Men, this morning we thank you for your gathering with us and we pray that the Lord will bless us as we come to his precious word today. The Lord helping me and helping you as we come to his precious word. We come now to the seventh sermon or message on the subject of biblical manhood. I want to quickly review what we have seen so far in our series of studies. We have looked ultimately at the greatest of all men and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, very God and very man. He is the great example of us all of what a man should be, a godly man, a Christian man, one who follows Christ. And of course he does have a bride, his church. And that is who we are primarily to be concerned about. Not only about our own wives, if God has blessed us with one, and children, but we are particularly to be concerned about his kingdom and his righteousness. So we need to keep that in the back of our minds all the time. The Lord Jesus Christ, the great example. We have seen, however, examples of godly men in the scriptures. What it means to be a biblical man. As we said in our first series of studies, it's not the John Wayne character, the rough and the rugged type of person, really who didn't know God. I know that's a caricature maybe that can be conveyed. There's something wholesome, however, about that character, a man of practical ability but also of wisdom. But here we're speaking about spiritual wisdom, wisdom that is from above. Today we find so many men that are weak, that will not stand up for the truth. The modern man, the idea of a man today is not that of the Bible, a man who's a pushover, a man that is afraid to speak up. A Christian is neither of those. A man of God is To be meek, even as we have read here of Timothy, he was to be strong, yet he was to be meek. So a Christian man really is a man of the Word of God. Really a man who has a reverential fear. And all of this comes out of being saved. The psalmist tells us that there is mercy with the Lord, Psalm 130 verse 4, that he may be feared. that God may be honored. God has saved us to honor Him. And that is who we should fear above all. We should not fear men. We should not fear our reputation. We should not fear anything but God. That is the chief thing in our life. We are to live what is called Korem Deo. Constantly before the Lord. That's how we are to live. A real man of God lives before the Lord. It was true of the Lord Jesus Christ, prophesized of Him in Isaiah 11 before He would come into the world, that He would have the spirit of fear and of knowledge. The Lord Jesus, when He came into the world, He had that spirit of fear. Fear to offend His heavenly Father. And this is really what is produced in salvation. There's mercy with the Lord, that he might be feared. Now, of course, the Lord Jesus never needed mercy, but he is, remember, the perfect God-man. The whole atmosphere of heaven is one of filial fear, where the angels have never sinned, and yet they fear to offend God. Now, of course, all this comes from a proper sight and understanding and apprehension of God, doesn't it? if we know God to be holy and pure, and that he is offended at sin, and he who has been so merciful to us, so kind, in that he gave his son in whom there was no sin, it should be our greatest grief to offend him. Surely we would all agree with that. Solomon tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Wilhelmus O'Brackell, one of the old men of bygone generations said, to fear God, to know God is to fear God. To truly know Him is to fear Him. To know Him is to know forgiveness. To know that He is holy. To know God is to fear God, he said, and to fear God is to love God. If you love me, keep my commandments. And to love God is to obey God. We cannot say we really love him if we do not have a heart that is inclined to obey him, loving his commandments, being committed to him and to his church. It was, as I said, that of the old godly men that they feared the Lord. It's the mark of the ungodly that there is no fear of God before his eyes. And then secondly, we thought in our next study that really a godly man is a man of prayer. In fact, prayer is the very first thing we do when we're born again. We cry out, Lord, forgive me. Lord, have mercy upon me. And if we truly have been convicted and converted in our hearts, there's ongoing confession of sin, isn't there? There's ongoing prayer. because we know we sin every day. But also it expresses our utter dependency upon God. A godly man knows that he can do nothing without the Lord because he is constantly looking within and he sees how short he comes every day of God's glory. And he cries every day unto the Lord, Lord help me, give me further sight, give me faith, give me understanding. Give me perseverance. So it expresses surely prayer and dependence upon the Lord. Just as a baby when it is born it cries for its parent, so it is for somebody that is born of God, born from above. We cry, Abba Father. Paul tells us it is by that spirit of supplication that we cry, Abba Father. And then what do we cry? We cry for milk. 1 Peter chapter 2 we're told as newborn babes we are to desire the pure milk of God's word. Once we've tasted that the Lord is good, we desire more of his word. Somebody that has no appetite for God's word must question his salvation. And somebody furthermore that does not pray must question their salvation. Because prayer implies dependence, it implies worship. Prayer really is worship, isn't it? We don't just go to God when we need Him, but prayer is devotion. Prayer is rising up every day. And if you men feel low in the morning, begin with praise. Find something good to praise God with. Thank Him for the night's sleep. Thank Him for food. Thank Him for everything. For we deserve nothing. Prayer really should be continual praise. And then bringing our petitions to Him. That's the proper order. And we saw that in the life of Cornelius, didn't we? Cornelius was a devout man. Him and his family. He trained his children in the ways of the Lord. Well, we saw that in Cornelius' life. And so we must be men who know God, and the only way we're going to know God is through prayer and through the Word. Even when we come to the Word, we must pray, Lord, reveal Thyself to me. Lord, open up my understanding. You know, we can so flippantly come to God's Word every day. We can read our morning devotion in just such a dry way that it never ought to be that way. We ought to come, and even the way we come, we come formally to God, don't we? We go and take our shower or whatever, we make sure we're awake, make sure we have had a good night's rest or as best as we can. and then give God the best in the morning. Don't leave prayer to the end of the day. Give him the best. I think I recently sent a quote out by, I can't remember who it was now, but the factually the Puritan was saying, if we leave God out in the morning, we'll not find him during the rest of the day. We've got to rise up in the morning. As the psalmist says in Psalm 5, early in the morning thou will hear my voice. How we need to be men of prayer. How we need to be men of the word of God. We saw that in the third message. The word of God must rule and must regulate our consciences. Not the dictates of what is popular. What is even pleasing to us. The word of God must rule and regulate all of our decisions. We must be men whose consciences are informed by the Word of God. So daily we must seek to know what is the will of God. Many of us might say, I don't know the will of God for my life. Well, the Bible does tell us in Thessalonians, this is the will of God, even your sanctification, to live a sanctified life. If things we are choosing in our life does not tend to our sanctification, and a heart conformed to God, we must say that is not what we would say the prescriptive will of God. There are what we call the decretive will of God, where God decrees certain things. That's very different. It's not as if God has two different wills. God has decreed everything. That concerns His eternal decree. But his prescriptive word is what he prescribes for you and I to do, like a doctor prescribes medication. God's prescription for us is his word, and conformity to his word, and that we live out his word. So, very important to do. Joseph, we thought of in that place, remember when he was brought under many trials. in his life. His brother sold him into slavery and then he finds himself in Potiphar's house and then Potiphar's wife is making all these advances on him. Did he say, well, God put me in this house, I'll take Potiphar's wife, she's making advances on me? No, he said, how can I do this evil and sin against God? We don't use providence to excuse our sin. Well, he needed to take all precautions to avoid sin. And so we must as well. Let us never excuse our sin on providence. Sometimes providence will be a test of whether we are faithful. The trials of life, the difficulties we go through will test our character. And truly, if we are men of God, the Word of God must prevail. over our circumstances. How can I do this great evil and sin against God? He knew God had placed him there, but we know from the word of God, we are told, resist the devil and he will flee from thee. And we know in Joseph's case how he went from there into the prison, but even that was of the Lord's providence, wasn't it? And how the Lord was glorified. He seemed to go, as it were, from one thing to another. But in the end, God was glorified, eventually made prime minister in Egypt. How glorious that is. We will be proven in this life whether we are the lords. Think of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were called to live in a very pagan land. And then Nebuchadnezzar, he had the furnace heated up to a tremendously high extent. And they would not deny their Lord, would they? They said, shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil in all this? Sorry, that was Job. But in their case, that was Job. Job said, When his wife tempted him to curse God and die, he said, shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? And all this did not Job sin with his lips. And in the case of those three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, well, they, even if the Lord did not deliver them from the flames, they were prepared to suffer for the Lord. And so it should be for us in life. We must be men of the Word of God. And again, I was referring to Job just a minute ago. Think of Job when he had ten children taken from him. All of his life stuck. The wealthiest man in all of the East at that time. And his wife said, Job, hast thou lost thine integrity? And then he turned around and said, shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? And we're told in all of this, Job did not sin with his lips. It was a time he really had to stand against what his wife was saying and rebuke her. Well, wisdom does not come from our family, from our wives. It's not even in us. But we are responsible as men in the fourth place, as we think, of the Word of God. The Word of God is to rule in our families. And we are to be men who instruct, as Job did, his family, even when it seemed to his wife that God had abandoned them. But we must stand firm. surely in the hour of trial when even Satan comes in like a flood and will seek to destroy our families. We must be men who stand upon the word of God and who trust him at all times. Job could say, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. After I've been tried, he said, I shall come forth as gold. If we truly are men of God, We believe God will not fail his word, will he? He will not fail us. God is true and he will honor them that honor him. Well, we are to be men of the word of God and we are to walk as godly men and our families are to see by the example that we live. Are we walking in the fear of the Lord? Well, let us ensure that we do so. Fifthly, we considered men, biblical men, are men of conviction and of courage. We thought of godly Jehoadiah. Remember the godly priest in the days of wicked Athaliah who she hid, the little boy who was to be king, and his grandmother slew all the royal seed that was of course there was a king in the south and he died and his mother he was married to Ahab and Jezebel's daughter Athaliah and she slew all the royal seed that would come from Judah and of course the Lord Jesus Christ would come from the tribe of Judah And one little boy was spared, and it was that high priest that took him and hid him within the place of... Have a look there, 2 Chronicles 22.11. But Jehoshabeth, the daughter of the king, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him in his nurse in a bedchamber. Jehoshabith, the daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoah, dear, the priest, for she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. Well, this grandmother killed all of the, who would be heirs to the throne, all of her grandchildren from this line. so that there were to be none from the tribe of Judah. Of course this was spurned by Satan himself. But here was this godly priest and we said he was a man of steel and velvet. A man resolved to do what was honorable. It would have been his neck on the line had Athaliah found out. But such a gentle and gracious man. And we know what happened afterwards, that little boy, although he was spared, he grew up and he killed that priest's son. That was an awful and tragic example, but how godly that priest was and his wife. We ought to be men who are firm, men of, as has been said, of Robert E. Lee, of old in America, he was a man of steel and velvet, so must we be. Of course the great example is the Lord Jesus. He who is mighty and yet he at the same time is gentle and lowly. To be a man of God is to be gentle but strong at the same time. And then last time, sixly, we thought of Stephen, the first martyr in the early church after the ascended Lord Jesus Christ. There in Acts 6, and what did we learn from him? Well, Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. Of course, everybody that is born again has the Holy Spirit. Everyone that is born again knows the Holy Spirit, but there is to be an ongoing infilling of the Holy Spirit. And what does the Holy Spirit teach us? Not only self-control, but the Holy Spirit teaches us the Word of God. And we noted this from the life of Stephen, how he withstood the Sanhedrin council, and how he gave a very powerful testimony of God's working and dealing with the Jewish people. And now how they ultimately rejected the Messiah. They rejected Moses, And Stephen gives a very clear defense, as we said in Acts 7, probably one of the most comprehensive defenses of the faith concerning how God, of course all of that is given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, how God graciously dealt with the Jews and how God has faithfully, as he promised, would send the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen knew his history. Stephen knew his Bible. And that is vital for us as men, if we are to be witnesses. We've got to know the truth, but it is only through, as we submit to the Spirit, that we will be infilled by the Spirit. And the Spirit will lead us to His Word. The Spirit never leads us to other ideologies and other teachings. The Spirit will always lead to the Word of God, not to carnality. And Stephen here was bringing these ungodly Jews to face facts that they as their forefathers had not listened to Moses. Stephen, by the way, as we said, was the first deacon. And one of the things that noted about Stephen is that he was full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Acts 6 verse 5. And this is the early church choosing the first deacons. And the saying pleased the whole multitude and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." Now, we know that. He was full of the Holy Ghost and that really means the constant infilling of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean that there is At one time there's a great deposit of the Holy Spirit into somebody's soul and not of that, but it means really, Paul speaks about being filled with the Holy Spirit. You and I can quite easily grieve the Holy Spirit, but as we walk after the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will be infilling us and be working graciously in our hearts and in our lives for the glory of God's name. And then you notice at the close, when they're just about to stone Stephen to death, they're in Acts 7.54. Stephen has just given his defense of the faith and addressed these hypocrites and these rejecters of Moses and now rejecters of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we read in Acts 7.54, when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart. and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven." Isn't it amazing? And saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. Even at that time when he was being stoned, he was full of the Holy Spirit. And God gave him grace up until the final hour and such will be to us if we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness as we seek to honor him and as we seek to read the word of God let me say you will not be filled with a holy spirit if you do not read the word of God if our minds are being filled with other things and we will not Have conviction. We will not have courage if we are not filled with the Word. To be filled with the Word will mean the filling of the Holy Spirit. A constant filling. Do we not need that? You know, many churches today speak about the Spirit's presence. There's hardly anything of the Word of God preached in such places. People want experiences. But the child of God, the man of God, has the experience of God's Word convicting and moving and animating him, giving him courage and giving him virtue in the life. Well, all these things are important. Stephen showed that the Jews disobeyed Moses. And then he spoke about Moses, how the Lord would raise up another prophet. Verse 37 of chapter 7. This is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto your brethren like unto me. Him shall ye hear. Now they've rejected Christ. Well, this is the problem. They claimed to be religious and virtuous men, but they would not hear the Lord. Stephen was a man full of the Holy Spirit, therefore he knew his Bible. He lived it out and with great conviction. Do we not desire to be that man? For the honor of Christ, not to have the praise of men, to say, oh, what a courageous man he is, what a bold man. We don't want that. We want the Lord's approval. We don't want men's praise. We want the Lord's approval. Well, today I want us to look at the area of growing up as a man. Now, this is an area that needs to be addressed because sometimes men can be grown men, and yet they haven't grown up. And this is an area we all, I need to heed to, as well as you. We need to put away childish things. We need to put away the way we thought once. We now need to think differently. If you turn to 1 Corinthians 13, I want you to notice the context there. And by the way, the church at Corinth was a very immature church. There were lots of gifts and abilities, 1 Corinthians 13, but there was a lot of pride at the church at Corinth. And there was this terrible party spirit. Some were saying, I'm a Paul, some were saying, I'm a Vipollis. And so they were getting behind these various men and there were contentions. and envying among them. And Paul had to exhort them to seek those gifts that are truly of worth and for the glory of God. And here in this chapter he proceeds to speak about what should be the most prized gift and that is love. Love to God primarily and love to fellow men. He says in verse 11, when I was a child I speak as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. It's quite a solemn verse that, isn't it? He says, when I was a child, I speak as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. He's going to tell us about how some gifts will fade away or leave the scene, such as the authenticating gifts, as prophecies, speaking in tongues, known languages. Those things will pass. Because he goes on to say in verse 12, For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even, as I also am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three. But the greatest of these is charity. Other things will pass. What will pass? He says in verse 8, charity never faileth. But where there be prophecies, they shall fail. Where there be tongues, they shall cease. Where there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that is perfect is come, than that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, you see how he moves on to this? He's saying those gifts will pass, but now he comes to a practical level. He says, when I was a child, I thought as a child, but now I'm a man. I put away childish things. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. And we speak about being mature in the faith. And that really means putting away certain things. Paul will say to Timothy, flee youthful lusts. Run away from those things and pursue after certain things. A Christian is to be maturing. The problem at the Church at Corinth is it was immature. It prided itself in gifts and abilities. They were very impressed with outward rhetoric. They weren't concerned about genuine holiness, love to God first and foremost, and love to fellow men. And this is what Paul deals with here. The greatest of these gifts is love. Now, first of all, it's the love to God. That is where maturity begins. Maturity, first and foremost, is not living for yourself, but it's loving God supremely with all of our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength. That is at the heart of maturity. It's childishness to put yourself first, isn't it? Somebody once illustrated how not only sinful little children are, but how childish they can be. The illustration is given this way. A little girl was asked to share her banana with her little brother. So what did she do? She stuffed the whole thing in her face. She wouldn't. Selfishness, isn't it? She went in the corner and she just made a glutton of herself. Well, that's the human heart, isn't it? We are living for self. Always putting self first. And so Paul says here, when I was a child, I speak as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. Now there is a way Paul was addressing here a very carnal church. A church where people were thinking of themselves. Oh, I'm behind so-and-so. Oh, I'm behind so-and-so. And it was leading to pride and envy and strife within the church. It was childish. And Paul says, when I was a child, I thought as a child. But now when I become a man, I put away childish things. And as I said, maturity first and foremost is love to God. You cannot be mature and be a mature man of God if you do not put God first. Now the modern church thinks this way. The reverse order. It's like this. Me first, others second, God next. That's the order in the modern church. Me, others, then God. God, as it were, is at the back of the queue. You're at the first. That is so unspiritual. When Paul speaks about love, he means, first of all, think of the table of the law. What is the first table of the law? It is our duty to God, to love God with all of our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. So that is any decision you make and I make in my life is for God and for God's glory. Not myself at the front of the queue, but his name, his honor. But the modern church is myself, my friends and then God. That is childishness. That is the epitome of a little child. And we think so much of ourselves. You know, when we're perhaps young boys or young girls, we get used to what our mothers tell us. Oh, you're so wonderful. You're so handsome. You're such an, you know, we can believe. And mothers, of course, like to tell us all kinds of things. And fathers. But the honest reality is we are sinners who are selfish and we are not good people. We are childish and we have for so long put ourselves first. But that is not the spirit of a Christian. The spirit of a Christian is to put God first. Love is the fulfilling of the law. When the Lord Jesus Christ was asked by the scribes, what is the first and chief Commandments he replied Matthew 22 36 and 37 thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy mind this is the first commandment and The second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself you see neighbor and self are together It's not self and then neighbor, but first of all it's God isn't it? God is first, and we cannot be holy men if we do not put God first. When the Apostle Paul, if you turn with me to Romans 13, instructs the church at Rome regarding submitting to authorities, the government. Of course, we do not submit to the government if they ask us to sin. That's something we should be very clear about. But if the government asks us to do certain things that are not, or things that we speak of as being adiophora, things that are indifferent to the law of God, we must submit to those things and not have an unruly spirit. If you look there, Romans 13, 1, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance, or the commandment, or the precept of God. And they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. That is a woeful thing. God has appointed the powers that be. So this is why the commandment is, you shall obey. Because this is all part of your witness. And God furthermore has appointed to those men those positions of authority. And so we are to respect the office. We are also to speak respectfully about dignitaries and those in positions of authority. Fair enough, if they sin, it should be pointed out, but in no so no much further than that. We are to be very gracious in this and ultimately realizing that even the powers that be are ordained of God. Therefore, we ought to submit. You see, command to submit to the authorities come on the basis of loving God, because God has appointed those authorities. If you notice later on what he says in verse 7, render therefore on this basis to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor, And then he says, O no man anything, but to love one another. For he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet. If there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Now he's speaking there about both the first table of the law and the second table. The second table has to do with our duty to man, but the first always comes first, right? So maturity, putting away childish things, means being a man and loving God supremely. And how do we love God? We've said it before. By listening to His Word and by His Word ruling and dictating to our conscience, we have to live out our faith. Amen. Putting away childish things begins not thinking about, number one, myself first, and even about my friends second. and then God. That's not love. You don't put God at the back of the list. You don't put yourself and your friends before God, but you put God first. It means this vertical relationship first. You and I are to live Coram Deo. Every decision you make and I make, choices we make, What is the will of God for my life? I know it's my sanctification, but what is the motivation for doing this or that or the other? It should be for the glory of God. Not out of self-interest. Not out of self-interest. That vertical relationship with God, trying your every action, trying your every thought, it must permeate. The Word of God must permeate you. You have to be, and I have to be, men of the word, men of conviction. And I want to walk through this chapter here where you will see this. This second chapter of 2 Timothy is extremely practical. Now I want to, before we come to this chapter, point to you the very important thing. Paul points out to young Timothy the faith that his mother and his grandmother had. He doesn't commend their character so much, but their faith. Have a look there, 2 Timothy 1.5. When I call to remembrance the unfamed faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother. So he is not commending them, but their faith. And we speak of the word of faith, Romans 10. which first dwelt in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that is in thee, that in thee also. So Paul, he commends this faith in God, in the word, not them so much as persons as they walked in that faith. Now we might admire our parents and certain qualities in people, But friends, you know, men fall and come short as far as God's Word. We can admire certain qualities in people. But if people are not living for God, they're going to hell. I don't care how close they are to you. If they are not living for God's glory, that is where they're going. That's a solemn reality. We do not look to mere people so much as they follow after God's word. And we must make sure that we follow after God's word. Now I'll walk you through these things that Paul exhorts young Timothy to. Now think about it, young Timothy is a young pastor and he has many pressures as we all do in this life. Many constraints upon him. And we glean from this passage, he suffers, Timothy, with a poor stomach. He's got constant concerns about false teachers, Hymenaeus and others that are here. These influences are upon him and there's this tendency, no doubt, to cave in to ungodly men. How is he to go forward? Well, he has to be a man of the word, but he is a man of integrity. We have too much pragmatism today. The great need of the church today are godly men who are not pragmatic, but who are principled. Have a look with me, verse 1. Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We are to be strong in grace, not strong so much in character, force yourself upon the church, force yourself upon other people. That's not the thinking. Some forceful character, but strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now notice. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men. Timothy was to look to faithful men, not to his close buddies, not to the people that are nearest and dearest to him, but he is to look and to commit the truth to faithful men. Because the truth is at stake. Not people that you favor, not people that you like, truth is at stake. do not love the Lord. Many do not hold to sound doctrine. Many say, I believe this, that, and the other, but they are not faithful men. You might agree with the truth, but are you going to be faithful with it? He had to be a man who looked out for men of integrity, men who loved God supremely, men who honored God. Men who weren't influenced by the smiles or the frowns of other people. That's who Timothy was to commit the truth to. And Paul was looking to him and seeking to strengthen him, be strong in the grace, pray for more grace, pray for more help. The same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. You see, you've got to remember, Timothy here was under a lot of pressure, with so much work to do, and there was a great need for others to help him, but he couldn't just hand out responsibilities to anybody. He had to be a man himself that was committed to the truth and look out for men who loved God and who would not be swayed this way or another way. What is that? That's love to God, isn't it? And that's love for the truth. Are we men who act upon our convictions? That is so vital, isn't it? That is maturity. That is at the heart of maturity, isn't it? If you believe something to be true, just like Joshua and Caleb of old, they were men of faith and they stood against Israel. And those 10 other spies who were not faithful, no matter what, they stood against well over 2 million people. But they stood. And the Lord commended them. Timothy had to be very careful that he was not a respecter of men. but that he loved God, and he loved the truth. Well, many pressures he was under. Look at verse 3. Thou therefore, and now he applies it, this little word here, therefore, in the Greek means that in light of what I've just said, Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ one of the first things men realize when they get into the ministry And by the way, this chapter is not just for young pastors, but it's for all men Because we are all to be soldiers for Christ and We are to stand for the truth in our family in the church and we stand together But he reminds us here endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ being a Christian And being mature means so often that you will stand alone when so many are going a wrong way. We have to stand against the tide of unbelief, against the tide of pragmatism. He says, endure hardness. Being a Christian is not easy. It's not easy at all, of course, and we realize that perhaps when we've gone on in the faith a little while, we realize not everybody that said that they were Christians were Christians. Many have fallen away. Demas has loved this world. He, Paul had to say, he has forsaken me, for he has loved this present world. It'll mean a daily battle, will it not? You have to love God first. That's maturity. When I was a child, I thought as a child. I thought about myself. I didn't think about others' interests. When I became a man, I thought as a man. And I put away, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, childish things. When you're a man, you have to start to think about a wife. You have to start to think about children, putting clothes on their back, shoes on their feet. You stop As it were, and I'm not saying we live selfish lives as single people, but we've got other people to think about. But first and foremost is God. It's not now myself and others, but it's God first in the life. Now he says here, even as a minister, look how he used to think, no man that woreth entangling himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him with choosing him to be a soldier. Now, think of it in the life of Timothy. He is a soldier. He is a minister of the word of God. But he has to fight lawfully. He tells him here, no man who goes to war entangles himself with the affairs of life. He's not engaged in a business. If he's a soldier, he's a soldier. And he trains and he works for the battle. And then he says, if a man also strive for masteries, he moves to the imagery of Olympics and running. Because he says, yet he is not crowned except he strive lawfully. And then he moves to the imagery of a farmer, the husbandman, that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits. What is he saying? He's saying, Timothy, you are not to entangle yourself with the world. You are to live off the fruits just as the farmer eats and partakes of the first fruits. There's a reminder there, and Dr. Gill speaks on this, that you are to trust God that he will provide for your needs as a minister, that he will undertake for you. You strive lawfully. You show that you are a man who lives by faith. and dependence upon God's Word. There in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul tells us, just as God gave instruction in the Old Testament, the ox, while it is treading the grain, shall not be muzzled. He says, look at verse 7 of 1 Corinthians 9, who goeth aware at any time of his own charges? Who planted the vineyard and eateth not the fruit thereof? who feedeth the flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock. I say these things as a man, or sayeth not the law the same also. For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn, doth not care for oxen, or saith he altogether for our sakes, that is ministers. For our sakes, no doubt, that it is written, He that plougheth should plough in hope, and that he that thresheth in hope should be a partaker of this hope. If we have sown unto your spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall also reap of your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ." Paul did not impose it upon the church at Corinth, but he believed clearly what the Scriptures taught, that he that labors in the gospel should be provided by it. So the principle applies here to Timothy. He was to be a man, not of pragmatic virtue, but a man who trusted what God's word says. If you labor in God's vineyard, you should be provided. Don't look to the world. Don't be a worldly man. Don't be engaged with the world. And that is, don't even try to be influenced by people in the world who have a lot of cash in their pocket. that if you make decisions, they're going to say, well that's it, I'm putting my wallet away now. You won't have my vote, pastor. You've got to be a man of God's Word. You've got to fight this for the sake of the honor of the Lord. You have to be men of principle. That is what maturity is, surely, isn't it? It's thinking about God, putting God first, You see, the Lord looks and examines every thought of ours, every decision we make. And he honors it. Or he dishonors it. Doesn't he? Look what he says in verse 8. Remember that Jesus Christ, the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. Now he brings out a point wherein, and here's the connection he makes, I suffer trouble. And you realize this, Sometimes when you make decisions, it's going to bring trouble. Isn't it? And you're going to suffer. I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound. God is sovereign over my situation. Too often we look at things and we say, well, if I'm going to be faithful in this, it's going to cost me. It is going to cost you. But if you don't, if you don't honor God, You deny him. And there's nothing worse, is there? But tonight to deny God. But if we honor him, he will never forsake us. Look at what he says. Therefore, verse 10, I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Think of the Lord Jesus. He endured everything. Yet his suffering was not in vain. And Paul, in like manner, suffers for the elect's sake. And then he moves on to what we know as, what are known as one of the four faithful sayings of the Apostle Paul in verse 11 to 13. He begins and he says, it is a faithful saying, if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. We should be dead with him now, friends. This is maturity. The old life is gone. You were as a child, and if you're a man of God, you put away the old life, and you put God first, and you serve him, no matter what the cost. You know, we have to get to grips with this. We will suffer. if we are sincere with the Lord and in his work. But if we deny him, that's not a good thing. But the promise is he will never forsake us if we honor him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. We suffer with him now. There's a reward. We will reign with him in heaven. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. What I want to say is this. In all of this, we must, if we think about maturity, God has to be first and foremost in our thoughts. Not me, others, and God. That thinking must be as far away from us as is possible as men. Or otherwise, we're like children. We're just living for ourselves. And I say many men can grow up and still be yet as children, putting themselves first. Our Lord Jesus is the great example of this. He who is God, yet left everything above. He left the worship of angels, condescended. and became man, humbled himself, became obedient even unto death, dear friends. Not that we should live for ourselves and put ourselves first. But to be like him, to be useful, to put his laws in our hearts, to love God with all of our heart, our soul, our mind, and our strength. Are we zealous for the truth? Timothy was to be zealous for the truth, so committed to it that he was so careful who he was going to ordain in terms of laying on hands. Timothy, do not lay hands upon a man quickly or rashly or hastily. Be very careful. They must be men of integrity, men of principle. And we must be in our own lives, not just to ministers, this word, but it is to all of us. What is a mature man? A man who was not putting himself first all the time, but who was putting the will of God at the heart of his life, the glory of God. This is what we are facing today. Paul faced prison, didn't he? For the sake of this. But now he has a crown of glory. Not that we seek a crown, but we seek to honor Christ and crown him Lord of all in our life. Men, it is important that we be men. And if we would have the Lord bless our lives, it must mean this. We have to put him first. He that honoreth me, I will honor, says the Lord. What do we desire in our lives? Maybe a job. Maybe a wife. A family. The first must come first. And that is serving God. Seek first his kingdom. and His righteousness. And all these things will be added unto you. We have to put Him first. We come to church not asking, what's in it for me? What can I get from this place? But what can I give to God? How can I glorify Him? Am I zealous for the truth? He'll provide all your needs, you see, if you do this. You put Him first. A lot of places of worship today, it's about going there to get something for yourself. And then you see these people live for themselves the rest of the week. I've often said the way that we worship is the way we go and live. We are saved to serve the Lord, not our self-interests. And there will be the greatest pleasure, let me say, in serving the Lord. If we put ourselves first, it'll always end in misery. And there's always the most unwise direction in which to head, isn't it? If we serve ourselves. The Lord sees, you know, this is a startling thing and often I think we often forget. The Lord knows every single thought that runs through my little brain and yours. He tries the actions. He searches the heart to give to every man according to his deeds. May we not be, as Paul had to write to the Corinthians, when I was a child, I thought as a child. We have to come to facts, you know. We're not all that our parents said we were. You're a clever young man. You're this, you're that. We are only really what we are before God. And God sees right through us. And with God, there is no respecter of persons. We are nothing. But let us, let him make us something. Let us be dead with Christ. It says if we be dead with him, we shall live with him. Let us die to self. Let us die to self-will. And let us live to his will. and to his glory. Amen.