Well, it takes foot soldiers to be in his army, and we're going to read from 2 Timothy 4, verses 6 through 8. Paul says, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day. And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Amen. Father, we thank you for your Word, and as we dig into 2 Timothy, I pray that you would open up this book in a fresh new way to us and help us to be more and more conformed to Christ as a result of having seen what is in it. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt hemmed in, had no options, and it seemed like everyone and everything was against you? David faced that in Ziklag when the Malachites attacked his town after he and his men were off fighting elsewhere. And when they got back, they saw everything had been stolen. Houses had been burned down. David and all of the other men's wives and children had been taken away. And then the men were so distraught themselves, they were ready to stone David. But he did not despair. He says, strengthened himself in the Lord, and he came up with a plan. Well, Paul was experiencing his own Ziklag moment. He was in prison. Everyone had abandoned him. He didn't have adequate clothing. Winter was coming on. and he knew he was not going to make it without clothing. He was really in a miserable situation. As a bit of background, I believe that 2 Timothy was written within a year of 1 Timothy and less than a year after Titus was written. Now, some people disagree. They think it was two to three years after 1 Timothy was written, but either way, a lot had happened in that time. Half of the city of Rome had burned to the ground in July of AD 64, and numerous witnesses had said they saw Nero's own soldiers lighting these fires all over Rome. And so there was a lot of anger that began to be fomented against Nero. and he realized he needed to deflect this criticism of him away, and so he spread rumors everywhere that the Christians had burned down Rome, and that succeeded in turning the population against the Christians, and it drove the Christians underground, very literally underground into the catacombs. You may have read some of the stories about the catacombs. As a result of this persecution, Paul was arrested in AD 65, I believe he was turned in by one of the Christians that he had been involved in the process of excommunicating when he was ministering in Ephesus. It was Alexander the Coppersmith. And with Christians being public enemy number one, it didn't look like Paul would survive the year. Paul hoped that he would get some supplies and clothing, any assistance he could from the Asian Christians, but chapter 1 verse 15 says they all abandoned him. They were scared to death that they would be arrested if they tried to help him out. And Paul implies that they were ashamed to be identified with Paul's bonds. He asked for help in his legal defense. And chapter 4, verse 16 says, no one stood with him in his first defense, not one. He had to defend himself all alone. And so abandoned by almost everyone, and he mentions names, Paul found himself in circumstances way, way worse than his first imprisonment in Rome, which was recorded in Acts chapter 28. If you read that chapter, you'll realize in his first imprisonment, it was just house arrest. And it was a pretty spacious house. People could come and go. and visit him. He wasn't able to come and go, but he had a lot more freedom at that time. And yet, in this imprisonment, he was in a cold prison cell that left Paul shivering and needing his warm cloak, which he asks Timothy to bring with him when he comes. We aren't told when he called for Luke, but from Hebrews we learn that Luke showed up shortly after this letter was written. Now, what about Timothy? Any biography of Timothy will tell you that Timothy had been combating a lot of his own sicknesses and ailments, 1 Timothy 5.23, that he was timid and insecure, 2 Timothy 1.7, and yet amazingly, God stirred up Timothy where he went to the prison where Paul was at. He ministered to Paul. Now two references in this book, chapter 1 verse 18, chapter 4 verse 19, show that Timothy was still in Ephesus. Tychicus carried this letter from Rome to Ephesus, to Timothy, chapter 4 verse 12. So Tychicus was another hero who took huge risks on Paul's behalf. It would have been extremely dangerous to help a Christian in prison, and yet this book speaks of the kind of boldness and courage that could do just that. Now, the book of Hebrews was written one year after 2 Timothy was written, and it tells us that Timothy ended up going to prison in Rome. He got thrown in the clink himself as a result of ministering to Paul, but then he was subsequently released, and it was actually an unexpected release of Timothy. Here's how Luke words it in Hebrews 13, verse 23. Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. Paul had already been executed by the time Hebrews was written, And so that left only Luke and Timothy in Rome. So it appears that both Timothy and Luke ministered to Paul before he was executed. And as I mentioned, Timothy ended up in prison, then got released, and then Luke wrote the book of Hebrews, and then Timothy returned to Ephesus where he remained for the duration of his life. So even with that little bit of background that I have given, I think you can see 2 Timothy was written during pretty scary times. As I mentioned last week, the church of Ephesus was facing enemies from without and facing enemies from within. The enemies from without produced what is known as the Great Tribulation. The enemies within produced what is known as the Great Apostasy. And what was Paul's greatest concern during all of this trouble? It was not his own personal safety. It was not the persecution from out. If you look at the chiasm on the backside of your outline, you will see that just like in 1 Timothy, the heart of this chiasm is the great apostasy within the church. That's chapter three, verses one through nine. Over the previous year, or if you date Timothy earlier than I do, over the previous two years, Paul and Timothy had been doing everything in their power to stem the negative influence of heretics upon the church. So 2 Timothy really is part two of dealing with the same subject that 1 Timothy is dealing with, dealing with the pastoral concerns. By the way, that's why 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are called the pastoral epistles. They deal with so many eldership type of issues. But based on the heart of the chiasm of 1 Timothy, the heart of the chiasm of 2 Timothy, I believe it's also part two, not just of pastoral concerns, but it's part two of dealing with this enemy within. So just like I did last week, I'm going to take both sides of the chiasm at the same time. I'm going to work my way toward the middle of the book. We'll start with the two A sections, the greetings and the grace. I love that Paul never starts by railing against the darkness. He's never hopeless about the darkness. He just lights a candle in the darkness. He pronounces grace, mercy, and peace in the midst of the darkness. Secondly, Paul doesn't abandon his calling of his office simply because times have gotten extremely tough, and he encourages Timothy not to abandon his office during those tough times. In fact, Paul boldly in print, he's like self-condemning himself when he writes this letter as far as Rome is concerned, he boldly in print calls himself, quote, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. So not only is he condemning himself as far as any Roman court is concerned, because Christianity was illegal, but he is starting this epistle of darkness by focusing on the life that is in Christ Jesus, okay? So the two A sections are such an appropriate introduction and conclusion. The two B sections call Timothy to emulate the faithful saints that had gone before him and that continued to be with him. Paul points to what an amazing example Timothy's mother and grandmother were as wives who did not have the spiritual support of their husbands and yet they remained faithful. Paul wants Timothy to emulate them. And I think this is such a heart grabbing example to put before Timothy. Basically, he's saying, Timothy, you can't bail. Your mother didn't bail. Your grandmother didn't bail. You cannot bail. You've got to remain faithful, just like these two women had remained faithful. Timothy's dad and granddad were both unbelievers. They apparently remained unbelievers. And so that makes Lois and Eunice wonderful models to ministers who may have felt spiritually abandoned themselves. Are there tears in this section as he remembers those times? Yes, there are. But I think Paul, even though he's suffering himself, tries to wipe away the tears that Timothy is probably experiencing to the best of his ability and encourage him once again, don't give up. He tells Timothy, verse six. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. When facing the darkness of our own day, we too need the Holy Spirit's power and the Holy Spirit's love, and we need the sound mind that only the Holy Spirit can give. In the second B section, Paul winds down his letter by reminding Timothy of the wonderful friends that he had in Priscilla and Aquila. They, too, are fantastic role models for Timothy, just like his mother and his grandmother have been. By the way, Prisca is just a shortened name for Priscilla, just like Phil is a shortened form of Philip. Paul no doubt wished Priscilla and Aquila were still in Rome, but he's glad for Timothy that he can have them with them. When you are facing tough times and abandonment by friends, remember how the faithful of the past and the faithful of the present have handled exactly those same feelings and let them stir you up to faithfulness. One of the things that's encouraged me down through the years is Just remembering how faithful my mom and my dad had been in Ethiopia, incredible self-sacrificing faithfulness. And to this day, seeing my dad's tears as he would go to a new mountaintop and see new unexplored places that did not have the gospel, his burden for the lost still is something that influences me. So thank God for what you do have, and for what you have had in the past. Don't focus on what you don't have. Rejoice in the friendships and nurture those friendships. In the two C sections, Paul moves to encouraging Timothy to imitate him. I find this interesting. He wasn't embarrassed to set himself up as an example to follow. This is what mentors do. Now next week, when we go through the book of Titus, we're going to be seeing how important it is for men and women, both, to be involved in mentorship relationships. It needs to be voluntary, it can't be forced, because you've got to desire to imitate, for example, an upward mentor. Everybody needs to have an upward mentor in their lives, a downward mentor, sidewards mentors is the way I look at them. So the upward mentor is somebody who, at least in some slice of life, you want to be more like, and you ask them lots of questions, and you try to figure out, how can I improve in that area? And then the downward mentorship, somebody's asked you and said, would you please mentor me in this area? I really struggle in administration, or I struggle in fear, or I struggle in something else, maybe pornography or something like that. Would you help me to gain victory in these areas? Sideways? Mentorships are just equals who you are as iron sharpening iron, basically. So we'll look at that next week, but we need each other to grow. But let's dig into this section. Timothy was obviously very anxious about the great tribulation. I think he had the same besetting sin that I've had down through the years, anxiety. and how to fight that so that it does not take you down. So he was anxious about the Great Tribulation, and he had already received huge lash back from the church disciplines that were going on. I think those were the two sources of his anxiety. In some regions, it looked like the church would be exterminated. So the times were looking very grim. So Paul starts in verse eight by saying, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God." Apparently everybody in Asia had been ashamed to be identified with Paul. They didn't want to be demonized with him, and so they abandoned him. They were scared. But Paul points out in this book that Jesus was also treated like a criminal. You know, people could have been tempted to be ashamed, to be identified with Jesus. Jesus was also abandoned, and the good news of the gospel calls all of us to be willing to suffer with him, to not be ashamed of him. In verse 12, Paul says, I am not ashamed. I am not ashamed. Maybe Satan had tempted him momentarily to become ashamed, but verses 9 through 11 give an incredibly wonderful summary of the gospel privileges that we have been called into that make it all worthwhile. Verse 12, I think is worth memorizing. It says, for this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day." When you are gospel saturated, it enables you to face death with total confidence in God's keeping power. And I've experienced this a number of times. When I was One time in India, we were going past these guerrilla checkpoints. Unknown to me, we were illegally in a territory that was completely taken over by Marxist guerrillas, Maoist guerrillas, I'm sorry. And we weren't supposed to be there, and we wondered if we were going to be kidnapped. And in another case, when we were preaching open air in a village where people previously had been stoned by the villagers, God gave me total peace, absolute peace. I did not have this besetting sin of anxiety whatsoever. In fact, there have been many times where I have said, Lord, what an awesome privilege it would be to be martyred for you. I'm willing. I'm expendable. I'm willing to do that. But verse 12, excuse me, yeah, the end of that, it just says he's able to keep us spiritually and physically. The second C section, this is chapter four, verses 17 through 18, gives us similar confidence, and it gives an interesting historical note that some commentators have puzzled over. Let's read that, chapter four, 17 through 18. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully through me and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Now, commentators differ on whether that lion was Satan, or Nero, or whether it was a literal lion. I'm not dogmatic, but I lean in the direction of thinking that Paul actually was thrown to the lions, possibly in the Colosseum, and that God stopped the mouth of the lion just like he did with Daniel. It was a close call. And I'll grant that maybe that he was just the lion as a metaphor for being delivered from prison the previous time. uh or being delivered from satan's hand previously commentators are not sure but in any case the application is clear it's the same as in the first c section paul knows that god can deliver him from his persecutors even if it means he's dead and he's delivered he's in heaven that's the ultimate deliverance isn't it um And because of his confidence in the gospel, Paul is able to help Timothy to have similar boldness. So what's going on in the construction of this book is each of these sections logically moves Timothy to his duties to face the great apostasy head on. And last week we saw that Timothy did indeed faithfully and successfully do so. He was overseeing a presbytery that was really rare in those days. It was rare in regaining purity in the time period of AD 64 through 66. But I believe it was these two epistles, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, that enabled him and the whole presbytery to stand strong. the two D sections now get into the dirt that Timothy had been wrestling with and basically say, Hey, Timothy, I understand what you're going through. I, too, have been forsaken. I, too, am facing people who have abandoned the faith and need to be disciplined in the church. I, too, have gotten backlash from disciplined people, yet I have remained faithful. And Paul goes on to call Timothy to be faithful, to stand firm on the Scriptures. Let me read chapter 1, verses 13 through 18, without a great deal of comment, because I think they're fairly straightforward. Verse 13. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. So we don't face the enemy alone. The Holy Spirit provides the resources we need to face apostasy. Paul shares what he has faced, verse 15. This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. But now comes an example that has puzzled many people. Roman Catholics give this as a proof text for praying for the dead. Okay, so let's read this, verses 16 through 18. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Anesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day, and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus." Was he praying for somebody who had already died? You see, Roman Catholics give reasons. Well, let me tell you, first of all, absolutely not. Commentaries give a lot of reasons. I'm not going to give a lot of those reasons. But Roman Catholics say Anesiphorus was a good guy, but, you know, because he wasn't perfect, he's got to have some of his sins burned off in purgatory. And so he's in purgatory right now. And Paul is praying him out of purgatory into heaven, hoping that the Lord will have mercy on him. Seems like a lot to read into those verses. Here's a much simpler and much more straightforward interpretation. Onesiphorus had taken pity on Paul, had come to the prison at great risk to his own safety in order to bring Paul food and to minister to him, and he had been a tremendous blessing to Paul. He had even in Ephesus many times ministered to Paul. But as a result of his ministry to Paul, Onesiphorus himself was accused of being a Christian and put into prison. Paul knows that Onesiphorus faces certain death, and so he prays that mercy will be extended to his family because his family is not going to have his support any longer. He's going to die. And he prays for God's mercy in Onesiphorus' life, that he would remain faithful, that he would persevere, that he would not fall away out of fear. Onesiphorus is about to die just as Paul is. So why does Paul even bring up the case of Onesiphorus? Isn't that going to scare Timothy to death? Isn't that going to possibly keep Timothy from coming? Well, Paul wants Timothy to come, but he wants him to come willingly and with the full understanding of the risks that he is taking when he comes to Rome to minister to Paul. He wants him to be knowledgeable. If Timothy follows Paul's request, he will face the real possibility of a similar fate to Anesiphorus. But Timothy will have the same honor that Anesiphorus had of being faithful even unto death. Anesiphorus was living out the gospel just like Paul. Paul wants Timothy to be similarly living out the gospel. The bottom line is, Timothy, elders do hard things. Timothy's gonna go to Rome, knowing that it could go down badly, just like it did with Vanessa Forrest. Now, in the second D section, chapter four, verses six through 16, Paul amplifies on the themes he introduced in the first D section. Let me just read the whole section without a lot of comment, because both D sections illustrate the nature of faithful and unfaithful ministry. Chapter four, beginning to read at verse six. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure it is a hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing." Now these are the kinds of testimonies that make Us want to be faithful. Whenever I read missionary biographies and the incredible sacrifices that they have made, or I read the biographies of martyrs, it stirs up my heart to want to run the race well, to want to fight the good fight. I want to lay down my life for Christ. I want to be like them. They inspire me. I think there's something very, very attractive about such faithful saints. We want to be transformed just like they were. Continuing in verse 9, we see Paul making his request to Timothy. Be diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica, Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. At my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them." So there were some who were unfaithful through weakness, and Paul sympathizes with them, and he prays that the Lord would not hold that against them. But Paul prays judgments upon Alexander the coppersmith. Who was that man? Well, I believe Gordon Fee and other commentators are absolutely correct when they say that this is the same Alexander that Paul had disciplined when he was in Ephesus. This is 1 Timothy 1 verse 20. Rather than repenting, Alexander had become vindictive, making it his goal in life to destroy Paul. He was bitter against Paul. He followed Paul around from city to city, harassing him, undermining him, speaking against him. And once the fire in Rome started burning, he utilized the propaganda that came against Christians and turned Paul into the authorities and testified against him. This was a former Christian who did that. The word translated as did, a lot of commentators point out, probably ought to be translated, it's a much bigger word than did. The word translated as did means to testify against someone. It's frequently used that way. So the first sentence in verse 14 could be translated this way. Alexander the Coppersmith testified much evil against me. And then he says in verse 15, you also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. He's basically saying, watch out Timothy, he's going to be coming after you too. What on earth would motivate a man like Alexander to spend so much time? He left his business of coppersmithing in Ephesus. He's following Paul city to city, harassing him, undermining him, testifying against him. When he goes to Rome, he testifies against him there. What would motivate a person to do this? Well, we have seen bitterness can motivate you to do all kinds of crazy things, and he probably had other negative emotions as well, maybe hatred. and vindictiveness, but this was such an appropriate warning to Timothy because church discipline, which is what Timothy had been engaging in, does not end the problem for elders. Shepherding the sheep is a difficult task all by itself because it involves us and the pains and the sins of the sheep, but at least that's gratifying. Even though it's hard work, it's very gratifying when the sheep take advantage of it. They lay hold of it. When they don't, engaging in discipline, even when that discipline does lead people to repentance, is a lot, it's a difficult task. It involves us in an enormous amount of work. And sometimes there was backlash, but wow, once excommunication happens, there can be so much backlash. I have seen pastor's lives that they threatened to kill them. There's been a lot of backlash that people have had. So I've seen people stalking elders, harassing them, undermining them in the congregation, slandering them, threatening them with lawsuits. It's no fun to be an elder. I'm just saying. It's no fun to be an elder. But God calls elders. And if He has called you, He can enable you to be faithful for the sake of His kingdom and out of love for the sheep. And so what Paul is calling Timothy to do is tough. What God calls elders to do is tough. But when we sense God's calling, it impels us to ministry just like it impelled Timothy to do hard things. And it's such a good transition to the next section because he mentions the influence of other excommunicated people continuing to spread their influence like cancer within the congregation. I think it's just so sad. You see this in church after church across America. So sad when an excommunicated person continues to talk with individuals and spread poison within the congregation. They should blot that completely out. All of these fires, the elders have to continually be putting out, and it shouldn't be that way. Anyway, in the two E sections, he goes through all the things that make up a faithful ministry, and I've labeled those two sections characteristics of faithful scripture-saturated ministry in the face of compromising apostasy. Let's read chapter two first. You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Without grace, we cannot have an effective ministry. Elder candidates must learn how to experience God's grace in everything that they do. That is what will sustain you. If you've not learned to drink deeply, from the throne of grace, you will flame out in the ministry. It's one of the reasons Gary and I just keep emphasizing, are you in prayer? Do you know how to derive strength day by day for the things you're doing? Verse two. and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." So we can't do ministry alone. I feel sorry for the CPC churches that have one elder. It's really, really tough. Now, we do support them from a distance. We supplement their sessions, but we must expand, continuously raise up new leaders. I mean, you know all of the pressures that Gary and I have with Rodney being gone, but even with Rodney here, we need new elders. I've not been doing a very good job this morning advertising for this position. It's a great position, right? We need more elders. No, we want people to be aware this is a tough job, but if God calls you, you're going to want to take that on. God pays for and provides for everything that he orders. But Paul does not want would-be elders to be ignorant of the difficulties they will face. Verse three, you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I've told men many times that if they can't take being kicked in the stomach and betrayed by friends and attacked and slandered by enemies, don't even think of becoming an elder. Okay, being an elder is an office of hardship and spiritual battle. It's not just a job. You know, my previous jobs were hard on my body. You know, working in the lumber industry particularly, in the janitorial job, being an orderly, being a maintenance man, I enjoyed all of that work. It was easy, easy peasy compared to being an elder. But having said all of that, being a pastor is an incredibly gratifying work as well. And one of the pictures that many times comes to my mind is the movie Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell was talking to an individual about why he is so driven to run. And he said, God made him able to run. He made him good that way. And he says, when I run, I feel God's pleasure. That's exactly the way that I feel. It doesn't matter. I mean, people wonder, why on earth would you try to run for the Olympics like Eric Liddell? I mean, that's such difficult work. But you feel when you're called to it, you feel impelled to do that. OK, this is what the calling is. It's something that drives us into this. And by the way, this is true of every one of your callings. Every one of your callings is difficult. Being a mom is difficult. Being a wife, being a husband, every one of you have a calling from God. But when you embrace your calling fully, you can experience God's pleasure in it. Now think of the images that God uses or Paul uses in this section, God through Paul. In verse four, he likens a good elder to a good soldier. I mean, think about that. Is being a soldier hard and difficult? Of course it is. But you know, God made something in the DNA of us men that we want to fight for our wives, our families, our homeland. It's not something we question. I mean, we're driven to that. That's how God made us men to be. So yeah, there's sacrifices, but we're impelled to do it, because that's the way God made men to be. In verse five, he likens a minister of the gospel to a dedicated athlete who lays aside anything that will hinder him from winning. And people wonder, why on earth would an athlete make those kind of sacrifices? Again, because he's driven to it. This is part of his calling. The same is true of eldership. In verse 6, he likens it to a hardworking farmer. And yes, a farmer needs to be able to enjoy some of the benefits of the farming, but there's hard work involved. But really, everyone has to make sacrifices for their own calling. Just like he mentioned earlier with Lois and Eunice, they had sacrifices, but they took their calling seriously, and they glorified Christ in it. If we aren't interested in making those kinds of sacrifices, Paul says, we need to consider Christ. Okay, do you want to be like Christ? Well, Christ laid down his life in order to please the Father. So if we're gonna imitate Christ, we do as well. Every one of you men, just as an example, you are a pastor, you are a shepherd of your home, and you're called by God to make sacrifices on behalf of your home. Paul points to himself being in chains. Then he hastens to say, ah, but the gospel is not chained. I love that. You can't stop the power of the gospel at all. But Paul's willing to endure anything for Christ in order to win Christ's elect, verse 10. And what do we have to lose anyway? He writes a poem in verses 11 through 13 saying, this is a faithful saying. For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself. And then he continues to use additional images of faithful ministry, such as a hard worker, a hard exegete, a master builder, a servant, etc. And I want to just keep reading. Very little comment. Most of these two E sections on what faithful ministry looks like. beginning at chapter 2 verse 14. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit to the ruin of hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God. You know, we've got to have a God-centered focus if we're going to survive in the ministry. We'll be like those named people in here who basically took the easy way out, who were ashamed of Paul. But Paul says, be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. It takes work to preach God's word faithfully. It takes work to expose heresy. It takes work to protect the sheep from wolves. It takes work to be a faithful elder. Verse 16. but shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness, and their message will spread like cancer. Aeminius and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past, and they overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal, the Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Oh, may that be true of every one of us, that we would hate iniquity, we would depart from it. But Paul has to encourage Timothy to engage in church discipline so that the heresy wouldn't spread like cancer. And as I mentioned last week, Timothy and the whole presbytery took these two letters very, very seriously. And within one year of this letter being written, so two years of 1 Timothy, but within one year of this letter, the entire presbytery was cleansed of heresy and heretics. Church restoration is possible, and if you want to read that on your own, we read it last week, but Revelation 2, 1 through 7 tells us that success story. Verse 20, but in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor, some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lust." Let me just stop there for a moment. There are some sins you don't stick around and fight. you run, right? Just like Joseph didn't stick around and say, oh, I'm going to stand strong while Potiphar's wife messes with me. No, he ran. He fled out of there. So he says, flee from also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of the pure heart. All believers are called to pursue righteousness, to not be lackadaisical about it. To be righteous, you have to be committed to the metaphors in this chapter. To be a student of the word, a soldier, a dedicated athlete, a worker. So even your own sanctification does not come easily. You know, we started off saying an elder's job is tough. I'm saying every one of your jobs is tough. You're gonna be sanctified? Embrace toughness, do hard things. Verse 23, but avoid foolish and ignorant disputes knowing that they generate strife. You know, a lot of times Facebook degenerates into exactly this, endless foolish disputes that go nowhere. I've had to learn over time not to get sucked into these debates that, you know, they call them trolls, I think, They go onto everybody's Facebook page trying to get people involved in some kind of a debate. And if you know that the person is a troll, he's constantly trying to debate, just defriend him. Defriend him. What does Paul say? Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. Verse 24, and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, and humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance. so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. So that's the goal of discipline, it's restoration. Even excommunication is not to get rid of people, it's to bring them to repentance, to restore them to Christ. An elder must be able to do that kind of counseling, warning, teaching, rescue work. Let's read the verses in the second E section. Beginning at chapter three, verse 10. But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecution, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me." Now, there's a ton in there we can't get into, but let me just point out two things. The first is there are some things you can't learn from the book. The only way you're going to learn them is by actually doing them and imitating people and being involved with other mentors. The word for carefully followed there deals with learning in close quarters with a person. This was the way that Jesus taught His disciples. They watched Him, imitated Him, were guided by Him, they hung around Him. It's discipleship. It's one of the reasons why this church, right from its inception, decided we weren't going to be like other churches and just emphasize the pulpit. We were going to try to have one-on-one meetings with the men and then occasionally with the the women, but we encourage women to do the same kind of mentoring with each other. We've gotten to a place where we don't have enough elders, especially with Rodney gone. What used to be at least once a month we wanted to meet with the men, now it's become logistically very, very, almost impossible. But the point is, there are some things that are better done one-on-one than from the pulpit. So, for example, how do you learn from a book how to have long-suffering, have perseverance, and face persecution? I mean, it really takes being persecuted before you're going to learn that. How do you learn from a book how to ride a bike? No, you just get on a bike and you fall off. You get on, you fall off, until finally you find your way and you wobbly are able to ride that bike. You learn by trying. And there is so much you can learn from others if you'd be willing to be involved in mentorship from fellow members. Second, God delivered Paul out of all previous persecutions. That didn't mean he didn't suffer. He's not saying he delivered him out of all suffering. The long litany of things that he suffered is astonishing. It's listed for you in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. But Paul's point is you cannot die any sooner than it is God's time for you to die. And that helps you to face these persecutions with confidence. You cannot die sooner than it's God's call for you to die. But that God ordained his first century saints to face persecution could be seen in verses 12 and following. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, but evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Those scriptures that Timothy was brought up on, everybody agrees, were the Old Testament scriptures. Now, both of these E sections deal with scripture-saturated and grace-filled ministries. But notice what all of the Old Testament scriptures are sufficient for. Beginning to read at verse 16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. The scripture is sufficient for pastoral ministry, period, and it's sufficient to equip us for all of life. And so Paul gives the charge to stay faithful to the scriptures in chapter 4, verses 1 through 5. I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead, it is appearing in his kingdom, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. I mean, every word in that section should be meditated on deeply by those who are aspiring to the office of eldership and those who are already elders. It's a huge calling, but it's an absolutely essential calling. Those who are called should have this inward compulsion. Woe is me if I do not preach everything that Christ has called me to preach. These sections, I think, are a rebuke to the seeker-sensitive movement. I think they're a rebuke to the name-it-and-claim-it prosperity gospel. They are a rebuke to the postmodern wishy-washy a church that does not want to offend anybody. And Paul basically would tell them, hey, if you guys have not offended anybody in all your years of ministry, you've never named heretics out there and gotten flack for it, you got a different gospel. You're certainly not imitating the Apostle Paul, who freaked out people by naming them and inspired epistles. You know, he called heresy what it was. He took down the strongholds of Satan that were out there. But that brings us to the heart of the book, chapter 3, verses 1 through 9. And the heart of the book gives the messy realism of errors that elders must deal with, as well as the hope that their ministry will not be in vain. They will receive a harvest from their ministry. Now, granted, Paul is describing the worst apostasy in world history that had happened in the years leading up to 8070. Most of the persecution ended in 8068 when Nero died, but they do show the tendency of the flesh, the world, and the devil to draw the church away from the law and the gospel really in any age. On my own timeline of my life, in which I have mapped out everything that God has prepared me for from the time that I was born to the present, and it includes my mission statement. I drew it kind of like an arrow with the point of the arrow pointing, piercing into the last column, which is black. So it's piercing into the darkness in which is written all of the things that I've grown over, that I am passionate about changing and seeing the law and the gospel applied to. Well, that's the way that I see this central section here. These are the things that Paul and Timothy wept over. They pounded the table on as they interceded before God. They said, Lord, would you change these things? These are the things they were not satisfied with until God's grace changed it. So let's end by reading chapter three, verses one through nine, which by the way, I can't end, which by the way, every one of you are supposed to be arrows piercing that same darkness. Isn't that what parents are raising up their children to do? They're arrows to pierce the darkness, make a difference in that darkness, ask for God's kingdom to come, His will to be done through you in that darkness so that His will happens more and more right here on earth. So, yes, they're describing the last days that Paul and Timothy were experiencing, but I think this describes the human heart in any age. And if any of this darkness describes you, repent of it, turn from it, bow your necks before the conquering scepter of King Jesus. I'll begin reading chapter 3, verse 1. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power, and from such people turn away. For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, Now as Janus and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith. But praise God for the hope that's given in the last verse, that the great apostasy would be reversed. Hallelujah. Paul says, but, and I love that but, but they will progress no further. Praise God, they will progress no further for their folly will be manifest to all as theirs also was. So this speaks of the self-defeating nature of apostasy and sin. But it also speaks of the gospel being more powerful than evil. It speaks of the growth of the kingdom over history. As Romans 520 words it, where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Do we live in a time when sin abounds? Yes. But that means we also live in a time when grace abounds much more, right? So don't ever think that your particular sins are stronger than the gospel to be able to conquer. God's grace abounds much more. Whenever we and wherever we apply grace, it can conquer and overcome evil. We need to believe that. Wherever we shine the light of his kingdom, his kingdom will gain the ascendancy. Now, the sad part is that Christians and even Christian ministers are ashamed of shining the light of God into the city council, into the unicameral, into Washington, D.C. Now, I praise God. I met yesterday with Virgil Walker. I praise God for men like Virgil Walker and Daryl Harrison who are willing to take on, tackle the strongholds, the high things in our nation that have established themselves against the knowledge of God. They are doing their utmost, and they're receiving a lot of flak. And I would encourage you to pray for those two men and other men like them. But most men, most Christians nowadays are trying to just get along, to survive. They've been fooled by pietistic teaching that it's not going to make any difference anyway, so why try? They have been fooled by the heresy of pluralism and are convinced we'll be wiped out if we don't embrace pluralism. That's going backwards. That's making peace with evil. And I say never, never, never. Pluralism doesn't make peace with Christ and Christ doesn't make peace with pluralism. Not at all. So pluralism really was the camel's head into the tent of our nation that eventually has pushed Christians out of the public arena. Grace more abounding must be brought back into every area of life. Now, whatever happens in our own day, let's make chapter 1 verse 12 our theme. For this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him until that day. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this powerful book of 2 Timothy, so needed in our own day of apostasy. And we pray that you would wake up the church of Jesus Christ to take the principles of this book seriously and to tackle the strongholds that are all around us, to not fear them, but to boldly be willing to lay down our lives in the cause of Christ. You are the one who conquered us. We were your enemies, and yet you have brought us into your kingdom of light, and it is our glory to serve you, to follow you, to advance your kingdom. And so we pray, Father, that you would bless this people with a renewed energy to serve you, to love you, to lay down their lives for you. Help them to do hard things in their marriages. Help them to do hard things with their siblings. Help them, Father, to imitate the elders of this book who are willing to do hard things if you were glorified. Bless this, your people, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.