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Lord, thou hast drawn us after thee. Now let us run and never tire, 166.
Lord, thou test.
Standard.
Never.
Come to my present shall.
Thyself honorable, thy soul dreams time.
Our president.
Save the wild dwarf care North and flowers here.
I.
Our strength, our.
Shape of.
Our world.
Change the world, thy gracious.
And in life.
Being hard to the world, I can never hear.
I mean, God and Father, we just thank Thee for the opportunity that we have to open my word this morning. We just pray that now by Thy Holy Spirit, I might direct to the passage the portion that would be planned by Thee, our God, to feed our souls. We pray for each one who is led by Thy Spirit to participate, that they've been given wisdom in what they say, and to that glory would be brought.
To the name, our God of thy beloved Son. We thank thee so much, Lord Jesus, for dying for us and providing for us in our life down here. And we just thank thee for our brethren. Pray that we would enjoy our time together, first with thee, Lord Jesus, and then with one another. Give thee our thanks and our praise, Lord Jesus and my precious name, Amen. Amen.
Focus Second Timothy.
00:05:00
Chapter One.
Paul, 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 unseen faith that is indeed 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 indeed by the putting on of my hands.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou, therefore a shame 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 hath saved us and called us with an 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 it now may manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality.
Light through the Gospel.
Where unto 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.
And to 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 knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me.
Of whom by jealous and her MO homogeneous, the Lord give mercy unto the House of omniscience. For He OFT refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. But when He was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me the Lord. Grant unto him, that he may found mercy of the Lord in that day, and in how many things?
He ministered unto me at Ephesus. Thou knowest very well.
I think it's general knowledge that this is probably the last epistle that the apostle Paul wrote. In the 4th chapter and the sixth verse he says the time of my departure is at hand, so he's encouraging Timothy his.
Son in the Faith.
To continue.
And a word that seems to be interesting in the first chapter that occurs 3 times is the word ashamed.
Notice in verse eight he says to Timothy, B not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. And in verse 12 he says, for the which 'cause I suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed. And then we have Vanessa for us, who was not ashamed of Paul's chain.
00:10:05
You know the.
Lord's testimony in the day that we live is not a popular thing.
Times people look at what we are and brother and it's not about us.
It's about the Lord Jesus. But when they look at us, they say, what in the world do these people think they are?
And if you look at us, there's quite a few things to be ashamed of.
But when it's the testimony of our Lord that we're talking about, it changes the whole picture. And I think it's really encouraging to see the way the apostle Paul.
He was right at the end of his pathway here.
It looked like complete failure. Where was he in prison? What was ahead? He's going to get his head cut off.
And how about the brethren? Oh, all those in Asia have forsaken me.
It looked like complete failure. And yet Paul is not ashamed. And to me that is tremendously encouraging. Brethren, we have something that is so tremendously valuable. There is no need to be ashamed. But that's the way the world would project it to us so that we might be ashamed. Let's be encouraged. Let's not be ashamed of the Lord's testimony.
Might be helpful to.
Get a little insight into who this man was that Paul was writing to and what characterized Timothy. And we know Timothy was one who had no doubt been saved through the ministry of the apostle Paul, encouraged, gathered to Lord's name, and traveled with Paul. But I was thinking of a little portion in Philippians 2 That gives us a little insight as to the character of Timothy.
And what his desire was for the truth and the Saints of God. Let's go back and we'll just read it briefly in Philippians chapter 2.
And verse 19.
But I trust in the Lord Jesus, descend Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state. For I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ.
But you know the proof of him, that as a son with the with a father, he hath served with me in the gospel. Him therefore, I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. And so we get a little insight into Timothy here. Timothy was a man who had a real care for the Saints of God, and Paul was encouraging him in the epistle we're reading.
To go on with that care and value of the truth, even though it was indeed the last days and perilous times. And Paul had confidence in writing to Timothy at the very end of his life. I know it was directed of the Spirit of God, but the but inspiration leaves room for the exercise and character of the writer to come out. It's very different than dictation. And so Paul at the end of his life had every confidence to write to this young man.
Of all people that he writes to at the end, it's Timothy. Why? Because Timothy was a man who liked the Apostle Paul, had a care for the Saints and a desire for their well-being.
He could earlier send them to Philippi with confidence. He could now pass the torch, so to speak, to Timothy with confidence, knowing that Timothy would take up that torch not only to hold fast the truth, but to minister to the Saints in the spirit that was needed in the last days, because it's possible to hold the truth. But we must, brethren, in these days in which we live, hold it in the proper spirit.
And pass it on with the proper care that is needed. And that's why at the end of the epistle he says to Timothy, the Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. It's a very unique way. And there's two or three epistles end in this way. But it's a very unique way for the apostle Paul to end his epistle, and especially to an individual. Why? Because he says, as it were, Timothy.
00:15:20
You're going to have to have your spirit preserved, your attitude, the spirit in which you take up the truth and seek to pass it on to the next generation and care for the flock of God at the end is going to have to be right if there's going to be a preservation of the Saints of God. Well, I appreciate this chapter being suggested because it's very relevant and needful for the day we live in. We're right down.
In these days, parallel to the days that the apostle was writing to this young man, Timothy.
You speak of the word ashamed brings to mind.
Verse in Romans Chapter 9, which is actually a quotation from the Old Testament.
Romans 9 and verse 33.
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion, the stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed, or my margin reads confounded. Well then, we have repeated in the next chapter in verse 11 of Romans 10, for the Scripture saith Whosoever believeth on him.
Shall not be ashamed.
I believe outwardly perhaps the Christian today may seem to be a loser because.
He don't seem to be.
Benefiting, you might say, from.
The advantages of pursuing the things of this world.
But.
The end of a thing is what really decides the true issue.
And there's a word that says, oh, that men were wise, that they would consider their latter end.
Now the Lord Jesus suffered in this world and he was despised.
And he was rejected of men.
And no doubt there were many that would say anybody would follow him.
Will be a shame, will be confounded. It's not the way to go. And then he ends up on a cross.
In humiliation and seeming defeat.
But last weekend we had in Saint John.
The wonderful future.
That lies before the Christian, but also.
How the Lord is going to reveal himself to this world in Matthew 24, it tells us that he's going to be.
Appeared in power and great glory.
And as Christians, we're going to be associated with him at that time.
Now, that's nothing to be ashamed about.
But I do believe that if we're going to be looking at the world's viewpoint today.
We could easily become misdirected, get our eye off the Lord.
And think that we're on the right track, but I do believe has have it here.
To put one's faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Results in success.
And one in that category will not be ashamed or confounded.
God's answers and resurrection isn't it And.
I think that is very helpful because the Lord's life too, appeared like complete defeat.
His 12 disciples. One was a traitor, another one who promised to never deny him, denied him three times, and the rest escaped.
What did he have to show? He hung until he was dead on the cross. It didn't appear like triumph, did it? But I like the verse in the second chapter, and I think this is what it refers to in verse eight of the second chapter. Remember.
00:20:11
It says Timothy.
And then the new translation that that isn't in there, remember, Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. So he's encouraging Timothy this way. It appeared as if it was defeat in the case of the Lord Jesus, but God's answer was in resurrection. And oh, what an answer, brother. The Lord Jesus now is at the pinnacle of all authority.
His name is higher than any name in the whole universe. And so the apostle Paul, it appeared as his life was defeat too. But God's answers and resurrection, we should never forget that. And even things look discouraging down here. Let's keep our eyes on the future day. You know, going back to our chapter in the first verse there he speaks of the promise of life.
Which is in Christ Jesus.
You know, the life that we have in the Lord Jesus is a life that is beyond death.
It is on the other side. It is in new creation. That's the life that we have. That's the eternal life. It's a life that death cannot touch any longer. But it's not the life that we look at down here, naturally speaking.
And when you see young people full of life, that's great, it's natural, it's normal. But remember, the life that we're born with into this world is not the life we're talking about here. The life that we have in the Lord Jesus is a life that is beyond death in new creation. And so we need to live in view of that life, the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.
We have it if we're believers in the Lord Jesus, but we need to learn to live it. Not only just say I have eternal life, but live it.
Sometimes we live the natural life. We like to have all our comforts and we don't remember that that's not necessarily the life that we're we have in Christ. Life that we have in Christ is beyond death. Wonderful, wonderful truth.
And so the resources to live this even in the last days are as limitless as they ever were. And that's what Paul goes on to encourage Timothy. Because we might say, well, it's okay to talk about these things, but look at the day we live in. We're right down at the end. And it's true, brethren, we are down at the end. It's true that the moral and spiritual darkness is deepening over this planet earth every day.
But it is interesting that Paul brings out three things in the second verse that our resources for Timothy to go on in the last days and perilous times. The first thing is grace, because grace is what preserves us in the path of faith and service. And that grace is as available today and as limitless as it's ever been. And is it something that's just given to a special class of Christians?
A special group that have attained to some level of spirituality. No of all we received of his fullness and grace upon grace. Do we need more grace? It says he giveth more grace. So grace is what preserves us in the path. But then he says mercy. Paul only adds mercy at the beginning of an epistle when it's to an individual.
He never puts mercy in connection with the greeting to an assembly because the Church has never looked at collectively as the object of mercy. The bride of Christ is looked at as the object of love. But individually we are the objects of mercy. And if grace preserves us in the path, then when we fail, mercy is what restores us. And aren't we thankful for that restoring mercy of God?
Often we need his mercies. Maybe there's someone here this morning and you say, well, I've come to these meetings, but I haven't availed myself of the grace of God like I should. I've certainly failed. I've come to these meetings having let God down, let the Lord Jesus down. But this restoring mercy, David failed and he failed grievously in his pathway, But he said, the Lord restoreth my soul.
00:25:21
And he said, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And then there's something else. There's peace, because peace is so that we can go through the circumstances without the worry and the trouble and being overwhelmed. And this piece, I suggest is the same piece that the Lord Jesus left with his disciples at the end of his pathway.
He said, Peace I give unto you not as the world give, I give unto you, let not your heart be troubled. He referred to it as my peace. What peace was that? The Lord Jesus walked through a troubled world amidst all kinds of obstacles and difficulties and ups and downs, with a peace and calm that came from walking in communion with His Father and doing the Father's will.
And you and I can go through the last days and perilous times, not with outward peace in our circumstances, but we can go through this world with the same peace inwardly in our souls, the peace of God that passeth all understanding. And what does it do? It keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, so we can live the Christian life as Timothy was encouraged to do in these difficult times.
Not looking for better or brighter days down here, but availing ourselves of His grace, His mercy, and that limitless and wonderful peace.
I was thinking that the apostle.
Is speaking to a young man here who?
Have the tendency to be timid.
And he had various limitations, but.
He also encourages him in the verse six. I could be in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee, by the putting on of my hand.
I believe that.
All with.
He had imparted a gift to Timothy.
That does not happen now, but.
Had that authority to impart a gift to him, but there was the tendency to.
To be discouraged when things were in such a.
Low condition as depicted in this epistle, when all they that were in Asia had forsaken the apostle. They hadn't given up Christ, but they had. They did not want to walk in that path of separation from the world as a heavenly people. Timothy could have been discouraged and said, what is the use of ministering the gift that I have?
But the apostle.
Says, Stir it up. I was thinking of the verse in first Timothy 4:00 and 6:00, where we have this exhortation from Paul again to Timothy, If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, where unto thou hast detained. That was an exhortation for Timothy to.
To.
Give attention to the doctrine that Paul had imparted to him, Paul's doctrine, because generally it has been given up and Christendom today. And that's what we have brought before us in this epistle, the declension in the Christian testimony and Paul in his pastoral epistle. Here he exhorts Timothy.
Continue on in that path. He had learned the doctrine.
By diligent study that Paul had had given to him. But now he says, don't give it up, Timothy. Stir up the gift, strengthen the things that remain.
00:30:11
And that's what we have here in the first chapter.
In verse three we have something I find helpful.
He says, 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.
Conscience is something that every human being has.
When man was created and put into the Garden of Eden, he was put in in innocence.
And when he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
He got a conscience. If you look at the word conscience, you take off the con on it. What's left is science or knowledge.
With knowledge.
And innocence means simply without knowledge of good and evil. But it's interesting to think about this brother. And it's mentioned quite a few times in First and Second Timothy.
Question of conscience. Sometimes it's a good conscience.
And here it's a pure conscience. But how important it is to.
Walk before God.
In exercise of heart.
And Paul says it well, I think in.
Acts Chapter.
I think it's 24.
And verse 16 he says.
Herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men.
Sometimes, you know, we kind of go along with other people. They do that. Well, OK, I guess I can do that too.
You need to learn to walk in exercise before God yourself. God has given you a conscience.
Somebody has said that conscience is like a pair of good eyes.
I've got good eyes, I can see everybody here.
But to be able to see, I need more than good eyes. I need light, and it's light that makes my eyes function properly. And so the conscience is not in itself a guide. Someone has said it's a good policeman.
But it's not a guide. The guide is the Word of God and the Spirit of God in US and that new nature that we have. But the conscience is a policeman, and when you do something, you know it's not right.
Your conscience immediately tells you you did something wrong. And sometimes, you know, we like to kind of quench the voice of conscience. Be quiet.
And we don't listen. That's not right. We need to exercise ourselves to have always before God a conscience void of offence. Paul didn't say I always have a good conscience. I hear somebody, people say that sometimes I don't have to. I don't have a conscience against that. OK, you might not, but maybe you need to get more into the light to see what the word of God says about it.
And then to exercise yourself, not because somebody else says it's right or wrong.
But you yourself in the light of the word of God, to discern, to be exercised, to have a conscience void of offence. Here it says a pure conscience. The end of Hebrews, Paul says.
Because we believe it was he that wrote the epistle. He says pray for us, for we trust that we have a good conscience. I like that. He doesn't say, yeah, I always have a good conscience, but says we trust we have a good conscience. That's a conscience that's being exercised rather than we're walking in a world full of problems and sometimes we slip into it and we need to be.
00:35:15
Constantly exercised, we're never out of danger as we walk through this world, and so may the Lord give us tender consciences as we do walk through this world.
The opposite.
Tender or sensitive conscience be what we have in First Timothy 4.
Where we find there are those that have their conscience seared with a hot iron.
And we read about those in the first chapter of First Timothy, Hymenaeus and Alexander.
It says about them that they.
Have put away concerning faith made shipwreck.
And of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander.
Well, I believe that there was a warning to these ones concerning.
Their beliefs, but apparently they ignored it and the conscience becomes hardened and as a result.
The doctrine concerning Christ, sound doctrine, it's set aside in favor of that.
Which accommodates their false teaching and helps to ease the conscience. And so the truth is lower.
Now I was told, and I hesitate to mention this, but there is a.
Translation of the Bible that's just been produced.
It's called the Queen James Version of the Bible, and it promotes homosexuality.
As though it's of God. Well, we know it's not. But the point here is that there are those that are trying to accommodate their false belief by putting out this that they say is scripture. So I think we need to indeed maintain a sensitive conscience, a tender conscience, and.
It speaks here about a pure conscience.
Which doesn't mean that we do everything perfect, that we don't make any mistake.
But if we do make a mistake, to be willing to acknowledge it.
And.
You know, it's been said.
There's something even worse than sin itself, and that is.
A unwillingness to admit it.
And that's a big problem. So I think a pure conscience involves continual self judgment.
So if I think wrong thoughts or if I say something wrong or I do something wrong to be willing to admit it.
You know, and to confess it and to repent of it.
And of course, then Communion is restored. It's a happy thing.
Pure conscience, very important, but it's not that somebody is going to be perfect all the time.
And it doesn't say a good conscience here, does it? It's a pure conscience. And he says, I've served from my forefathers that that's interesting. And I think Paul, even before he was saved, was doing what he thought was right. He was doing what he thought was right.
But he was having ****** of conscience, the Lord said to him when he arrested him on the road to Damascus.
It is hard for thee to kick against the ******. When he saw Stephen dine with his face shining like an angels.
There must have been tremendous tricks of conscience.
And so it wasn't a good conscience, but he was doing what he thought was right. That shows the importance of light on our consciences. That's a continual thing, brethren. That's why it's so important, the constant reading of the Word of God.
00:40:14
So another illustration, someone has said the conscience is like the eye. I might have 2020 vision, but if I'm in a dark room, I'm going to trip over anything that's in my way. You say, well, why did you trip? You have 2020 vision. Well, I didn't have light, but you turn on the light now and you see all the obstacles. You can navigate your way across the room in a way that is for your own safety and the safety of others.
And I really believe, as we've been saying, that that's what a pure conscience is. It's a conscience that's guided by the light. And where are we going to get the light? It's the light of God's word. And Paul sought by the grace of God to act on the light that he had at the at the at the time. And so when that light shone on him on the Damascus road, and he was brought into the light of Christianity in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
Then he sought to act by grace on that light. Before he met the Lord, he had light too. It was the light of the Old Testament, and he acted on that as well. And doing that he thought he ought to do many things contrary to Christianity. That's why he could stand before the council in the 23rd chapter of Acts and say to the council that he had acted in good conscience up until that very moment. He'd acted on the light that he had.
And so if I can just illustrate another way to a pure conscience is like everything run through the filter. You know, you may have some water, you may have some liquid that's not pure. What's the answer? There's really nothing wrong with the liquid apart from the impurities while you run it through a filter.
And when it's run through the filter, it's the same liquid, but the filter has taken out that which is not good. And how are we going to run things through the filter? Brethren, we have the Word of God here. But I'd like to just say this too. And before we pass on from this third verse, there was something else that the apostle Paul recognized was important in connection with the encouraging Timothy to go on in the truth in the last days.
He was also praying for Timothy. He knew that if Timothy was going to be preserved and to go on and to minister to the Saints and to utilize the gift that had been given to him, he was going to need prayer and he was going to need lots of it. And so the apostle Paul didn't cease to pray for Timothy. He prayed for him night and day that he would be preserved. You know, brethren, sometimes we can exhort one another.
And we need to. We can encourage one another. We can point out things that need to be corrected in one another. We can sometimes come down hard on our younger brothers and sisters and tell them they need to be living this way and that way and not allowing this and that in their life.
All fine and well. The apostle Paul does that with Timothy, but at the beginning of his exhortation here, he reminds Timothy that he's praying for him. How much do we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ? If we prayed for our brothers and sisters in Christ as much as we exhorted them and corrected them, it would have a tremendous effect, wouldn't it? It would have more effect on what we say to them on our ministry.
And it would have more effect on the reaction and the spirit in which it is received. And we would no doubt see far more blessing amongst the people of God, far more power individually and collectively, if we sought to carry out what Paul sought to carry out here. So he doesn't just exhort and encourage and correct and admonish Timothy, but he says, Timothy, I'm praying for you.
And that's where the power of preservation comes, doesn't it? And if we pray for one another, name by name and need by need, I believe it will give us the proper spirit and attitude in our interactions, one another with one another. And as I say, there will be more power in what we say and how it's received.
Might mention that the just to.
00:45:03
Make another comment about conscience that we do have in God's sight a purged conscience. That's part out in Hebrews and several verses you will remember.
That's our standing before God through the work of Christ. A purge conscience.
Will never be judged for those sins that we've committed, because the blood of Christ has given us the perfect standing before God.
But the pure conscience or a good conscience has to do with our state, and that's only maintained, as has been mentioned, through self judgment and a careful walk in the presence of the Lord. Is that right, Bob? That's Hebrews 914. That was, that's good. I was going to mention that too. I'm glad you did mention that.
Now that we've been brought to the Lord Jesus.
Do we have any consciousness of all the sins we used to commit?
Yes, I would say we do.
But it's a purged conscience, it's been taken care of at the cross completely, and it's a wonderful thing to realize.
I was going to comment a little bit more about what Wally mentioned in First Timothy. Four of the Conscience Seared with a hot iron. You know, they used to be blacksmiths that used to, they don't use blacksmiths so much today, but sometimes down in Latin America you still see blacksmiths.
And it's interesting to watch him work. And they get, they usually use some heavy gloves, canvas gloves, but sometimes they get so calloused in their hands that they just grab the hot irons with their bare hands. And their hands get extremely calloused. They don't feel it any longer. And when a person sins and sins and sins, their conscience gets calloused people.
In the Second World War.
Did awful atrocities of killing people, they come home to be with their family at night, hardly seemingly any conscience about it. Did they still have conscience? Yes, Conscience was still there. And I sometimes say, you take one of those blacksmiths with calloused hands, you take a pin and shove it down through the callus. Is he going to jump? You said he's going to jump. He still feels that.
And he still has a conscience, but sometimes it takes something to get down through the callousing. And that's what it is. And how important it is for us as believers now to be sensitive. And we see in our chapter here in verse four that Timothy was a sensitive person. He was a young man. And I think we can say from first Timothy 4 that he was a timid person.
And here it seems to.
Show that he says, being mindful of thy tears. It was a sensitive person. That's beautiful to see those things that affected the Lord. He felt Timothy and what you read there in second chapter, Philippians said I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state.
And when things weren't going right with the brethren, Timothy felt it. And there were tears about it. That's beautiful.
Well, Timothy had a godly heritage as we mentioned, as is mentioned here.
From his forebears. And we need to.
Think of our heritage to brethren, because the Lord has brought us into a place of.
Great privilege.
Having the truth in its purity.
Paul's doctrine, which generally is given up in Christendom today, and that full revelation of the heart of God and the purposes of God and so on. So we have a heritage, but we have also responsibility. And as we see in this epistle, there was a general giving up, abandoning the truths that the apostle had suffered to bring out.
00:50:04
And.
The fall exhorts Timothy to hold fast.
That which he had received, and to minister it, pass it on in the same way in which he had received it and.
That's our privilege as well as in my.
Like to just say a word about that because I realized there are some here this morning that haven't been brought up in a Christian home, didn't have a God, have God fearing parents. And it's wonderful that the Lord has come in and saved you and brought you to the meetings, gathered you perhaps to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think of what David said in the 27th Psalm. When my mother and father forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.
And maybe there's someone here and your mother and father aren't happy that you're at meetings like this. Well the Lord takes you up and evaluates it but has been pointed out. Timothy had a godly heritage. He had a God fearing mother, grandmother and A and a godly mother. And just go over to the 4th chapter and you'll see it developed a little bit.
I'll read first of all the 14th verse of the third chapter. I'm sorry, chapter 3 and verse 14.
But continue thou, in the things which thou hast learned and been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them. Now in this verse, what Paul is referring to as the things that he had learned from Paul. Timothy had learned the truth from the apostle Paul, as we said earlier. He'd been saved, no doubt, under the ministry of the apostle Paul. He'd had the privilege of being with Paul on a number of occasions, and he had learned from Paul, and he was too, as we know from this epistle.
Take what he had learned from the apostle Paul and to pass it on to faithful men who would be able to teach others also. And that work is still going on today. That's how the truth has been passed down from generation to generation, not just to anybody, but to faithful men from one generation to another. And God has maintained that way of the truth being passed down. But now I want to notice in verse 16 of that third chapter, verse 15 of that third chapter.
And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. And so again, Paul reminds Timothy that from a child he had known the Holy Scriptures. That would have been the Old Testament Scriptures that would have been available to him at that time. How did he know those scriptures? Because at least on his mother's side, he had had.
A godly heritage, and Paul reminds Timothy of this. But two things I want to say in regard to this. One is, for those of us who have had that kind of heritage, do we value it and appreciate it? And secondly, the day came for Timothy when he had to make these things good in his own soul. And so Paul reminds him that he'd known the Scriptures from the time he was a child, but then it came to the point where it was through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
It came to personal, individual faith, and not only to receive the Lord Jesus as his Savior personally himself, but to buy the truth for himself, to take hold of it for himself. And Paul, having seen that with Timothy, then, as we've been saying, had confidence to be able to pass the torch on to Timothy, knowing that he would pass it on to faithful men.
But for those of us like myself who had that heritage, do we value it? And for those of you who are younger, you know, I have to hang my head and say I didn't appreciate it. I didn't value it when I was younger. Like I ought to have learned to value and appreciate godly parents, godly grandparents, and learn to appreciate it while you're young. It will save you and spare you from many things.
Parents too, because there was a grandmother.
There was a mother and here was a son. 3 generations.
But faith is not something that is inherited naturally. How does it come? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And you know, I sometimes notice that sometimes in homes I see that there were scriptures are not read to the children or with the children.
00:55:20
And sometimes I've heard this excuse. I don't know how to explain it. It doesn't say that faith comes by explaining the word of God. It comes by hearing it. Just read it. Let it get into the ears and hearts of those dear children. What a tremendous blessing it is to fill those little fresh.
Recorders.
With the precious Word of God. And so it had its effect on Timothy.
A grandmother, a mother. We don't know much else about them except that they were women of faith. The father was All we know about him was he was a Greek.
And so we don't even know if he had faith, but what a man of God Timothy was because of the influence and help of a grandmother and a mother.
The exhortation here in verse 6 is good for each one of us.
God has imparted a gift and ability to all of us.
The sisters and the brothers, we're all servants of the Lord. As every man hath received the gift or the ability, Even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. We're going to have to give an account.
In that coming day as to how we have used what God has entrusted to us and that applies. That's a stewardship and that applies to everything. It applies to the gift that God has imparted to us. It applies to the use of our.
Temporal resources.
Our time and whatever. But here the apostle says to Timothy, stir it up, use it.
Don't, don't become, don't become dormant. You know, there's the tendency in difficult times to become dormant and become, become discouraged. But this is a good exhortation for every one of us.
The Lord has given you an ability. It's not for yourself. It's for the benefit and the blessing of the people of God and the Church of God. There's a responsibility connected with it, as well as a privilege to stir it up and to to use it for the Lord's glory.
It's interesting, John, I think you mentioned it before in First Timothy 4.
But in verse 14 he mentioned something similar. There he says neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given the.
By prophecy.
With the laying on of the hands of the presbytery or the elders. In other words, I take it that those were Timothy was those who were in positions of of guiding the Lord's people.
Discerned in Timothy a gift and they laid their hands on him. Just like we shake hands, say give you the right hand of fellowship, Timothy, the Lord has given you something special, Use it. And we're in fellowship in the use of your gift. That's that's beautiful, that's precious in Second Timothy. It's not the hands of the Presbyterian, it's just my hands, Paul says.
And I suggest that, Paul, because gifts really come.
From the Lord directly according to Ephesians four and 1St Corinthians 12, they're gifts of the Spirit and in Romans 12, there are gifts given by God. And I agree, John, that every person that is a believer in the Lord Jesus has a gift. We need to be exercised to use it in that day when we peer before the judgment seat of Christ and the Lord says to you.
01:00:23
Dear young brother or young sister, I gave you a gift. What did you do with that gift?
Are you gonna say I I didn't even realize what my gift was? I don't think it's necessary to specifically know your gift. What's necessary is to be responsive to the Lord's direction in your life. The Lord lays something on your heart. Do it.
And in time, in the use of a gift, it becomes apparent what gift an individual might have.
And so it's important, Paul here in Second Timothy, he says, stir it up in the Spanish translation that says wake up the gift of God that's in you.
I look around the young people in this room and say, man, what a lot of gift in this room.
Are you using your gift?
Remember, the use of those gifts will have implications for all eternity.
How important to be aware of it. Sometimes we're very intense about developing our natural gifts. If you have gifts in sports or music, those are natural gifts or talents perhaps we could say, but they're not going to have the implications that those spiritual gifts.
Have so be exercised each one, as to what the Lord might have you do.
Be faithful in that which is least, and if you are faithful in the least things, then you will be faithful when the Lord gives you more as well. Important to be exercised about it. But Paul laid his hands on Timothy and I think that was to encourage him.
And to say, like you mentioned, Brother John Timothy, you have a gift. And sometimes, brethren, we discern that there are gifts in young people we need to encourage in the right way, not to puff up, but to encourage. Remember some of the older brethren that were an encouragement to me early on.
Remember Brother Ernie Wakefield coming up to me after a meeting one time and he said the Lord keep you brother.
I really appreciated that.
What you're saying because?
Sometimes it's not just as easy as you're bringing before us the the thought of being able to exercise.
The gift that a brother has.
And I'll, I'll just relay just what the apostle is saying to Timothy here and the way he brings it to Timothy. He expresses his thoughts here in this epistle as a father to a son. He does that to Timothy. He also does it to Titus. Then in these 3 verses that we're looking at, he takes up the heritage that Timothy has.
Very good heritage. You've brought before us earlier that Timothy had the tendency to be a timid brother.
And that he has a tremendous heritage. He's had the word of God poured into him, not just by his mom, but by his grandma. It's there. And now not only does he have the word of God poured into him, but he's got a gift. He has a gift. And now, now the apostle says, you know.
Need to stir that up.
It's be nice to hear.
About this gift, well, he says here.
Wherefore I put the inner remembrance of thou Spirit, the gift of God, which is in thee, by putting out of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. Now evidently Timothy was not only of a timid nature, but perhaps was characterized by fear.
01:05:06
Now I'd like to turn to the end of First Corinthians for a moment.
1St.
The apostle writes to the Corinthians here who were an assembly that as we go through it, we realized there were gifted brethren here in Corinth.
Those that had a gift.
Now the apostle he, he has a desire that Timothy go and spend some time here amongst the Corinthians. Now notice what he says in verse 10. Now if this is First Corinthians 16 and verse 10. Now if Tumultius come, see that he may be among you without fear, for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I do, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him, but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me, for I look for him.
With the brethren.
I read that verse. I'm also going to read the next verse which says, as touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren, for his will was not at all to come at this time, but he shall come when he shall have convenient time. Notice it does not say, the apostle does not say when he's speaking about Apollos in the Corinthians. See that Apollo's be be among you without fear. Why?
Because applause was of a very strong character.
Apostle was not going to ride there and just sit in the back row and not say anything. He was going to ride there like a bulldozer. That was his character we read earlier. He was an eloquent man. He was mighty in the Scriptures.
And there can be the tendency for us to give place to the Apollos character. And what happens? It's to the neglect of the Timothy character. Now let's get very practical.
This morning we have heard much from those that have the Apostles character.
Anything wrong with that? No, it's very good. It's very important. But there are those that have the Timothy character.
And because.
Of what the apostle is bringing before Timothy, that timid nature, that desire to stir up the gift, that desire for him to have the place to present to the Saints what he had because he worked the work of God, just like the apostle Paul did.
Because there's the the tendency of the strong character.
To take over.
The character of the Timothy is neglected. So yes, it's nice to to say to a young brother, stir up the gift that is within you.
But it needs to get placed to that gift as well. And so we find that with the apostle writing for the Corinthians, he knew that Timothy was was of a timid character. He knew that Timothy had something to give to the Saints at Corinth.
But he realized that those in Corinth were of such a strong character that perhaps Timothy was not going to be able to have a place. And isn't it nice? I appreciate, brother Bob, what you brought before us, the how, how in your your past life, there were those that had a tendency to encourage the gift and, and the desire for you to bring that before us this morning to seek to encourage the gift of a younger brother.
However.
It's good to give place to that gift as well as the apostle wrote the Corinth concerning 20 and how he did that. It's so instructive. You need to to look at the character of cost that we see throughout the word and see that the apostle doesn't say about apostles in Corinth. I see that he be among you without fear because he didn't have any. He really didn't have much, but Timothy did and there's going to be the tendency.
Because of character. It's not a question of whether the man is gifted, whether the man.
Has much to say whether the man has a gifted teaching. That's not the question. It's the question of character.
And it's the overbearing, I shouldn't say the overbearing. It's the strong character that has a tendency not to give place to the character of the Timothy that the Saints could so much benefit by if they were given a little space.
01:10:10
Should there not be fined even in a meeting like this? And we're waiting on the Lord to allow that to take place.
But sometimes we need a little excitation about it too.
Thank you brother.
No.
Well there is a scripture that says this space will be given to ones gift. I can't remember where I read that now.
That's Proverbs 18, verse 16. Man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great man.
That's what I was thinking.
It's nice to see a young brother.
With the exercise to.
Be a help to the Lord's people. It's an encouragement to us older ones, but it's nice to see him start in the prayer meeting.
Wouldn't be becoming for him to take perhaps a prominent place in public teaching, but.
He can gain that experience. Brother Gordon used to say, I like to see a young brother first of all begin in the prayer meeting. I thought that was good where he can I.
Express his feelings to the Lord in prayer and dependence, and then the Lord can enlarge this fear. What is in thine hand? The Lord said to Moses he only had a rod, yet that rod was used in a remarkable way.
So we all need that dependence upon the Lord and and also to recognize that the Lord has other servants that he can use.
I have an encouragement for the younger brothers there. It's my own experience.
When I have come saved and was gather the Lord's name that many times the Lord spoke to me to bring out of the hymn or something of his pictures, I would hold back.
And the power of the Lord was upon me so great, that sometimes I'd be so feel like I was going to be sick to give it out. But the Lord answered me by giving another brother to bring out the same verse or scripture.
Me, I told you to bring it out. If you're not going to bring it out, I'm going to have another brother to give it out. This was a lesson to me, encouraged me to start speaking when the Lord spoke to me.
That's just encouragement for the younger brothers here. Don't hold back. The Lord is talking to you to bring out something of the Lord if it truly went from the Spirit.
Just say before I know our time is gone. Lest anybody be discouraged. All gift is not public either. Timothy had a gift to encourage the Saints in a public way, as we've noticed from the scriptures that have been quoted and read. But all gift is not public. There are many who exercise their gift before the Lord for the blessing and edification of the body of Christ.
That have gifts that are not always recognized because they're not seen on the surface. And so everyone has a gift. I believe there's two things God gives every every person, every believer. One is natural ability and the other is gift. And God desires that we would use both our natural ability and our spiritual gift, be it great or small, be it public or hidden for His glory.
And it's required that as stewards of those two things that we will be given account in a coming day. And it's not the greatness of the gift that's going to get the reward, but it is whether we use that gift for the Lords glory or not.
Just say this to us, a little balance. In Corinth there was everyone had a Psalm, everyone had a doctrine. And we don't want to give the impression to that everyone can speak and just say what's on their mind or on their heart because that's wrong too. That only leads to confusion and God has given public gift as well as hidden gift. And again, it's the the question is, are we?
01:15:15
Using our gift as led by the by the Spirit of God for the Lord's glory and the edification of the people of God.
#13 in the appendix.
Child of God, my salvation.
Christ, Lord, say Amen.
Lord, you can find him every day.
Was sitting in the river.
All children.
Make it so. My prayer to praise.
Sweet pray, our God and our Father, we thank you for this time that we've had to consider.
These precious things from thy word we think of that life that we have that is in Christ Jesus and.
How?
Regardless of the things that are around us in this world, yet that is the life which we will have for all eternity and can take up and enjoy right now. By Thy word, we pray that Thou would help us to.
Spend more time with those things through Thy word, and especially that we may come to know that blessed man better through it. We thank Thee that we have Him as our object. We thank Thee that He is the One that.
Well, in that coming day, fill our hearts and our minds.
And that He can do so now. We pray that while we're here, we would be encouraged to continue on to take up more with what Thou has put in our hands to do, and to serve Thee while there's still time in this world where our Savior is yet rejected.
We thank you that it will not always be so, but soon He will come.
So we just look forward to that moment and give thee our thanks as we wait for it in the precious and worthy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.