university, join me. suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. God called Paul, he suffered as a preacher, an apostle, a teacher, verse 11, and he suffered those things, but he wasn't ashamed. What is it, this gospel? God, verse 9, has saved us and called us without all the common You're not saved by your works, not according to her works. But according to His purpose and grace which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. How in the world are we saved? What gives you hope? What enables you to suffer for Jesus? Jesus was a man of solace. He was a point of grace. And when the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and mine, verse 11 says he abolished, or verse 10 tells us he abolished death. On the cross, Jesus Christ sentenced death to death. 1 Corinthians 15 says the last enemy that will be defeated is death. The English poet said, death thou shalt not. And Jesus Christ commanded us to remember his death on the cross. Jesus Christ commanded us to remember his death in the Lord's table. I'm going to ask the men to come to prepare the table for the Lord's table as we remember what it took to make salvation possible, what it takes to motivate us to take up our cross and follow Christ. We know that before he died, the Lord Jesus Christ enjoyed a meal with his disciples. He wanted us to remember what he did for us to secure our salvation. And as the men were gathered around the table, 1 Corinthians 11.23 recounts what happened. Of course it was his disciples around that table. So the Lord's table is for Christians. You don't do this to be saved, you do this because you are saved. If you have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior, taking the Lord's Supper will not save you. And so, if you're not a Christian, I would invite you not to take the Lord's table to see one of us after the service. But this Lord's table for Christians is very special. And so we don't take this lightly or frivolously. So let's have a time to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts to see if there is any sin. confess and forsake any known sin in our lives. Let's pray. Your Holy Spirit has searched us and known us. He knows both our secret sins and the sins everyone else sees. Lord, we confess that each one of us has failed you many times in many ways. Father, forgive us that we have not had the mind of Christ the way we should have. Forgive us for the times that we have turned aside from your word and your way. Lord God, if you should mark iniquity, none of us could stand. But Lord, the promise of God is that even though our sins are scarlet, under the blood of Christ, they become as white as snow. The Word of God declares that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And Lord, this righteousness that you give to us, this forgiveness that you give to us, is only possible because Jesus died for those sins. So we come to you this afternoon, abhorring, hating all of our sins. We come to you this afternoon adoring, loving only God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We love you. We trust you. We thank you for saving us and forgiving us. We pray these things in Jesus' name with great thanksgiving. Amen. We will also, Paul, 1 Corinthians 11.23 declares, I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was betrayed, took away. This time I'm going to ask the men to take their bread as you did with two. so so We will read 1st Corinthians 11 24 pray and then partake. Verse 24 says when Jesus had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all righteousness for our sake. We thank you that Jesus Christ, the man of sorrows, was appointed with grief. He is well qualified to be our high priest. His body was broken for us. He is the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. We thank you for what he has done for us. In Jesus' name, Amen. Verse 25 continues in the same way. He took the cup also after supper, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as I'll produce you drink it in remembrance of me. I'll ask the man to dispense a cup of this drink. I'm fine I'm fine Remember, verse 26 says, For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Lord, we know that without the shedding of blood, there is no atonement. Lord, we thank you. that the blood of God's own Son was shed for us. We are amazed at the precious gift Christ gave to us. He laid down His life for us. Greater love has no man than this, that he will lay down his life for his friend. Jesus no longer calls us servants but friends. Lord, we take this cup as an affirmation of our love for the one who first loved us. We thank you, Lord. We love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Jesus gave everything. 351 says, my life, my love, I give to thee. My life, my love, I'm here to be. I'll never want to die for thee. For thee I'll ever be. My Saviour and my God. I live for Him, I die for Him, I let Him know that I was worthy. I live for Him, I do love for Him, My Saviour and my God. And now here, as blessed to see, God has started that I might live. And now His arms are trusting me, my Saviour and my God. Thou who died, and died for me, a happy death my life shall be. I'll live for Him, no doubt will win, my Savior and my God. Thou who died, and died for me, still my soul will live for Thee. I come today to my life to lead, my Savior and my God. I live for Him, I die for Him, I die today for my life to lead. I live for Him, I die for Him, my Savior and my God. We would like to let you know that those who are interested in playing handbells for Christmas, you're welcome to stay afterwards. And thank you for your attention. I know that when your service exceeds two hours, it takes a lot. So thank you for enduring. The Lamb of God died for us. He is able to present us faultless before His Father. He will keep us until the day we appear in his presence. Help us to live for him who died for us that we might be fully happy. In Jesus name. Amen. so