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#208.
If even here the taste of heavenly springs, so cheers the spirit of the pilgrims, saying is What will the sunshine of His glory prove? What the unmingled fullness of His love?
Acts chapter 27, starting in verse 14.
But not long after there arose against the tempestuous when called, and when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive, and running under a certain island, which is called Quada, we had much work to come by the boat.
Which when they had taken up, they used help undergirding the ship a fairing, lest they should fall into quicksands and strike sail, and so were driven, and we being exceedingly tossed with The Tempest. The next day they lighten the ship, and the third day we cast out with our own hands.
The tackling of the ship, and when neither sun nor stars, and many days appeared, and no small Tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sir, he should have hearkened unto me.
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And not ever lose from creep, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. Brother stood by me this night, the Angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar. And lo, God has given thee all them that sail with thee. And wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, For I believe God that it shall be, even as it was told me. And.
The first chapter of Second Timothy.
What in keeping or a little follow up to what's been before us in the previous meeting?
I I make that suggestion.
Second Timothy. Chapter One.
All an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dearly beloved Son, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers.
Night and day.
Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy.
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee.
By the putting out of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.
Where I knew I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles.
For the which 'cause I also suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee. Keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in US.
This thou know us, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are five jealous and homogeneous. The Lord give mercy under the House of onusiferous, For ye OFT refresh me. And was not ashamed of my chain. But wha? But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
The Lord grant unto him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day.
And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
In the previous meeting, our brother brought before us an incident in the Old Testament in the history of Israel, where there was perhaps that it was perhaps a day of weakness, there was failure, there wasn't, perhaps with some the appreciation of things that God would have. And yet as we went through that, weren't we encouraged brethren to see how God was still working and how God was interested in the lives of those men and the little details of their lives. And I think it's very beautiful when we go through the Word of God to see that God is greater than our failure and God is greater than the condition of things.
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In the world and in the amongst the people of God, in whatever day we find ourselves.
And that's what was really on my heart in suggesting this second epistle of Timothy.
We know that in the first epistle we have, as has often been pointed out, the House of God in order. But in the second epistle, the last epistle that the apostle Paul wrote by divine inspiration, we find what are described to us in very real and graphic terms, the last days and perilous times. And when you read the third chapter, remember that when he speaks of the last days and perilous times.
He's not Speaking of the condition of the heathen or godless world. He's Speaking of those things that characterize the professing church right down at the end. And brethren, don't we have to hang our heads?
And admit, if we're honest with ourselves, that those are the days in which we find ourselves now.
And it's become a great house in Two Timothy. And we cannot get out of the great house. We're in the great house despite, in spite of ourselves. And we have to own that we're part of the ruin and failure that has come in.
And sometimes when we think of the epistle of Two Timothy, we think perhaps in those terms, those things that characterize the moral and spiritual darkness that's deepening over Christendom. Every hour we think of the failure and ruin that has come in. And brethren, we don't want to ignore that aspect of things. It's very real, and it ought to exercise us individually and collectively. But what I have found, especially recently in my for my own soul in going through this epistle.
Is to realize that just as it was in the days of Elisha or any other time of weakness and failure amongst the people of God.
There was always lots to encourage and brethren, as we embark on this chapter.
Remember, there's much here to encourage. Here was a young man who was seeking to go on.
For the Lord in difficult days he had to be stirred up. Its true.
There were things that were brought before him to exercise him as to his gift and his ministry and so on.
But here was a man who was seeking to go on in spite of the moral and spiritual darkness.
Amongst the people of God, in spite of much giving up and subverting of souls and undermining of the truth.
And not only that, but by the time you come to the end of the epistle, there's others too.
A few names, albeit a small list, but there's a few names that are given of those who are seeking to go on and hold fast to the truth of God and live for the for God's glory in the last days and perilous times.
And brethren, if we take up a chapter like this with that in view, I believe we can get encouragement and a blessing for our souls to press on. We're almost at the end. The night is dark. The spiritual and moral storms that hit this, have hit the professing Christian world today are very, very severe. And I don't want to undermine those things. And I know there's brethren here who face real difficulties and problems.
Brethren here who perhaps say, well, I failed miserably in my own life. I come from a weak assembly.
But brethren, there's much to encourage our hearts and to spur us on should the fact that we're at the almost at the end discourage us not for one moment. It should encourage us to have a fresh by grace, and it's only by grace, but to have a fresh burst of spiritual energy to hang on by grace and in the power that is given to us by God Himself. The few moments that are left, knowing that it won't be much longer.
And will be beyond the exercises and the need for exhortation and stirring up.
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Yes, we know that as has been brought out.
Second Timothy was the last epistle that Paul wrote by inspiration.
And the Lord allowed a condition of things to develop before He was taken home, specifically so that you and I would have.
Instruction and guidance for the day in which we're living.
How wonderful of the Lord to give us that so that we're not left to say well.
It was all very well as it was in the condition of the early church, but we aren't living in those days. So now what do we do? And sad to say, in a lot of cases, uh, there is a tendency to say, well, we just have to muddle along as best we can. We just have to do whatever seems to be right under the circumstances.
But how encouraging to see that God gives us instruction as to how to deal with issues in the day in which we're living. And as Jim was pointing out, there isn't even a hint of discouragement in the whole epistle.
Burden, yes. Tears, yes. Many prayers and concerns, yes. Lamenting, perhaps over some who had.
As Paul has to point out, not only left the pathway of faith, but been a real direct hindrance to him, causing a lot of distress and evil to him. All that is there, but not one hint of discouragement, but rather total encouragement to a young man who was, as it were, having to go on when the apostle was on the way out, knew full well that he wasn't going to be.
Let go again and able to travel around. But there was every encouragement and there's every encouragement for us today too.
Well, he was Paul's son in the faith, wasn't he? Timothy had no doubt been saved under the preaching of the Apostle Paul, encouraged in the Lord, and traveled with the apostle Paul by the apostle Paul, and traveled with the Apostle Paul, and Paul could refer to him as his own son in the faith. We're not told at this point how old Timothy was. He was a man, I suspect, by the time the 2nd epistle was written, of maturity.
He was in a position to take up responsibility and as we get in the next chapter, Paul was going to, so to speak, throw the torch to Timothy to carry on the truth and to teach faithful men and who would be able to carry on and teach others and so on. And so I suspect that at this point he was not told how old, but I, I suspect a man of spiritual maturity and, and a in age as well as spiritual maturity and able to carry on for the blessing of the people of God. Is that what you're referring or what do you have in mind that?
Relationship and son would speak of position.
But I also have the word sun scratched out in child written above it.
And there's a real tenderness in Paul writing to Timothy, isn't there? There was always a tenderness with the apostle Paul. But in the second epistle, as he's nearing the end and he's going to throw the torch to Timothy, there's a real tenderness in addressing him in that way. And in that regard, I'd like to just go to Philippians because it's interesting that this last epistle.
That Paul writes by inspiration is written to this particular individual.
Now, it's not written to an assembly, it's written to an individual. We often say the last days are characterized by individual faithfulness.
But I suggest there's another reason why Paul could in confidence.
Right to.
Write to Timothy in this way and pass, uh, pass responsibility on to him. But just notice in Philippians chapter two, he says in verse 19, But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send to Motheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state. Now notice this next verse, verse 20. For I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state.
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For all seek not their own, not the thing, seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ. You know, it's interesting that Paul writes to Timothy with confidence because he knew Timothy had a heart for the people of God.
And brethren, I believe that's what we need in the days in which we live. We need men and women who have a heart for the people of God. Now, God has given us all a gift, and Timothy had a gift in a ministry that needed to be stirred up.
But he had a heart for the people of God. Maybe there's someone here and you say, well, I don't have any particular outward manifest gift or some great ministry the Lord has given me. But if you have a heart for the people of God, God can use you in a tremendous way for blessing in these these last days. And when you go through the Old Testament, you find that men and women that God raised up at the end and in days of weakness were not necessarily men and women.
With great gift and ability. But they were men and women who had a heart, a love for the people of God. And I suggest that we all need to covet that in our own souls that we would have that heart, that love for God's people. Because if you have that love for the people of God, there is no telling how God can use you. It may be an ever so small and ever so feeble away.
But it will be, I say, for, for blessing. And so Paul knew that while all were seeking their own things, there was a man who had such love for his brethren, for the people of God.
That he wasn't seeking his own things. He wasn't seeking his own comfort.
But that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone, to make, to give himself as a living sacrifice.
To put himself out and in a position to be a blessing to the people of God. And I say.
If we had, if we were each my say to my own soul, if I was exercised more in that way and had that love, what a blessing there would be.
Child.
As UMM it's Mr. Darby's translation has already been commented, UMM refers to him Timothy, my own child, in verse two and in chapter 2, therefore my child.
Umm, we see from chapter one that there was faith in his mother and there was faith in his grandmother, but nothing about a father. There was no.
Uh, record of a father in his relationship, natural relationships, which was of faith. And I believe from my own soul that in a certain sense, the apostle Paul, you might call him his adopted spiritual father, that is, Paul took him and fulfilled for him a role that was important in his life that he didn't have naturally and.
Timothy recognized Paul in that way and that relationship and benefited from it, and Timothy while not.
You might say grown up completely, but we see the father character of Paul working with Timothy to help him to grow and take on more. If I could say it in a right way, although it wasn't his motive, Paul's desire was that he'd be like Christ. But in the measure in which the apostle Paul was like the Lord Jesus Timothy through the nurturing.
Of Paul was becoming more and more like the character of Paul as a heavenly servant of God, and so he recognized in him that heart for the people of God that we know was in Paul himself.
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See here how Paul addresses Timothy and as you say, Dawn, there was a real heartfelt desire there to, uh, see him, to be with him. There was a special bond there. As you say, Brother Ed, sonship conveys more the thought of position and maturity. And, uh, there was that, no doubt in Timothy, but at the same time there was that relationship of a child.
And so Paul addresses him, as he says here, and there are a number of details here. But he remembers him in his prayers. He greatly desires to see him being mindful of his tears. Why those tears?
Were they tears on behalf of himself because of his own problems and difficulties? I doubt it. I doubt it. It goes back to the verse that Jim read in Philippians 2 where Paul says I have no man like minded. And I think the Darby reads who will with genuine, who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on?
Genuine feeling.
Sometimes.
Some of us don't break down in tears very easily.
Although we may feel them more inward than outward, but Timothy evidently was a man who not only cared in an outward way for the truth of God, but it seems that he had.
Adopted some of the spirit of Paul. Paul could say to the Corinthians.
Who is offended? And I am not offended.
And he talks about I'm not quoting that accurately. And then he says who was offended? And I burned not. That is, even though some were going through problems and difficulties that perhaps they shouldn't.
Paul felt for them if he couldn't feel with them.
Very beautiful if the Saints of God are going on well.
A believer who is himself going on well can feel with them.
If they are not going on well, he can feel for them.
And Timothy felt for those dear Saints, even though there was much.
That caused him to shed tears.
And contrary to what you and I would think if Paul saw a man who shed tears over the condition of the Saints, what did it do? It brought him joy. It brought him joy. Paul no doubt shed those tears too, but it brought him joy to think that there was another one out there, a younger man, one with energy, one with zeal for the Lord, one with a desire to follow him who shared his heart and whom when he met up with him.
Even though there were tears no doubt on both sides.
It would cause him joy.
Comments about.
Umm, the.
What Paul is encouraging Timothy, besides the individual character of being an encourager of his brethren and so on, but something that's necessary in a difficult day to lay hold of or to be laid hold of by the Lord.
Just pick a few verses out of second Timothy to speak to explain something you find in verse one.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and then I emphasize according to the promise of life.
Which is in Christ Jesus according to the promise of life. Which is in Christ Jesus. Now go to chapter 2.
And verse 10 it says, Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake.
That they may also obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying, For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him. And then over in chapter 4.
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The Apostle Paul speaking about his own life here.
And telling Timothy his own experience in life.
He says in verse 18, and these are some of the very last words that the apostle Paul ever wrote, if not the last words that he ever wrote. That's part of Scripture. He says, the Lord shall deliver me.
From every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdom.
That is, he brings before Timothy when he starts to write to him something about the future.
And the calling of God with respect to Timothy and with respect to himself and with respect to everybody that's in this room.
That is a believer. We've been called to life.
We've got a light that's temporary that we're all living in right now, but it has the stamp of death on it. The life which we have in this room that we got from our parents has the stamp of death on it, and it's going to come to an end.
But Paul immediately begins by looking beyond that and presenting to Timothy, reminding him undoubtedly he knew it of that promise concerning life which is in Christ Jesus.
And then he says later on in the first chapter, we didn't read it, but it was a calling, holy.
It was a holy calling.
Umm, that's the life that's in Christ Jesus. The character of it is holy. It's suited.
To the heavenly Kingdom.
It's that which they had and in common with each other. And so then in the second chapter he reinforces that. He said if he be dead with Christ and risen again with him. And finally in the last chapter, what he's saying, Timothy, God is going to preserve me. And he was encouraging Timothy to have the same thought of himself. He's going to preserve us.
For that for which he called us.
And brethren, we need that. We need the sense in our own souls that that which we have been called to by God, we're gonna be preserved to it, that we are going to get through Whatever comes in between, whatever these chapters bring out to us that may be between the beginning and the end, is the sense in our souls that God has a purpose with respect to us.
He's called us to something, and it's a heavenly something, and it's life he's already given to us that's suited to that for which he's called us. And he says, as it were, Timothy, we're going to be preserved to the end. And we can be happy and encouraged as we go through every day with the assurance in our souls that can I say no matter what, because it's God's purpose, no matter what, we will be preserved.
And yet the exhortations here are to directed to us to actually live a daily life with that sense of being exercised for preservation.
Establishes or institutes something, he always makes provision to the very end, doesn't he? Man sets up an institution, but he can't always bring it to the purpose or fruition for which it was intended. Sometimes he runs out of the resources or any other number of factors may intervene and he may in the end have to close down that thing and say, I can't bring it to the purpose for which I've intended.
But God always makes provision to the very end, and it's no different with Christianity.
God has made provision for us so that we can go on not with what we have in ourselves, but with the resources that we have from God through Christ. And it's very beautiful that at the beginning of this epistle there are three things brought before Timothy as resources. Even for the last days and perilous times. There are three things that we often enumerate very quickly but think perhaps little about.
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And you have them in the second verse of our chapter, he says grace.
Mercy and peace.
Grace is really what preserves us, brethren. It's not only what saves us. It's true that we're saved by grace.
But its grace that preserves us, its grace that carries us day by day.
Of all we received, of His fullness and grace upon grace, Do we need more grace? He gives. He giveth more grace. If is it just for a select few know of all we received? Is it all we need? My grace is sufficient for thee. And that grace that is avail was available to Timothy and is available to you and to me. This afternoon is the same limitless supply that has always been available.
To the people of God. But then there is something else. There is mercy.
Grace preserves us, but mercy restores us when there is sin or failure.
And again, sin and failure comes in, but God is greater than our failure.
God is greater than our sin, and mercy comes in. Paul is writing to an individual here, and individually we are the recipients of mercy. The church is never looked at as the object or recipient of mercy. She's the bride of Christ and she'll be the lamb's wife in a coming day and a bride, A wife is never looked at by the bridegroom, or shouldn't be at least if things are in order, as the recipient of mercy, she's the recipient or the object of love.
But when the apostle writes to individuals, mercies brought in, and individually, we need that mercy day by day.
That again keeps us and restores us when we fail. But then there's peace. And what? Why do we need peace? Peace is for the circumstances of life. You know, we're not going to see outward peace in this world ever again. In fact, the last days are characterized by wars and rumors of wars and turmoil on every hand, sometimes in the circumstances of our personal, family or assembly lives.
It just seems that everything is upheaval, but there is a peace. It's the same peace that the Lord Jesus had when He passed through this world as a man, and that same peace that He left with the disciples before He went back to glory. He was going to leave them in a world where outwardly there would be no peace. But he said, My peace I give unto you not as the world give us, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled.
Neither let it be afraid. We can sit here in this room this afternoon in a world of absolute turmoil on every level, every level of society and government and so on. But we can have the peace of God ruling in our hearts. We can have the peace of God that passeth all understanding. Why? Because we're going to see things smoothed out down here. No, that's not what's going to bring inward peace. If that resource that we have of the very peace.
That the Lord Jesus had when he walked through a troubled world, a world of turmoil, in obedience to the Father, no and communion with with the Father, knowing that he was doing what the Father had asked him to do and as he.
Did the Father's will and enjoyed that moment by moment communion. There was an inward peace and that peace is the same peace that is given to you and me. So we have these three wonderful resources even for the end times. Grace to uh, grace to preserve us, mercy to restore us, and peace to keep our hearts even in difficult circumstances.
You've already said it, Jim, but I'm just gonna restate it for importance from God.
From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's not something we can, in a full sense, give to each other. We can't give these things to one another.
They really come from their primary We may be instruments of God in connection with them, but the true source of grace is God Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ, the true source of mercy given in a righteous way.
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Man may show mercy to his fellow man, but generally puts aside righteousness to do it. But God is able to show us mercy and maintain His own personal character of righteousness and holiness.
And there is a peace that only God can import to the soul that no other, none of us can give to each other. So as well for us to always be thankful and appreciate that when Jim used the word provision, these are provisions for us that come directly from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Maybe I could just add to that a little too, Don.
Because there's a practical way that this can be enjoyed. And just go back to the 37th Psalm for a moment. Just allow a slight digression, but just to confirm what's been said and to bring out the practical way in which this grace, this mercy and peace that come only from God. And again, I know Don has said it again, but let's say it again, it comes only from God.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, but you say that's all fine for you brothers to talk about it, but I I haven't really practically experienced it as I've gone through recent trials and circumstances, but I believe there's a little, I don't like to use the word formula, but I will a little formula here in the 37th Psalm if we're going to practically experience what we've been saying.
In the third verse of this Psalm, and you notice it's a Psalm of David. David was a man who experienced all kinds of problems and difficulties and upheaval in his life from the very time he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king over Israel till he took his Kingdom and all through his Kingdom. One kind of problem and difficulty it seemed in every sphere of life, from personal to family life, to the Kingdom and so on. But notice what he says in verse three, trust in the Lord.
That's the first thing. Who is it to trust in man? No, it's to trust in the Lord. It's confidence in God for every circumstance of life. Verse four, delight thyself in the Lord, finding our joy and delight in the person. We have learned in some measure at least to trust. Verse three or verse, I'm sorry. Verse five, commit thy way unto the Lord as we trust, as we find our joy in Him. It's not hard to leave our life in His hand, to commit it into His hand.
And what's the result? Verse seven, Rest in the Lord or in the language of the New Testament? It's the peace of God. How is it we're going? We can have rest in the Lord. How is it we can have that inward sense of peace? It's only in the measure in which we've learned to trust, delight, and commit. And when we have learned, brethren, in a practical way to do that, I believe we have learned to avail ourselves.
Of the three resources that we have just spoken of, grace, mercy and peace.
If you look at Jude verse one together.
Little book of Jude verse one.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified, set apart by God the Father, and preserved.
In Jesus Christ, and called mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied.
Assurance.
Assurance is a wonderful thing.
I stand.
On the complete finished work of Christ.
And I stand on.
God's promises in his Word.
And my assurance is upon them.
We haven't said the words eternally kept.
It goes beyond this life.
And that is the beauty of it.
That we are eternally kept. My mother preserved jellies, Pickles, all kinds, and they were down the basement, but they sat too many years, they changed and they weren't totally preserved to eternally.
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We are eternally kept.
The promise and the topic of peace turn to Psalms 29, verse 11.
Psalms 29 is about the storms of life.
And the last atom is the master of the storms, isn't he?
In verse 11.
It's one of those promises of the Word of God. The Lord will give strength unto His people. The Lord will bless His people with peace.
And so we see our topics here falling together.
And the beauty of it is, our brothers guide us through these scriptures. An assurance is nice to see that Paul ended in his last epistle with being preserved in assurance, isn't it?
There is real encouragement here too.
In what Paul says at the end of verse 3.
I have remembrance of Thee in my prayers.
Night and day.
We have just completed my wife and IA bit of a trip.
During the course of that trip, we had occasion to visit a number of dear Saints of God who were older, many of whom.
If they could get out to meeting once a week, they counted that a privilege, but in some cases found it even difficult to do that.
But all of them.
Could spend time doing this and we might say that is difficult and I'm sure it was for Paul too. It was doubtless not easy for him to be in prison there and not able to get about and doing things. Sometimes we like to get about and do something.
But Paul, as we know in other scriptures, had called himself the prisoner of the Lord.
And so it was here, wasn't it?
Here was a man who had shown perhaps unparalleled energy for the Lord, unparalleled faithfulness.
Unparalleled sufferings in the pathway of faith, and no doubt was ready to do more, but here he is put aside and not able for the moment to go out and about. And the Lord had showed him that No Paul.
You're not going to be released. And he laborers in prayers night and day.
And I say that to each one of us here, how important it is in the days of pressure and hurry in which we live. Let's not neglect prayer, but at the same time, let's remember if for any reason we are not able to be out and about as much as we would like to be, let's remember the value of prayer.
Both for those for whom we pray and for our own souls.
It's not merely that I pray for someone else, but that it brings me into the presence of the Lord and enables me in that sense to be one with him in all that he is doing. What a privilege that is. And so Paul no doubt had nights when he couldn't sleep, nights when he was wide awake. Some of us have occasional problems like that. What a privilege to use the time in this way. And I believe it's recorded here in order that we might pay attention to it and realize that.
We aren't the first ones to have had this problem.
And would you allow two, Brother Bill, that even if we can get out and about and do things, we need to discipline ourselves and be exercised to labor in prayer? Paul, no doubt, even as he was when he had been traveling around and ministering to the Saints and preaching the gospel, he was a prayer warrior, as we would say. And I, I've, I've enjoyed what you said. And let's just go back to Colossians for a little example of another man who wasn't in prison.
Another man who had an active, I would take an act of service for Christ, but he was a man who labored in prayer as well. In the 4th chapter of Colossians verse 12, Epiphras, who is who? Is one of you, a servant of Christ? Saluteth you always laboring fervently for you in prayers that you might stand perfect and complete in the will of God. Isn't that beautiful? So on the one hand, as you say, Paul was in prison and he had plenty of time.
00:50:14
To pray for Timothy and the Saints of God that he knew and loved, and no doubt for the gospel work and so on. But here was a man, Epifras. He wasn't in prison, but he was a man who was exercised to discipline himself.
To spend time laboring in prayer, not just for his own needs. No doubt he did that.
But for the Saints of God. And if we read on, not only for the Saints in Colossians home assembly, but also for those of Heropolis and Laodicea, which were nearby assemblies and brethren, if we would spend more time in prayer for one another in this regard.
And not just for those that have special needs or who aren't getting out to meeting or who have drifted away or missing the path in one way or another. But if we would pray for one another before those things arose, perhaps prayer would could be used as a preventative measure, much more than a restorative measure. And so Epifras, he had a he, he was a busy, I dare say he was a busy man. He was a servant of Christ. But he labored in prayer, you know.
I just finished reading a book, a book about one of the old missionaries. And I know we've all read missionary stories and stories of early brethren who had tremendous faith and were used in marvelous ways for the blessing of the gospel and the Saints of God. And we marvel at the power and the activity they had in their life. But you know, when you read their biographies or autobiographies very closely, you realize that the reason they had power in their life.
And the reason they were used in blessing to souls, be it in the gospel or amongst the people of God, was because they were men and women of prayer. They spent some of them literally hours in prayer. Martin Luther said, I have so much work to do for the Lord, I dare not spend less than three hours a day in prayer. He was a busy man. He was used mightily in the days of the Reformation. Why? Because he was a man who was exercised to spend time.
Availing himself of the powerhouse of the Christian life. So I just I didn't mean to take away from, but beautiful to see whether whether it was Paul in prison or an active servant of God. They were both exercised in the same way to pray for the blessing of the Saints of God.
Well, we have the supreme example, don't we? And it's often been very humbling to my own soul to read of how the Lord Jesus after a long day of.
Ministry and healing.
Spend all night in prayer.
And two, two things about prayer.
As it's been said, it's an expression of having common interest with God.
It is also an expression of dependence.
And sometimes the amount of time we spend in prayer is a reflection of the degree to which in our lives we share common interests with God and we share the sense in our souls of our native dependence upon Him.
The last our interests are in common with God, The less tendency we will have to pray, the less we have a sense of need.
Which prayer expresses, the less we will find ourselves in prayer, but conversely, our prayer life often expresses those two things.
One of the apostles, I don't know which, was known as old camel knees.
I'm sure not to his face.
I read the other day that the average pastor spent 7 minutes a day in prayer.
But I I just say this too, before we move on, that it's not always how much time we spend literally on our knees alone with the Lord that counts as our prayer life. That's important, don't get me wrong.
Daniel disciplined himself even in his busy occupation and he he had a top job under the king, but he disciplined himself to escape to his room three times a day and pray. And that's, that's important. But learn to cultivate the habit of prayer as you go about from day-to-day amidst your difficult act, your your busy activity or the difficulties of life and to be keeping open line between yourself and the Lord.
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You're driving your car and somebody comes to mind. Pray for that person as you're driving your car.
You have a little break at your desk, you're sipping some coffee. Pray for your family, pray for your brethren. Use those opportunities. Maintain that open line. I'm sure Daniel prayed more than just those times when he was alone on his knees, independence with his windows open toward Jerusalem. I'm sure as he was signing documents for the king or whatever else he had to do, there were times when he was breathing a little prayer for the people of God.
And for his own needs as well. So I just say that it's not always how much time we spend in our room in prayer, but it's to cultivate that spirit and habit in our hourly life and walk with the Lord.
Well, I work for for a few years, told me after it doesn't you it is well to be on your knees as often as possible. But you don't have to be on your knees to praise the Lord. You can walk down the street, take off your hat and look up to the Lord.
A Christian who's conscious may be able to do nothing else. They may be flat on their back. They may not be able to see, they may not be able to hear. They may be incapacitated in many ways. But a Christian, a conscious Christian can always pray. Isn't that wonderful? That that's the resource that God has given us to the very end. But I wanna say this too, just to I know we allu, I think Bill alluded to it, but let's just go back for a moment.
Paul, when you go through his prayers in the different epistles, there's several things, couple of outstanding things that characterize them. He usually isn't praying about some malady or problem or difficulty. Now it's good to pray about those things, but he's praying for the well-being, the spiritual well-being of the Saints of God. We tend in our prayers, at least I do, to pray about.
The cancer and the sickness and the lack of work and the loss of a job and that one, yes, that's that's all part of it. But we also need to remember to pray for the preservation of our brethren, our families and our brethren and the people of God. The other thing that's interesting is that in the epistles where Paul prays for the brethren, it is usually at a time when they were going on well.
The Ephesian Saints were in such a state of soul that they could take in the highest truth committed to man. Twice he speaks of he, twice in that epistle he prays for them. The Philippians, I know there was a little problem coming in. They were going on well. There was a testimony in the gospel. There was joy in the Lord. He didn't cease to pray for them either. Timothy was a young man, as we said, who had a real desire to go on and serve the Lord and for the blessing of the people of God.
Paul was praying for him night and day. Why? Because Paul knew that assemblies and individuals that were going on happily for the Lord were going to be special targets of the enemy. If you come from an assembly where things seem happy and there's a real desire to please the Lord and outreach in the gospel and attendance at the meetings, your assembly needs prayer more than more than perhaps some because the enemy is going to be right there to destroy that interrupted. If you know an individual who's really on fire for the Lord and seeking to serve the Lord and the Lord's people, that individual needs to be prayed for like Timothy, night and day.
Because the enemy's gonna be right there to seek to trip that person up, and so that he perhaps discourages and trips others up as well. So again, I believe we need to use prayer as a preventative measure. And when we see those going on, well, that's perhaps a time when they are most vulnerable and need the most prayer.
Another point in prayer Jim is looking John chapter 17 and verse one we see the Lord's praying to the Father.
And we we talk about praying for our needs and and interceding for one another and so forth. But in verse one here, these words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hours come.
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Glorify thy Son, that thy sin also may glorify thee. It's nice to include or maybe begin a prayer with worship to glorify the Lord as well. Very good.
But for us, what perhaps we should be reminded of when we do pray to the Lord Jesus, it's not someone who umm.
Isn't familiar with the trials of the way. Can I just point us to a scripture that we're all familiar with? It's in Hebrews chapter 4. Umm towards the end. I'll just read it. Umm verse 14 of Hebrews chapter 4. Seeing then that we have a great High priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast our profession, for we have not in High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling.
Of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted or tried, like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore, uh, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace.
To help in time of need. I'm sure all of us in some measure, have been in a difficult situation where we've been comforted in prayer, knowing that the Lord Himself could, uh, sympathize with us in that trial. Umm, So I mentioned that as a means of encouragement to, umm, uh, get on our knees and be before Him in prayer. He knows all about it.
Brother Le Moyne was uh, James, the half brother of Jesus.
Tune with what has been said. It's interesting that just before he speaks of praying for Timothy, he speaks of a pure conscience. Now Paul back in the book of Acts spoke of his he lived in all good conscience before God. His exercise, I think it's in the 24th of Acts, was to have a conscience always void of offense. But here he speaks of a pure conscience and he speaks of this just before he speaks of praying for Timothy.
Because I believe if our prayers are going to be really effective, we need to maintain a pure conscience.
The psalmist said, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And what is a pure conscience? Well, I'd like to hear what others say, but I suggest at least part of the thought in a pure con conscience is to keep anything that is impure out of my out of my life. Let me illustrate it this way. We put a glass of pure water on the table and we say this is pure water. And it is. But the minute I add anything else.
It's not pure water anymore. It can be anything from a drop of poison to a speck of dirt.
But it is no longer pure water. I have allowed a foreign object to come in.
To defile it in that way, and brethren, if we're going to be effective in our prayer life and our walk with God in these last days.
We need to keep evil out. We need to walk in a with a pure conscience. And how do we maintain a pure conscience? Well, it is to walk in the fear of the Lord. It is to walk in the sense of His Holiness and to seek by grace to.
Bring into our lives those things that are for His glory, and to keep out of our lives those things that are not for His glory.
Refer in that connection Jim to 1St John, chapter 3.
First John chapter 3 and verse 21.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not.
Then had we confidence toward God and whatsoever we ask to receive of Him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight?
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Our state of soul with God cannot be separated from prayer. They're vitally linked together. And if there's that up in my life and on my conscience which I know is incompatible with God, there will be no confidence toward God in what I ask for in prayer. And Paul, John goes even farther here, he says, if our heart condemn us not.
It isn't always a specific sin that we may be aware of that isn't judged in our lives. But if there's a walk that doesn't reflect nearness to the heart of God, that is, our heart can condemn us just because we're walking at a distance from the Lord without a conscious sense of His presence and His nearness in our lives.
That too hinders confidence, But if there is that confidence, then we also have the sense in our hearts that what we ask will be in keeping with His will and He will be able to do as it says. Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him.
They'll be great boldness, great confidence, the nearer the heart walks with God, because there is the nearness of the sense of His own will in whatever it is one is asking for. Peter knew the heart of God.
In some things that he asked for, Moses had a real sense of the heart of God, and he could say to him, you can't do that.
You can't he, he literally could tell God. You know you can't do that. You can't deny yourself. You promised to do this and you can't deny that promise and so you're going to do it. That was an intercessory action on Moses heart with God. But he knew the heart of God and he had great boldness as an intercessor and he plead with God according to what God was and what God had said.
And so when we really get into the presence of God and if I say live there.
There is that growth in the soul that learns to draw upon God according to what he is his own heart and what he's promised. And there's boldness in asking according to those two things. But if we don't walk with God, we don't have that sense of his heart and we.
Fills us with uncertainty in what we ask.
If our heart condemns us, yes.
I'll just pass on what's been explained to me by others and that is that.
My conscience.
If I have done something wrong and I haven't judged it with God, my conscience will feel guilty.
My conscience may have no sense of a sin upon it, but my heart may not have confidence Godward, if I'm walking at a distance from Him in my spiritual life. It's the nearness to the heart of God that gives us confidence in the heart of God. That's why Peter says to John, ask him.
Ask him.
Because Peter at that time wasn't walking with the consistent nearness to the heart of the Lord. And so when there came up a question and somebody wanted to know the answer and Peter wanted to know perhaps all the disciples did. He basically turns as to John, he said, I know that you stay on his bosom. You stay right there where his heart is. You ask him, then we'll all know. And sometimes we do that we're we're not certain of the the heart of God in something.
And uh, in that way, our hearts condemning us. But John is characteristic of one, he speaks of it here, whose heart did not condemn him because he, he found his resting place on the bosom of the Lord Jesus.
Hey I just suggest this is an addition that.
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Your your question Phil was with verse 20 where if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart.
I suggest we see an example of that in the Lord's interchange with Peter in John 21.
Twice the Lord asks Peter, lovest thou me?
And Peter responds, Lord thou N that, I love thee.
And when the Lord asks him the third time, Peter's grieved.
And what does he say? Lord, Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. That is, if our heart is away from the Lord. The Lord knows my heart. He knows, perhaps the innermost desires of it.
And Peter had a real desire. He did love the Lord, but there had been a pride and a self-confidence that had.
Resulted in a fall and eventually he has to get on to God's side of things. Where?
As it were, he says Lord.
Alright.
Whatever you can see in my heart is what really counts. And in that sense, God is greater than our heart, because every true believer loves the Lord, even though it may have gotten dimmed by circumstances and a walk at a distance from him. And this is, if I can suggest it, an epistle that takes up the family of God. And John often speaks in the abstract, every true child of God.
Loves the Father, Every true child of God Has a heart for Christ, even though it may be ultimately dimmed by circumstances. Would you agree with that Don? No, I wasn't recognizing the verse he was asking about, but I'll add this to it.
If we walk with God.
We will have the joy of the fellowship of his heart and his thoughts. Abraham was a man that walked with God characteristically. And so when God was going to go to Sodom and destroy it, he said, as it were, I can't do this without talking to Abraham about it. And so there was that communion between them that caused God to share his intent to bring judgment upon Sodom, but he couldn't do it really until he talked to Abraham about it.
Because Abraham walked with God, but.
Even when we don't walk with God, even when we don't have the walk of Abraham, God still loves us just the same and will act for our good. What we miss is the enjoyment of the fellowship of what He's doing. He will do it. He will act above our hearts because He can't deny His own heart. And He loves us with a perfect love, so He will act for our good.
But what we will miss is the fellowship with him in what he's doing.
And so he said, he made his acts.
Known unto the children of Israel, but he made his ways known unto Moses. I reversed the order in which I think is quoted. What was he saying? Well, the children of Israel got to see the acts of God.
Moses entered into what God was doing in those acts, and God wants us to. He wants to have a fellowship with us that not only his actions are there to be seen, but is what he's doing in them.
Is that which He would bring us into as well. And in the measure in which we walk with Him is the measure in which His ways are perceived in our hearts and lives. Not everything, but in in measure we get to enter into His ways. But if we don't walk with Him, we may see His goodness in His actions, but we won't have the joy of the fellowship connected with it, with Himself. Our time is up.
It's 61.
It's time for us to get paid time.
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In London, Kingston of life's great.
To go back and also in your mind.