Christ's name. Amen. There are many visitors here. We preach through books, letters of the Bible. That's our typical pattern. I preach about every six weeks or so, about 10 times a year. I'm going through 2nd Timothy right now. And in 2nd Timothy, we've gone through verses 1 through 7 in chapter 1. We're going to continue in 2nd Timothy chapter 1. So if you have your copy of your scriptures, you could open up to that. Or if you have the Bible on your phone, you should open up to that because we're going to be looking at the word of God. I'm not here to give you a TED talk. I'm not here to prop you up. I'm not here to give you words of comfort and say, they're there, you're okay, you're good. This is not what preaching is. Preaching is we take what God has said and what God has spoken through the apostles and the prophets as the foundation, and we bring it to light, what it says, and then we apply it to you. That's what it means to accurately handle the word of truth, which Paul says to Timothy in chapter 2, verse 15, which is what I just prayed. And the scriptures, and the reason why we do this is because in chapter 3, verse 16, all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction. And that assumes that we need correction, which we do. We believers need correction. We unbelievers need correction for training in righteousness so that the man of God, the woman of God, may be adequate, equipped for every good work. And that's the aim today, is that we would be equipped for every good work that God has prepared us beforehand to walk in. And so in the first few verses of 1 Timothy, we have seen that Paul is exhorting his beloved son, it's his spiritual son, exhorting him to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in him. That is the ministry that has been handed to Timothy that he would fulfill his ministry, which it says in chapter 4. And this whole letter is about Timothy fulfilling his ministry. Because this is Paul's last letter. He is on his deathbed. He's not on his deathbed, he is in a death sentence. He is going to die. This is his last words. So what is he doing? In verse 3, 4, and 5, he reminds Timothy of the sincere faith which is in him. And this is a generational faith. You come to faith, And that is going to affect your generations. Children, you come to faith today, and that is going to affect your generations that you have not even thought about yet. But God has. We'll see that. The sincere faith is a generational faith. He saw it in Timothy's mother, grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice. And he is sure, Paul is sure this is in Timothy as well. Because of this incentive of faith, Paul says, This gift is that ministry that Timothy has been called to and appointed to just like Paul was appointed to ministry in verse 11. We'll get to it. You may not be called to gospel proclamation ministry where you stand in front of the church and you take the word of God and you have the responsibility to apply the word of God and accurately handle. You may not have that, but if you are a human, you have a responsibility to your neighbor because the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and the second is like it. What is that? neighbor as yourself. And what greater love is there than to proclaim the gospel? You do have a ministry, and you are to fan that ministry, fan into flame that gift. And so does Timothy, and that's what Paul is doing right here. And then Timothy reminds Paul reminds Timothy of the spirit which he has been given, not the Holy Spirit, but the spirit of power and love and of discipline. This is a spirit, a changed spirit, changed intentions, where once we loved our sin and once we desired to follow the ways of this world, walking in death, and the spirit, after conversion, after the sincere faith happens, God gives us a change of heart and mind and soul and purpose in conformity to His will, and He gives us the power to do it. He gives us a love to do it, and He gives us the ability to discipline ourselves to do it. He does. But there's something that's wrong. He says, he hasn't given us a spirit, in verse seven, of timidity. Of timidity. And I'm positive that that is kind of showing a little bit of Timothy. And I think it shows a little bit of us as well. We have been given a great responsibility to proclaim Christ, but we are timid. We are timid. Think about the opportunities you've had to proclaim Christ and think of the opportunities you have let go by because, well, you might be timid. Kind of worried about what might happen. This is a long flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. I don't want to talk to this person about the gospel because if it goes bad, that's gonna be a long flight. I'd rather sleep. I work with this person. It's gonna be a long tenure at this job if I help share the gospel, if I proclaim the truth about Christ. This is my family. I could be ostracized for my family if I proclaim Christ. So Timothy, perhaps dealing with timidity. And there's lots of reasons too. He's relatively young. Paul says in the first letter of Timothy, he's dealing with illness, physical ailments. I think many of us can relate to that. Probably struggles financially. That's why Paul tells Timothy to instruct the church to pay their pastors. And he's timid because false teachers and apostates seem to be popping up everywhere, infiltrating the church, wrangling about words, men like Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have gone astray from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some, and he has to confront these people. Also, there's opposition from outside. Alexander the coppersmith did Paul much harm. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds, but be on guard against him yourself, Timothy, for he has vigorously opposed our teaching. So, this is what Paul is looking at, and he is begging Timothy not to turn away from the faith like those men in verse 15. You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. Don't do it, Timothy. I understand there's many reasons, your own illness, your own youth, you're surrounded by apostates, you're surrounded by false teachers. But God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. And now Paul exhorts Timothy again. Paul exhorts Timothy in verse eight. Do not be ashamed. Do not be ashamed. Therefore, since you have a sincere faith, since you've been given this gospel ministry, since you've been given a spirit of power, love, and discipline, therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me, his prisoner. There's two reasons right here why he could be ashamed. One, because of the gospel which he proclaims, which is a stumbling block to the Jew, and it is foolishness to the Gentile, as Paul says elsewhere. And he has a reason to be perhaps put to shame because, hey, Timothy, your spiritual father, Paul, the guy who trained you, he's in prison, isn't he? He's about to get his head chopped off, isn't he? Yeah, that's a nice future for you, Timothy. A couple of reasons why Timothy could be potentially ashamed, but Paul says, no, don't. Don't be ashamed. But furthermore, he says not only don't be ashamed, but he says this, but join with me. Join with me in the blessings, join with me in the fruit, join with me in the financial success of ministry. No, join with me in suffering for the gospel. So Timothy, who is already dealing with a relative youthful age, already people probably looking down on him, he's also probably sick, always feeling sick in his stomach. I remember one time Chris Draeger comes and he preaches at GCBC and he had stomach cancer and he could barely speak, but he was up there preaching. probably bad stomach, all that. He's probably financially stressed. He's got all, so he's got all this stuff going on that has really nothing to do with the gospel itself. Now he's supposed to add to that suffering for the gospel. So just think about your life for a second. What are you suffering through right now? In the congregation, we're suffering through a lot of illnesses, a lot of children who are sick, a lot of discouragement in relationships, broken relationships everywhere. If you are here and you don't have a broken relationship somewhere, that is a surprise. Broken relationships everywhere. We have wayward children who have grown up at this church We have financial stress, we have job loss, and we just are generally saying with the psalmist, my soul, why are you so downcast, my soul, why? And on top of that, I'm gonna tell you, hey, add to that more suffering because you need to fulfill that ministry you've been called to. And that is a gospel ministry. So Timothy gets this letter from his beloved father, his spiritual father, Paul. Maybe he knows, maybe he doesn't know it's going to be his last letter. He's reading this and it's, Timothy, your sincere faith. Remember when I laid hands on you. and imparted that gift to you and appointed you to gospel ministry, you remember that? And remember, you experience the spirit of God, which is in you, that spirit of power and love and discipline, remember that. Hey, hey, come join with me in suffering. But that's the call. We are to unashamedly suffer for the gospel. That's what we are called to do. And we're not suffering for no reason. Wait, let's see. Was that a double negative? We are not suffering for no reason. We are suffering for a purpose. It says, join with me in suffering for the gospel. For the gospel. But how? How are we going to voluntarily suffer for the gospel. What does it say here? According to the power of God. By the power of God. You are not going to be able to suffer for the gospel on your own account. You're very young. It's going to be a long life. You're going to have to choose every day to suffer. But suffer by the power of God. That's what Paul goes to right away. He focuses on God. And oddly enough, when he says suffer by the power of God, it's not a message about the power of God that becomes the main focus. What is the main focus of the next verse? What does your translation say that, what starts verse nine? What starts your translation? Does it start who? Does some, maybe some don't start with who? Not exactly sure. But that's a good translation. Who. Not what. Before Paul talks about the what, the details of the gospel, Paul talks about the God of the gospel. He talks about this one that he knows. He describes God first. He says, who has, what, saved us and called us. In the Greek, a good translation would actually be the calling one of us, or the saving one of us, the saving one of us. the calling with a holy calling one of us. He is talking about God. He's not just talking about what God does, he's talking about who God is. And I was going to read to you, I'm super tempted to just open up Isaiah and start reading from 43 to the end, but it talks about the holy one of Israel, your Savior. There is no Savior beside me who have declared and saved the Redeemer. The Redeemer, I have redeemed you. I'm your Redeemer. He says in 45, 21 and 22. Isaiah 45, 21 and 22. I wonder if I actually do have it here. 45, 21 and 22 says, Declare and set forth your case. Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? and there is no other God beside me, a righteous God and a Savior. There is none except me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other." God is a saving God. He saved Noah from the flood. He saved Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He saved Joseph from his brothers. He saved Jacob from a famine. He saved Israel out of slavery from Egypt. He saved David from Goliath, from Saul, from Achish, and Gad. The Lord can save you out of all your troubles. God is a saving God. He's not just a saving God, but He's a calling with a holy calling God. What kind of calling is this? Is this a calling to general salvation that I do right now? I call you to repent and believe in this saving God. Is this a calling to vocational ministry as Paul and Timothy have received? I don't think it's either of those. This is what this calling is. This is a salvific calling. God is a saving God, and as he saves, he calls you. And if you have believed, you have been called with a holy calling type of salvation. Theologians call this an effectual call. Here's what we learn in Titus chapter 3, verse 5. Titus chapter 3, verse 5, just a couple pages over to your right. He saved us. not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, and we'll get to that in a moment, but according to his mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. He has saved us with a holy calling and regenerated us by the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit. This is how powerful this God is. This is how powerful this God is. He saves us. He calls us. What's this holy calling? What's this holy calling? The ESV says, to a holy calling, okay? I think that confuses things. If you see a footnote in the ESV, it says with. So just, you know what? ESV, just get rid of the footnote and just put with in there, okay? NASB says, with a holy calling. Okay, why with a holy calling? And why do I think that is accurate? Because God is holy. And we're not really here in this passage. We're not here, we're not being called to something necessarily. This is about God. Paul is not here in this passage calling us to do something. This is him telling us who God is. He is the one who saves. He is the one who, with his own holy calling, and we'll see that in just a second, with his own holy calling on his own counsel, called us. But what's interesting is that this holy calling actually creates a little bit of a dilemma. Because God is going to save sinners, of whom Paul admits he is the worst. And I'll have to say, of whom, of everyone I know and everyone I'm looking at right now and everyone I've heard about in history, all I know is I'm the worst sinner that I know. But that's a dilemma for a holy God. So how could a holy God just swipe away sin, wretchedness, wickedness? Imagine today, Hitler goes on trial and a judge says, you know what, I'm feeling very generous. Hitler, you go free. Go do what you want. Imagine that. That judge probably wouldn't last a couple minutes. He'd probably be torn apart. So this creates a dilemma, this calling with a holy calling. Creates a dilemma, which God solves in verse 10, and we'll get to that. So the first thing Paul says in encouraging Timothy to suffer for the gospel and be not ashamed is because of God. God, through his Holy Spirit, saves us. God, through His Holy Spirit, calls us, and that calling did something. It did something. It did not leave us to our own devices. It saved us. And two, continuing on with this God-centeredness, God-centered argument, called us with holy calling, not according to our works. There is nothing you can do to earn this salvation. There is nothing you can do to make God call you. There isn't. And the reason why I know that is not just because it's my theology that knows it, and I don't have to go to Ephesians. You know what I have to do? I just have to go to the end of the verse. which He granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. Were you there in eternity? Who was there? Who was there from all eternity? God. Just God. Just Him. Were you there? No. So from all eternity, God did this. And it's not according to your works. And as Ephesians does say, so that no man can boast. It's not what he says here. That's definitely assumed right there. Not according to our works, but according to what? His own purpose and grace. This is actually emphatic here in the Greek, because in the Greek construction it says, it says, who has saved and then us. No, let's see, let's get back to this. I knew I should have grabbed my Greek, I'm just not, okay. Let's see if I can reconstruct this. Not according to the works of us. That's how the Greek says. Not according to what? Works of us. But he says, but according to his own. So you see that he switches the works of us and then he switches that grammatical structure. His own purpose. It's emphatic. This is not anybody else's purpose. This salvation and this calling doesn't come from you at all. You could go to church every day of your life, every single day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You could pray every day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. You could share the gospel every day. You could play the piano in church every Sunday. You could pour out your life to anything. And that still will not affect God's salvation and calling of you. That is how much your works count for anything in salvation. You cannot do anything. It is according to His own purpose. What is His purpose? Oh man, if we knew the mind of God and His purposes, there's just no possible way we could find out what His purposes are. What is the purpose of the furthest molecule away from us right at this moment? What is the purpose of something that humanity can't even see or can't even fathom? What is the purpose of that? I don't know, but I'm not God. I don't need to know. What is the purpose of as I'm driving here from home, I'm driving and a bird flies in front of me and he misses my windshield, but his wing clips The radio antenna. The Lord sees the sparrow, does not fall from the ground without him caring. What is the purpose of that? I don't know. But he grants us salvation. He calls us with a holy calling. not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. This is that unmerited favor to undeserving sinners. In fact, it's not just that we're undeserving. We are literally rebelling against him when we are called. We are actively enemies of God. until the Lord saves us and gives us grace. Unmerited favor. Unmerited favor. And this is the plan of the Father. This is the plan of the Father. If we look back at Ephesians, we can turn to Ephesians for just a moment here. In Ephesians chapter one, verse nine, I mean, we could read the whole chapter again. I mean, geez, I could probably read this and just go home. Verse nine, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to the kind intention of his, according to the kind intention which he, what? Purposed in him, that's Christ. That's the same Greek word, but it's the verb form. The purpose, the prothesin. He purposed in Christ Jesus. Verse 11, also we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose, who works all things after the counsel of Bobby's will, Jeanette's will. No. His will. God the Father has purposed, has created a purpose in Christ Jesus. So we've seen the Holy Spirit working in our salvation, in our calling. This is how God saves us through the Holy Spirit. You got the Father who has a purpose and a plan and grace to give, which creates a problem, remember. Grace to give to undeserved sinners, to rebels, to wicked sinners. But we must not forget Christ Jesus. His own purpose and grace, which was granted us. His grace granted us in Christ Jesus. and all the sinners saved by grace who have been called to walk in the works he predestined for us to do, we say amen. Amen. Christ Jesus, God the Son. So Paul is telling Timothy, look to God. Look to God. Look at what He did in the Holy Spirit in saving us and calling us. Look at what the Father has done in purposing in His own purpose and plan in grace. Look at what the Son has done, which we'll look at in a moment, but we have to get back to this. When was this all granted? This was granted in Christ Jesus, but when? from all eternity. Again, who was there? Were you there? No. Did God search through down the portal of time and say, hey, Jeremy, Jeremy's gonna, he's gonna believe me, so I'm gonna call him. No. It was the plan of God, the purpose of God from all eternity, from times eternal. From the times eternal, God the Father already had this plan that he would save individuals like us by the Holy Spirit through regeneration, through the Holy Spirit. And this would be accomplished in Christ Jesus. So here we are. Paul has now firmly set Timothy on God. on God. He hasn't even explained the gospel yet. He is firmly set on God himself. But he doesn't sit there, because the question lingers, how can a holy God give grace to sinners? Well, we continue. Verse 10. Christ Jesus. Remember, that's the last person we were talking about. This grace was granted in Christ Jesus. And this was done from all eternity. So we have this, not contrast, but complement of this plan from all eternity now being revealed. Now being enacted, verse 10. But now has been revealed by what? The appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. The incarnation. God saves us in three movements. You have to understand this and you have to believe this because if you don't, everything I've said is worthless rubbish. So you have to get this. but now has been revealed by the appearing, by the appearing, by the incarnation of our Savior Christ Jesus. And in John chapter one, he talks about exactly this. John chapter one. If you're quick, you can go there. I didn't plan this. Let's see how this goes. John chapter one. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So who was there? God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. That's who was there. Not you. God. He was in the beginning with God. He was God. He was with God. That's the Trinity. That's our triune God. All things came into being through, he was in the beginning with God, verse three, all things came into being through him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being. In him was life and the life was the light of men appearing. Light. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it. Now we get to John, okay, John the Baptist. Verse nine, let's go to verse nine. There was the true light, by the way, John, John proclamation ministry, suffering, beheaded, okay? This isn't new. This is nothing new, okay? The calling to suffering. Verse nine, there was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man, the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He was in the world and the world was made through him. God created the world, Jesus created the world and the world did not know him. He came to his own and those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name. Believe this, God. Believe in Him. He is the Savior, not you. Turn to Him, who were born not of the flesh, born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man. Nothing you can do, no works, but the will of God, purpose and plan of God. And the word became what? We know this. What did the word become? Flesh. As Pastor Jeff always says, he took on this stuff. He's always doing that, took on this stuff. Jesus Christ took on flesh with all of its ailments, with all of its dirtiness, its stink pores, It's taste buds, it's eyes, it's seeing, everything, hair, whatever it is. Jesus took that on. Could you imagine being God and then having to deal with this? Having to deal with that? This is foolishness. The Greeks would have none of it. The Gentiles, none of it. That's foolishness. And it's a stumbling block to the Jew. But Jesus Christ appeared, he took on flesh, and what did he do? He lived a perfect life. Why does he have to live the perfect life? Because God requires perfection. He requires it. And that's the dilemma, isn't it? That God is a holy God who requires perfection is giving grace to those who are imperfect. How? Because Jesus appeared. He took on flesh and he lived the perfect life. Every thought, every deed, every footstep, every movement of his hand, every word spoken, every emotion felt perfect. Christ Jesus. He had to live it because we can't. Because we can't. And we don't. Just ask my kids, ask my wife, I don't. And don't you hate it? Don't you just hate it? Why do I have to lose my temper? Why do I have to say these words? Why do I have to think these thoughts? Why do I have to go to this place? Why do I have to drink that? Why do I have to? Why do I always have to? I told myself I'd be loving to my neighbor. No, we are not perfect. And that's why salvation could not be according to our works. It has to be according to grace in Christ Jesus, who lived the perfect life in His incarnation, His appearing. And He fulfilled His ministry. He fulfilled His ministry perfectly. But it's not just that. What else happens? Who did what? Abolished death. Now it's getting a little bit more interesting. This holy God, who cannot pardon sinners, otherwise he's going to be unholy, now comes and he has lived the perfect life, but there's still a debt to pay. Well, Christ, in his crucifixion, abolished death. Second movement, here we go. He abolished death. How? He suffered physical torment at the hand of wicked men. He was scourged, he was beaten, his flesh was torn, crown of thorns, big thorns, big thorns, not little tiny thorns from like maybe a little rose bush I have in my garden, big thorns pushed into his skull. suffering torment for the gospel, for the good news, for you, because you deserved it, for me, because I deserved it. The nails that pierced his hands, the nails that pierced through his feet, big nails, not the little nail that you got poked by when you were trying to make that chicken coop. Pierced. to the cross. But the physical torment is not the most important aspect. That's not what destroyed death. What destroyed death is that while Christ willingly went to the cross and was pierced to the cross, he suffered eternity, an eternity of the wrath of God, an eternity of torment, He suffered the eternal death we deserved. He didn't just suffer physical death. Everyone could get nailed to a cross, and that does nothing for their sin. But Christ suffered the eternal wrath of God. The eternal cup of wrath poured out on Him. He drank it to the dredges. He took the eternal wrath of God and he did it in six hours. And then he says to Telestai, it is finished. He abolished death. He did it. You don't have to die eternally anymore. All the suffering in this world can be the only suffering that you face. You don't have to suffer eternally because Christ did. God came down and he suffered the eternal wrath of God and he abolished death. He abolished death. It is no longer a threat to those who are in Christ. Do you know where the safest place? Matthias, where's the safest place in a fire, in a forest fire? Where's the safest place? In a lush green pasture or trees, around trees? No. It's where it's already been burnt, right? It's where it's already been burnt. Christ has been burnt. And you need to be in Him. Because that's where grace is found. That is the safest place. The God whom we should fear is the God who came to us to live the perfect life on our behalf and to die on our behalf. The God who we should fear, the God who is the most dangerous to us, is the one who says, come. Come to me. Believe me. Find yourself in me. Repent of your sin and believe me. I am the safest to you because I'm a saving God. I'm a calling God. I'm the one who gives the Holy Spirit. I'm the one who planned this. I'm the one who comes down. And death is abolished. You don't have to suffer. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. None of it. Any of this foolishness of how I must suffer something in order to be acceptable to God is rubbish. It is garbage. It is trash. You're spitting on Jesus's sacrificial death when you do that. When you say, I have to work for this. I have to suffer for this. Nonsense. The eternal God has suffered everything and he abolished death. Real time, in real human history, with real flesh and blood, he did it. Christ satisfied it all. But he not only abolished death by dying on the cross, What happened? It's the third movement. What does Paul say? He says, and brought life and immortality to light. The resurrection. Jesus came back from the dead. He was raised from the dead. And Paul says, In 1 Corinthians 15, he says, O death, where is your victory? Verse 55, O death, where is your sting? 56, the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Christ Jesus. That victory is the life he gives to us and immortality We no longer have eternal death waiting for us. We have eternal life waiting for us because Christ was resurrected. Because Christ was resurrected. We see this in the scripture reading this morning from Ephesians chapter one, verse 18. This is my prayer. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of his calling. What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints? And what is the surpassing greatness of His what? Power. The power. I lost track of where I was. Something about His power. Toward us who what? Who what? Believe. The power towards us who believe. These are according with the working of the strength of His might, which He brought forth in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly places. The power of God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And if He can do that, if He can accept Jesus as Christ, life, death, In His resurrection, if He can accept that life and death, the substitute, He accepts that, and He confirms that acceptance by raising Him from the dead, death can't keep a perfect man dead. Death can't keep holiness dead. Has to be alive. Jesus has to be alive. And we can be alive because we believe in Christ. His robes for mine. My filthy rags I give to Him. He gives to me His perfection, His substitution. My debt has been paid because I believe in Him. And we know it's true. We know that death has been conquered and we know life and immortality has been granted because Christ was raised from the dead, the resurrection. And what else? He ascended to heaven. And what does Ephesians say? We are sat positionally, we are not literally sitting in heaven with Christ right now, but we are so identified with Jesus Christ when we put our faith in him, so identified that Paul can say we are seated with him right now, positionally, because we are so identified with Christ, God, because God That's how powerful of a God we have. That's the one Paul is appealing to. St. Timothy, turn away from shame and share in my suffering. How? By remembering God. What God has done. Remembering the gospel for ourselves. That God mightily worked in our hearts. by saving us, by raising us up from the dead, by giving us life and immortality. This is all through the gospel. This is why Paul says in Romans chapter one, I can't wait to come to you Romans, Roman Christians, to share in you with the gospel, to proclaim the gospel to you believers, to proclaim the gospel to you believers. The gospel is powerful, to encourage us to walk in the ways that God has planned for us to walk. And that includes the suffering. That includes the suffering. God's power. You try to suffer in this life on your own? No. You have to suffer by the power of God, this mighty God. So what's the response? What's the response? Well, verse 11, except, if you're taking notes, I wrote, except your appointment. Accept what you have been appointed to do. Paul says to Timothy, fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through laying on of my hands. That appointment to ministry that I gave you, Timothy, except that, because I did, Paul says in verse 11, for which, so the gospel proclamation, for which I was appointed a preacher. I was appointed to preach the gospel, and I was appointed as an apostle, and appointed as a teacher. It's interesting, in the rest of the book, he does not identify Timothy as an apostle. There are no apostles after Paul. He says he is the last one, but he does continue to tell Timothy, preach the word. He does tell them to teach. Teach and preach the word. Because Paul says, I have. At the end of the book he says, and I am already being poured out as a drink offering. And the time of my departure has come. He's looking at death. He's on death row. He says, this is what I've been appointed to. Timothy, please do it too. Don't turn away. My brother and my sister, don't turn away from what God has called you to. If it is as a father, then be a foddler under God's power. If it's to be a mother, be a mother under God's power. If it's to be a neighbor, and we're all neighbors, be a neighbor under God's power. Remember God, accept what he has given to you to do. Accept the gospel ministry. You might be tempted to hear me say, well, I'm suffering because of this reason and that reason. And it's like, no, no, this is not what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about you decided to gamble $20,000 at Mystic Lake Casino, and you lost it all, and you're like, well, I guess that was God's will. That's not what I'm talking about at all. Sometimes we suffer because we're just stupid, and we disobey God. Stop it. Stop it. Sometimes our soul is so downcast, and you're like, why are you downcast my soul? And God says, because, I left my phone, because, You open up your phone, you open up your tablet, you open up your computer, and you do a ton of stuff you know not to do. Why am I so downcast, oh my soul? And God says it's because you are a liar. Because you lied. Why are you so downcast, oh my soul? God says it's because you are lazy. Get to work, okay? So don't hear me say, oh, I'm just gonna, oh, oh. This is the plan and purpose of God. I guess there's nothing for me to do. If I believed that, I would probably still be sitting at home. What's the purpose of me preaching to you? It's because I want you to see a great God. I want you to believe Him. And we have to believe Him. And to believe Him is to walk in the ways that He has called us to walk, in the good works which He prepared beforehand. So we need to walk. according to God's will and what he has called us to actively do. Accept your appointment, just like Paul did, just like John the Baptist did. just like Timothy is encouraged to do. Second, entrust yourself to God, verse 12. For this reason, I also suffer these things, but I'm not ashamed. Paul, Paul can say this honestly. Why? Because he has, he's relied on this God. He's relied on this God. He knows this God. He's memorized His Word. He's hidden it in His heart. He proclaims His Word. He believes it. He trusts it. And therefore, at the end of His life, He says, He says, bring the parchments, because I need this Word. I need that God. I need to remember that God. I need to look at Him, because even I forget. He's saying, for this reason I also suffer these things, but I'm not ashamed. So Timothy, please join with me in suffering and don't be ashamed. Four, I know whom I have believed. Again, God. Not what. It's not just this what that I believe. It is who I believe. I know whom I have believed. And I am convinced. So he believes this God and then he is convinced that this God is powerful enough He is able to guard what is entrusted to him until that day. And the question becomes, what has Paul entrusted to God? And I'm so tempted to just take this verse and preach it in about six weeks. But I won't. Because you must entrust yourself to God. So you need to know what this is. What is it? What is Paul entrusting to God? Is it this gospel message? Okay. God, who is the saving God, who is the calling God, who planned and purposed all things in Christ Jesus from eternity, he needs Paul to entrust him with that message that he ordained and thought of and enacted? No. No. What is it that Paul has entrusted to this God? It's the thing for which he suffers, the fact that he has been appointed as a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. It's not just his ministry. It's everything. He is entrusting himself to God. Because he believes this God with his whole heart, his whole life, and he's convinced of this God in everything, and he has given everything up to this God. He has given every relationship up to this God. He's given every financial decision he has made up to this God. He has given every step of his foot up to God. It's a reason why he's a prisoner. It's because he has given himself up. He is entrusting himself to God because he knows he will not die until God is ready to call him home. And it's the same with us. You will not take one more breath or one less breath than what God has ordained for you. So if it's something as easy as your breath, you can entrust everything to Him. You can give everything to Him. But if you have not believed this God, if you have not believed that Jesus Christ in human history enacted the plan of God from all eternity in His life, death, and resurrection, if you don't believe that, then there's no entrusting yourself to God. You are a rebel. So right now, you need to trust this God. You need to believe Him. You need to believe that your works mean nothing in salvation. It is the grace of God, and you need to repent of your sin, and you need to turn to Him in trust and faith. And believer, there may be things you need to repent of because you may not be walking in what God wants you to walk in, but do it. And trust yourself to Him. He is trustworthy. He is powerful. He is a great God. Let me close in Psalm 37. Psalm 37, this week. Brother, this week, this last couple weeks. I'm discouraged about something, something stupid, you know. It's not really, yeah, maybe it's not stupid, but hey, it's something. And I'm discouraged and I get this text message, Psalm 37, three. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him and what He will do it. Why will He do it? Because He is a powerful God. Let us pray.