A Gospel Worthy of our Suffering

A Gospel Worthy of our Suffering

“A Gospel Worthy of our Suffering”
(2 Timothy 1:8-12)
Series: Faithful to the Finish Line (2 Timothy)

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

Amen! Always a joy to see you loving on one another, greeting one another—peace with God, peace with one another. Please be seated.

I continue to rejoice in hearing from so many of you, just appreciating the depth of the worship services these past weeks. Songs and Scripture tied directly the the passage we are studying each week. Thank you again for your willingness to try new things, and to enjoy new ways of worshiping the Lord!

We’re in 2 Timothy this morning. 2 Timothy chapter 1 (page 800; YouVersion).

This morning we continue our series of messages through 2 Timothy, a series entitled, “Faithful to the Finish Line.” God has been faithful to us. We want to be faithful to Him. Running the race. To keep on keeping on. Persevering. Enduring by the power of God until we cross the finish line of our lives and enter into the presence of our Lord. Faithful to the finish line.

We left off last time at verse 7 and you’ll remember we were reading about our being faithful and fearless. Paul writes in verse 7 of chapter 1, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Great memory verse. If you know it, say it with me, verse 7 of 1 Timothy chapter 1, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Amen.

If you’re a Christian and you are fearful, that fear didn’t come from God. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, and of love and of a sound mind.”

So Now Paul builds on this notion of our being fearless and goes on to tells us that, because of our relationship with Christ, we also may be courageous and endure suffering. Listen for that truth as Paul writes that to Timothy.

Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 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 to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.12 For this reason 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 what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Pray.

One of the most liberating truths of the Christian life is that we do not live the Christian life in our own power, but by the power of God. Paul is right on that in the very first verse of the passage this morning, verse 8. Last part of verse 8 he invites Timothy to share with him “in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.”

All that we do as Christians, all we are asked to do by our Lord, all that we do we do not in our own power, but in the power of God. Acts 1:8, for example, Jesus says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses.” So we don’t witness in our own power, but in the power of the Lord. Or as we read a moment ago, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power…”

We goof up when we try to do things in our own power. Even preaching. I try to remember to pray each week from Zechariah 4:6, Help me to preach—not by (my might), nor by (my) power, but by Your Spirit, by Your power, Lord.”

So I wrote in my study this week, I wrote down this phrase:

**Power God Gives to Christians:

By the way, how many of you are Christians, would you raise your hand? Me, too. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone. So God has given to us power to live the Christian life and that power includes the power to suffer. If you’re a note-taker that’s the first point of encouragement this morning. God has given us power to suffer for the gospel. That’s from verse 8, power to suffer for the gospel.

Power to Suffer (8)

Look at verse 8 again as I read it:

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,

Paul is in his 60s. He’s in prison in Rome and he’s writing to his young son in the ministry, Timothy. Timothy is pastoring in Ephesus and Paul is writing this letter—his last letter in the New Testament—he is writing it in about the year 65, AD 65. And from where is Paul writing the letter? We said from Rome, but specifically where in Rome?

From prison. And this particular imprisonment, his last imprisonment, is not like the one we read about in the Book of Acts, where people were coming to visit him and he had a lot of freedom to have guests and share the Gospel and fellowship with folks. His Roman imprisonment in the Book of Acts was more like “House arrest,” where he had much more freedom. This Roman imprisonment during Paul’s last days was very different.

Many scholars believe Paul was imprisoned in the Mamertine prison in Rome. We’ve looked at this before. Church tradition has Paul in this prison, the Mamertine prison, in his last days. Remember this from our opening message in the series. Here’s a picture:

**[Pic of Mamertine prison]

So according to tradition, this prison was built around 630 BC. Built originally as a cistern for a spring, an underground reservoir for spring water in the floor of the second lower level. Prisoners were lowered through an opening in the floor about 12 feet down into the lower dungeon. And they lived in this dark, dank, hole the size of which is probably like the space of a one-car garage.

And this is so important to remember because this is the last location from which we would expect to receive a letter so full of encouragement, right? I mean, despite Paul’s imprisonment and despite that any day now he’s going to be pulled out of that prison and taken outside where the Roman Emperor’s orders will be carried out—namely Nero’s orders to cut off Paul’s head—despite this, Paul opens his letter with, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What can give a Christian such peace? God’s power. Power to suffer. Power to suffer, “according to the power of God,” not according to our own power, but “according to the power of God.”

So because of this power, Paul writes to Timothy in verse 8, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner…”
I don’t think it’s right to assume that Timothy was ashamed. Like he had been ashamed and so Paul is saying, “Stop that!” Rather, Paul is reminding Timothy—someone who may likely grow fearful—Paul is reminding him not to be fearful to speak out, to be courageous when facing persecution, remembering God had given him gifts for speaking—remember from last time: “Don’t allow that gift to go out like a fire flickering, but rather fan that gift into flame, Timothy! And don’t be ashamed of testimony about our Lord. By God’s power, persevere, keep on keeping on!”

In the New Testament Christian suffering is normal, not exceptional. Christians are expected to suffer for the gospel. This letter is full of this theme of suffering and enduring for the gospel and a call not to be ashamed but to be faithful in suffering, faithful to the finish.

Listen to this recurring theme throughout the letter. Paul says in chapter:

1:16: “Onesiphorus . . . was not ashamed of my chains.”
2:3: “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
2:9: “I am suffering [for the gospel], bound with chains as a criminal.”
2:10: “I endure everything for the sake of the elect.”
2:12: “If we endure, we will also reign with him.”
2:15: “Do your best to present yourself . . . a worker who has no need to be ashamed.” 2:24: “And the Lord’s servant must . . . patiently endure evil.”
3:1: “In the last days there will come times of difficulty.”
3:10–11: “You . . . have followed my . . . persecutions and sufferings.”
3:12:“All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
4:5: “As for you . . . endure suffering.”
4:6: “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.”
4:7: “I have fought the good fight.”

This theme of suffering leads John Piper to write, “If you want an easy life, secure, esteemed, untroubled, comfortable, safe, then get out of the ministry of Christ.”

Just a reminder that when we go through times of suffering and persecution that there is nothing wrong with us. This is to be expected. The so-called “prosperity gospel” is a false gospel, largely and American phenomenon that wrongly teaches that you should be healthy and wealthy—especially wealthy—and that you will never suffer harm if you just “believe.”

So how’d that work out for Paul? How’d that work out for the 12—all but one dying a martyr’s death? How’d that work out for our Lord Jesus, beaten, smitten, crucified on a Roman cross? Many of our Christian brothers and sisters are facing severe persecution in communist third-world countries. The happy-faced smiling evangelists have no word for them because they know only the false gospel of American prosperity preaching.

It’s nonsense. “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12).”

“Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel and don’t be ashamed of me, our Lord’s prisoner.” Timothy was likely tempted to disassociate himself rom Paul. The social stigma of knowing someone or being tied to someone who was in prison for Christ could pose a temptation to Timothy of doing as Peter did to Jesus just before His crucifixion: “I don’t know Him!”

I wear a wedding band because I am married. It tells the world that I belong to someone. Look at my wedding band and you’ll be like, “Okay, he is married. He belongs to someone. He’s not ashamed to let others know that.” And that’s true. I love my wife and I’ll share with you why I love her and why she is wonderful, and so on.

But what if I were ashamed to be identified with my wife? What if I said I loved her, but really, my heart wasn’t with her? Well, I might not wear a wedding band. And my not wearing it would send the message that I’m not really associated with her, that I don’t want you to think I belong to someone.

Well, Christians are identified with Christ. We have been baptized which is a powerful symbol—like a wedding band—that tells the world we belong to Him. And we are unashamed of our identity with Christ and—and!—with those who are also identified with Him. In other words, we stand together. You’re a Christian, I stand with you. You stand with me.

So you face persecution for your faith, I’ll stand with you. I’ll share in your sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. God has given us power to suffer. Secondly, God has given:

Power to be Saved (9-11)

With reference to God, Paul writes in verse 9 that God:

9 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 to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

This is remarkable! God has saved us, not we ourselves. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t earn a position of favor with God. He saves us—“not according to our works,” See that? We are not saved by what we do.

We mentioned the false gospel of the prosperity gospel. Another false gospel is the gospel of good works. Someone asks, “How do we get to heaven?” And another answers, “By being good. Doing good works.” The Bible says very clearly here in verse 9, God “Has saved us…not according to our works.”

It’s like Ephesians 2:9, “not of works.” Or Titus 3:5, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…”

Verse 9 stresses the divine agency of our salvation. He has “saved us and called us.” And He has done this “not according to our works,” no but, “according to His own purpose and grace.” And furthermore, God’s saving us in Christ Jesus was a plan in God’s mind “before time began.” Before time began! Wow.

God sees all of this at once and plans it all at once. Before He created the world God saw all of this and then actualized everything.

Here then is the Christian’s ground of assurance! How can we know for certain that our salvation is eternal? How can we be sure that God will keep us saved? Well, it’s part and parcel of God’s “own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began!”

Before the creation of the world, God planned everything. He knew it all and ordained it all. Creation. Fall. Cross. Redemption. Your redemption. Your salvation. Your glorification. He planned it all. And if you are “in Christ,” you are included in the “all” of God’s plan. Isn’t that just fantastic?!

So this plan, this eternal plan, a plan “before time began,” is a plan that, verse 10 now:

10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Jesus Christ “has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light!” The words “abolished death” means, “to render inoperable.” Or to make something that had power to be powerless.

If you are a Christian, know that Jesus Christ has “abolished death,” rendered death inoperable, has taken away the power and sting of death: 1 Corinthians 15:55, “O Death, where is your sting?!”

See, if you are a Christian, you never really die. You simply pass on from a broken place to a perfect place. Isn’t that great?! If you are a Christian, when you die, you simply pass on from a broken place to a perfect place.

And how is that possible? Because Jesus Christ “has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

And Paul goes on to say that it is the gospel to which he was appointed. Verse 11:

11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

The gospel. Power to be saved. I’m reminded of Romans 1:16 where Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe!”
Power to be saved. Now, before we go on, note this about Christian salvation: it is s call to holy living. Paul says in verse 9 that God has saved us “and called us with a holy calling,” or as the NIV has it, “God has saved us and called us to a holy life,” or “to live a holy life.”

Let’s remember the three tenses of salvation. We can speak of our salvation as a past reality, a present reality, and a future reality. I have been saved. That is true. I have been saved forever, saved from sin’s penalty. I am being saved, saved day by day from sin’s power. That’s what we’re talking about here, this “holy living,” day-by-day salvation from the power of sin. One day, future tense, I will be saved from sin’s presence. I will be in a place of perfection where there is no longer any sin at all. I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved.

It’s the Christian’s knowing that “I have been saved,”—past—and “I will be saved”—future—that motivates me to live in the here and now, “I am being saved,” walking in holiness, growing in my Christlikeness, my sanctification.

So God has given us power to suffer, and power to be saved. Finally, number three, therefore God has given Christians:

Power to Stand (12)

Power to stand up in the face of adversity. Power to stand fast and stand firm. Power to be faithful to the finish line.

You really get the feel of Paul’s standing fast and being faithful in verse 12:

12 For this reason 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 what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Paul is like, “I may be sitting here in this dungeon, this dark hole in the ground. I may suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed.” And he’s like, “And I’ll tell you why I’m not ashamed: “for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”
Where Paul writes, “what I have committed to Him,” he is likely referring to his soul, his life, his all—the entirety of his work for the Lord. It’s a reminder again that the security of our salvation does not depend upon us, but upon God.

If you know the hymn, you can’t help but hear it in your head:

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

But “I know Whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.”

Comes from this verse right here, verse 12.

“I know whom I have believed,” whom I have believed, not what I have believed. Christianity is not just a body of teaching. It’s not just principles. Christianity is a Person. “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He—not I!—He is able to keep what I have committed to Him (my soul, my life, my all), He will keep or guard until that Day—I’m secure; my salvation is secure; even until the Day—the day I stand before my Judge, that day, the final day of reckoning.

And this knowledge, this assurance helps me to stand in the face of adversity and “for this reason I also suffer these things,” unashamedly. Paul’s boldness in his not being “ashamed” derives not from popular modern notions of self-confidence, but God-confidence.

He is confident also that his relationship with the Lord is an unbreakable, indissoluble union.

Romans 8:38-39:

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So Paul reasons in verse 12, “I am not ashamed because I know where I am going.” I can persevere because I know where I’m headed. Come what may, I know how this will end. My life doesn’t end with the Roman Emperor’s cutting off my head, Oh no! That will be merely the end of a beginning. I will pass on from this broken place, to the perfect place!

So Paul deals with his current affliction by looking forward to his future perfection. Or, as I heard someone else (Alistair Begg) put it recently: “Paul deals with what assails him in the awareness of what awaits him.” He lives with what assails him in the awareness of what awaits him.

He knows where he’s headed, a place where he writes “there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).”

God has given us power to suffer, power to be saved, power to stand—to be faithful to the finish line.

Nik Ripken wrote a book about Christians who have suffered for the Lord. It’s called, The Insanity of God. Nik visits and interviews a number of Christians who were faithful to the finish line, and recorded their stories in a book.

And now there is the movie, “The Insanity of God.” Unfortunately, it didn’t get a very wide showing in our area, so we’ll have to wait for the DVD and we’ll get a copy for our church library. But many of you have read this book, The Insanity of God, and in one place Nk Ripken writes of his having visited the former Soviet Union to interview Russian and Ukranian church leaders who had stood fast and refused to compromise their faith during times of intense Christian persecution in the old USSR. Listen to this selection here where one Christian shares the story of his father, a Russian pastor. He says:

“I remember the day like it was yesterday, Nik. My father put his arms around me and my sister and my brother and guided us into the kitchen to sit around the table where he could talk with us. My Mama was crying, so I knew that something was wrong. Papa didn’t look at her because he was talking directly to us. He said, ‘Children, you know that I am the pastor of our church. That’s what God has called me to do— to tell others about Him. I have learned that the communist authorities will come tomorrow to arrest me. They will put me in prison because they want me to stop preaching about Jesus. But I cannot stop doing that because I must obey God. I will miss you very much, but I will trust God to watch over you while I’m gone.’”

“He hugged each one of us. Then he said: ‘All around this part of the country, the authorities are rounding up followers of Jesus and demanding that they deny their faith. Sometimes, when they refuse, the authorities will line up whole families and hang them by the neck until they are dead. I don’t want that to happen to our family, so I am praying that once they put me in prison, they will leave you and your mother alone.

However, and here he paused and made eye contact with us, ‘If I am in prison and I hear that my wife and my children have been hung to death rather than deny Jesus, I will be the most proud man in that prison!’”

[Nik writes] When he finished his story, I was stunned. I had never heard that kind of thing in my church growing up. I had never encountered that in my pilgrimage. I was sure that I had never been told that a father should value his faith over his family.

–[Ripken, Nik; Lewis, Gregg (2012-12-17). The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected (Kindle Locations 2748-2754). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]

And yet, that is what we are called to do, and that is what we are empowered to do. God gives us power, power to suffer, power to be saved, and power to stand—standing firm to the end, faithful to the finish line.

Would you bow your heads for prayer?

We’re moving into God’s invitation time. This is the invitation. God’s invitation to respond. That’s what we’re doing right now. You have heard God’s Word. Every time we hear God’s Word we respond.

There is an invitation every week, whether there is a traditional “coming forward” or whether we respond where we stand. There is nothing in the Bible that says we have to do it one way or other. But when God speaks, He invites us to respond by obeying His word and being faithful to what He says. That is the invitation. And decisions are made every week—whether folks move down an aisle or not—decisions are made every week by every one of us. We all choose to respond to God’s Word.

So the invitation is not simply some time when we watch other people “go forward” or something. God’s invitation is to every single one of us. He invites us to respond to His Word. How will you respond this morning?

First, it may be that some of you need to be saved. Remember that it is God who grants the power to be saved. He wants to save you from the power of sin, death, and hell. He saves us “not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which is given to us in Christ Jesus.” If we believe in Him and live for Him, we can be sure that He “has abolished death” and that he “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

If you trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then death is not the end, but merely the end of a beginning. You will pass on from this broken place to a perfect place. Trust Christ this morning and be saved. You can pray a prayer like this one:

“Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior.”

God grants power to be saved—and God grants power to suffer and power to stand firm.

In a moment when you sing a song about standing firm, think about ways you will do that this week.

For some of you that will mean standing next to a Christian friend who is ridiculed at school for her faith. Will you share in her sufferings? Will you stand next to her?

You may be tempted to be ashamed of Christ at work this week. Are you ashamed to be identified with Jesus, associated with Christ? Stand for Him. Suffer with Him. God will honor your commitment to Christ.

Jesus says in Mark 8:38, “whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

We will have many opportunities today and this week to stand for Jesus, to share with others about Christ. Unashamedly. Gatherings at a coffee shop, at the grocery store, meeting people int he park, at work, at school. Be faithful.

God help us to be faithful to the finish line, in Jesus’ name, amen.

I’m going to invite you to stand and sing. If you need to come forward for any reason—you want prayer or you’re not sure of your salvation, or you want to be baptized or join the church—to my left and to your right, a minister will be available to you. Rich, Matt, Ken, will be standing.

Church, God is calling us to put our armor on. He is calling the weak to be strong. He’s calling us to stand against the devil’s lies and to reach out to those in darkness.

Let’s respond now by singing this invitation song as your prayer and praise of response.

O Church, arise, and put your armour on;
Hear the call of Christ our Captain.
For now the weak can say that they are strong
In the strength that God has given.

With shield of faith and belt of truth,
We’ll stand against the devil’s lies;
An army bold, whose battle-cry is Love,
Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul
But to rage against the captor;
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole,
We will fight with faith and valour.

When faced with trials on every side
We know the outcome is secure,
And Christ will have the prize for which He died,
An inheritance of nations.

Come see the cross, where love and mercy meet,
As the Son of God is stricken;
Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,
For the Conqueror has risen!

And as the stone is rolled away,
And Christ emerges from the grave,
This victory march continues till the day
Every eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come put strength in every stride,
Give grace for every hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.

(Step down from platform)

As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.

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