2 Timothy 2:8-10
Resurrection Life
Second
Timothy is a call to continue courageously in service to Jesus Christ.
A)
Timothy was in a difficult situation: Persecution more intense { Growing
Apostasy from False teachers
B) Here in chapter 2
Paul wants Timothy to see that the
ministry is like being a Soldier
Endure Hardship as a good Soldier – Not get entangled with the
affairs of this life
B) Ministry is like being a
Disciplined athlete – Follow the rules
C) Ministry is like Farming – Wait
for the harvest
In
the midst of what he was facing – Timothy might have been prone to ask –
A) Why do I want to fight /
Why endure/ Why train so hard / why wait –
B)
So Paul in v.8 Brings him back to the basics of the Christian life when he says
– Remember the Rez!
Remember
Christ is RISEN
2 Tim 2:8-10
8 Remember that
Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my
gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains;
but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the
sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
Jesus with eternal glory.
It
is apparent from the Old Testament that remembering the great acts of God is
essential to the spiritual well-being of God’s People.
A) In fact,
God is very directive about this.
B)
The Passover. Yearly event commerating –
Release from
C) All the Yearly festivals were meant to serve as a source of
remembrance for God’s Provision / protection / guidance.
D)
Crossing the
E) Today in the NT Memorial: COMMUNION -
Why
all this emphasis on remembering?
A) Because God’s children
have always tended to forget the wonderful things He has done.
B) The seventy-two verses of
Psalm 78 mourn
1)
Verses 10, 11 sum it up.
They did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by His law.
They forgot what He had
done,
the wonders He had shown them.
C)
Short memories! { We can be so Forgetful
This
matter of remembering was on Paul’s mind as he wrote his second letter to
Timothy.
A)
Immediately after the greeting, he called Timothy to remember the faith of
their forefathers (1:3),
B) To Remember his own deep
friendship with Timothy (1:4),
C) He wants Timothy to
remember his own rich spiritual heritage (1:5) Grandma / Mother
1 )
Remember the day of Timothy’s call and gifting for ministry (1:6)
D) Remember the pattern of
sound teaching he had given Timothy (1:13)
Remember,
remember, remember, remember.
E)
But everything that Paul is wanting Timothy to remember has it’s root in this
great reality
1) 8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed
of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel
Today I want us to consider
from our text 3 ways how the Rez of
Jesus Christ affects our lives
#1
Resurrection is the Basis of our hope: Surprises and Submission.
A)
Gospel = Good news ! – Hope for a Hopeless world
1
Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for
you,
When
the Disciples were following Jesus –
Messiah – Savior, Romans – set up a Kingdom
A) Hope was Dashed – on
Friday/ Hope was resurrected on Sunday.
-
B) Jesus had fun with his
Rez! – Appear: Remember the time in the upper room – hey guys
1)
Peace be with you. Thomas was missing -
Appear – disappear –
C) Even at ascension – They
watch Him ascend
Acts
1:9-11
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up
into heaven?
D) He is coming back – He
has been doing this for 50 days, here one minute and gone the next!
Given this
Promise! -
This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so
come in like manner as you saw Him
go into heaven."
A) That is our hope! { Saved us / coming for
us
1)
John 14 Heaven – Rez hope – He is coming to receive us again!
B) the Resurrection proved
the gospel message.
Paul
had said, “And if Christ has not been raised, our
preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corin 15:14).
C) But he had been
raised, This resurrection substantiated the gospel.
1)
Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated the gospel’s power.
D)“Remember” is a continuous
command.
1) Timothy
is to “remember [and keep on remembering] Jesus Christ, raised from the dead,
E) Timothy, don’t lose sight
of that!
If Timothy is
to be like a soldier who is enduring
hardship in order to please his commanding officer – what
Good is that – if his commander in Chief is Dead.
A) Christ was from the seed of David, which
presents Him both as a man and a royal heir.
B) Messiah – Descendant of
David!
Bb)
We are to be motivated in our service by remembering that the one we serve is the
God-man/the Savior-King. { Risen Lord
C) If He is an Athlete
disciplining himself to run in the games- what is the point if there is no
reward.
1)
If Christ is not risen from the dead – there is no hope of future reward –
no prize – no heaven –
D))
Paul called Jesus the First Fruits of the Rez – First of many – lives impacted
–
If
Timothy is to be a farmer planting the seeds of the gospel – patiently waiting
for the harvest – what is the point – if there is no Rez !
A) He is planting Blanks –
seeds that are not going to produce any fruit –
B) The Rez is the Key: What
sets Christianity apart from all other faiths – Risen leader
C) Proof that JESUS is the
MESSIAH
1)
Hope of Mankind -
D) Jesus Christ is the
resurrected, living Messiah. He is everything we need for life and salvation.
1)
He lives! He is all-powerful! Keep on remembering this.
#2
The Resurrection overcomes our Limitations:
9 for which I
suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God
is not chained.
Word
is not Chained!
Hebrews 4:12-13
12 For the Word
of God is living It is living – it is active
– because it’s author is active, He is alive
and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but
all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Sometimes
our tendency is to focus on our limitations what we can’t do or what we are
lacking.
A) What difference does it
make that you may be limited?
B) Think about how Paul was
limited. He was chained to a Roman guard in a prison.
C) You can’t get more
limited than that! He could not get
outside the boundaries of that dark cell.
1)
Yet he was not frustrated because the Word of God was not bound.
D) Think about Paul’s first
term of imprisonment in a Roman cell.
1)
He wrote in Philippians – gospel spread throughout the whole Palace guard – Revival
E)
Guarded 24 hrs a day – 4 hour shifts – 6 guards per day – Sharing the gospel -
1) I don’t want to guard
that Guy.
Think
about what came out of that Prison time
A) Prison epistles – Phil /
B) The great inspiration for
the Ephesians 6 armor of God – Soldier – Paul is chained to
C) What is that called –
Breastplate – great – the breast plate of righteousness
1) Helmet of Salvation /
Shield of faith
D) Paul was chained but the
Word was not chained
1) Flowing in more ways than
one!
In
his hymn "A
Mighty Fortress Is Our God" Martin Luther wrote, "The body they may
kill: God's truth abideth still. "
E)
Luther knew that regardless of what happened to us, God's Word remains
unbound.
That's
an important message for those who say we need to SOFTEN the gospel message so
we don't lose the freedom to preach it.
A)
They say we need to take away the offense of the gospel, but that would rob the
gospel of its power
B)I
am Not ashamed of the gospel it is the power of God
unto Salvation for everyone who believes. Romans 1:16
The
testimony of the church in China
A)
Countless numbers of Christians died for their faith when the communists took
over
B)
Ever since then the church has been persecuted and oppressed. Yet it is
estimated that it has grown to between 30 and 100 million believers.
C)
Against the law to preach, but God’s
Word is not bound!
Sometimes
Christian Leaders try to present this doom and gloom – picture – we are living
in this postmodern culture- Day of Tolerance
A)) What is the use –
everything is going down hill
1) Not True- the Word is not
chained
B)) The Risen Christ is
still at work – His Word does not return void
C) God’s Word is not chained.
1)
Men from our D/A ministry weekly go into
rehab centers / preach the word – setting people free from addictions
Jesus
said in John 8:32 you shall know the Truth and the
Truth shall set you free
V.36
He who the Son sets free is free indeed.
B) Men & women who go
into Jails
1)
Youth guys go into Schools –
C)
Counseling – Broken marriages bound in Bitterness
1)
Word is not chained – set free / heals the broken hearted
When John Bunyan, the author of
The Pilgrims’ Progress, was imprisoned in
His voice carried over the
wall through the bars of his cell window. The Word of God was not bound.
Several
years ago, Bible translators Bruce and Jan Benson driving down a mountainside
in the Pe-ruvian
Men
jumped out of the truck brandishing auto-matic
rifles,
surrounded the Bensons’ car, and ordered them to get out. Jan thought, “This is it! This is the end of our lives.” The
terrorists took them to a nearby town. On the way, fearful and bewildered, Jan
felt the need to pray and then to sing.
The
Lord spoke to her heart –. ‘The Lord
inhabits the praises of His people.’” She protested, “But
Lord, I don’t know how to praise You right now.” “Sing,” came the
answer. “At least you can sing.”
So
she began to sing, “You are my hiding place. You
always
fill my heart with songs of deliverance.
Whenever I am afraid I will trust in
You.” Other songs also flowed. Suddenly, she felt as though she was the only
person alive on earth, just her and God.
She
felt His all-encompassing love and His
assurance that He was in control. Nothing, not even death, could remove
her from His presence.
That
night the rebels unexpectedly released the Bensons, but they confiscated their
car, their portable projection equipment and film reels of the Jesus film
One
year later, the Bensons were living in the capital for safety. Jan received a
phone call. One of their captors had become a Christian and wanted to meet with
them.
When
they met, he told them that he was an experienced killer and that he and the
others had planned to kill them that night. But, for some reason they just
could not do it and released them instead.
Then,
the rebels set up the projector and watched the film, eventually many times. At
one viewing, several hundred rebels were watching and listening to God’s Word
in their own language. Many were so moved that they
wanted to lay down their weapons right there and leave The Shining Path.
Standing
before them as a fellow believer, their former
enemy
said to them, “Please forgive me for my part in what
we did to you that day.”
The
Bensons were able to go back to that village and finish the translation of the
New Testament into that language.
God’s witnesses
may be imprisoned, but His Word cannot be imprisoned.
The
Rez is the reason our limitations can be overcome!
#3
The Resurrection reminds us of the Big
Picture:
10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that
they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Concerned
about Salvation!
A) There are those who have
been Chosen by the Lord who have yet to come into the fold –
B) What kept Paul going was the
reality of the reason – that is why he was there.
1)
All amount of suffering for that purpose – Others might obtain Salvation!
C)
Remember Acts 18 Paul is in Prison in
Acts
18:9-10
9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do
not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack
you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city .
NKJV
The
resurrection pictures God's destruction of death, which is Satan's greatest
weapon.
It also pictures salvation.
Christ's
death was a death for sin. His being alive means the penalty for sin is
satisfied.
Timothy,
there are lives at stake – Any suffering we encounter is worth it – if it means
that others can be saved.
Seen
Sickness – Bring people to Christ
Financial
Ruin
Untimely
death
Always
– It was worth it
Paul
had endured a boat-load of suffering
2
Corinthians 4:7-12
“We are
hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — 10 always carrying about in the body the
dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death
is working in us, but life in you.”
NKJV
Christ
Died – So you could live !
REMEMBER THE
RESURRECTION!