Hey Gang,
This week we will conclude our series entitled: What Matters Most. We have been studying the five “faithful sayings” in the Pastoral Letters of Paul. Each saying is a clue for what matters most today for churches and believers. This Sunday we end with Paul's final "faithful saying" on Endurance as being what matters most.
When have you quit something you now regret not sticking with?
What could you do now?
Many people are willing to serve Jesus as long as it doesn’t require too much sacrifice or inconvenience. But when following Him brings difficulty, they walk away. Many won’t even be aware they’re doing this. They just stop listening to God. This lesson challenges us to embrace the difficult with the glorious parts of life with Christ and recognize that the only path to life is to faithfully endure.
Life Goal
Faithfully persevere for the sake of the gospel.
Living for Christ is not always easy and safe. Martyrdom is still a reality for believers in many parts of the world. Christians who live in the West live without fear of physical persecution, yet many suffer in other ways, many of these are unseen. Some Christians refuse the boldness and resolve required to faithfully serve Christ in today’s world. They miss so much. With the power of God’s Holy Spirit all of us can persist in doing right for the right reason.
I. KEEP DOING RIGHTLY – 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-2
Be Strong in Grace
2 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
What does being strong mean in the biblical sense? What are some fake meanings of strong? What damage comes by living according to these fake meanings of strong?
- Paul was in prison in Rome and expected he would soon be executed (4:6). This letter contains his final instructions to Timothy.
- Paul urged Timothy not to be fearful (1:7), not to be ashamed of Christ or of him (1:8), and to rely on Christ (2:1). Paul’s suffering and execution would give Timothy reasons to be discouraged and to depend on Jesus.
- The things Paul was telling Timothy to do – reproduce disciples, suffer for Jesus, stay focused on Jesus and the gospel, and endure in the faith – were things he could not accomplish in his own strength. He would need to rely on Christ’s power within him.
- Each age has its own challenges for Christians.
- Believers need to find their strength in the God of grace. Any and all strength for ministry comes from one source: Jesus Christ. How do we keep from simply using Jesus as a power source, rather than honoring Him by obeying Him?
What are the differences between evangelism and discipleship?
- Paul’s command her was more specific than basic evangelism. More than sharing, Timothy was to take the gospel training he received and entrust it to certain men gifted and able to teach it to others.
- Discipleship is an ongoing process that begins with witnessing and conversion but goes beyond that to produce active and mature believers.
How much does the continuing spread of the gospel today depend on our willingness to keep reproducing disciples who will in turn reproduce disciples?
- Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples. Making disciples involves teaching them to observe everything Jesus commands (Matt. 28:19-20).
- God could have communicated His plan of salvation to the human race through some miraculous means in one supernatural event or through one extraordinarily gifted individual. Instead, He chose to pass it along, for the most part through individuals like you and me, one at a time; pouring our lives into the lives of others intentionally and compassionately.
- Every believer is to pass on the faith to others.
II. EXAMPLES OF ENDURANCE – 2 TIMOTHY 2:3-10
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David. This is according to my gospel. 9 I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound. 10 This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Typically we want to spare people we love from hardship/pain. Why did Paul urge Timothy to “share in suffering”? How have you done this?
- We live in a broken world. God is not the Author of the suffering that we choose to inflict. Instead He helps us through and shows us what to do (James 1:5, 12-15; 1 John 1:5).
What can we learn about how to live the Christian life from the good soldier, the dedicated athlete and the hardworking farmer?
- Christians are like soldiers who must fight the good fight of faith.
- Christians are like athletes who must discipline themselves and follow the rules.
- Christians are like hardworking farmers who will partake of the harvest they have worked so hard to cultivate.
III. WHY ENDURANCE MATTERS – 2 TIMOTHY 2:11-13
11 This saying is trustworthy: For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
What does Paul mean when he says to die with Him and to live with Him? Is this only for the future?
- Use Romans 6:1-11 to explain “died with Him.”
- Believers have died to a way of life that involved disobedience and rebellion against God.
- We will live with Christ forever in heaven, but eternal life begins abundantly in the present.
- Those who die with Christ will live with Him.
- Those who endure with Christ will reign with Him.
- Those who persistently deny Christ will be denied by Him.
Does verse 12 mean it’s up to us to remain faithful to God, and our salvation hangs on whether or not we can do this?
- Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice … they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish – ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all.
- We interpret this to mean that those who are truly saved cannot lose their salvation. Our endurance to the end demonstrates that we truly belong to Him.
Endurance is a defining quality of a genuine Christian life. It is the fruit of relying on God’s grace. Endurance is based on qualities like the hard working farmer who shares in the harvest and like the soldier who is totally committed to the mission and who seeks to please his commander. Christians live with endurance by living the disciplined life of an athlete who plays according to the rules. Paul was an imperfect example of the perfect endurance of Jesus.
Prayer of Commitment
Lord, help me to have the kind of endurance like that of the apostle Paul and of Jesus Himself. Amen.
Lord, help me to have the kind of endurance like that of the apostle Paul and of Jesus Himself. Amen.
Well, this will conclude our series on Paul's faithful sayings. I hope you have found Paul's message of What Matter Most enlightening, he certainly has given me some soul searching perspective on what's important about my faith.
We will miss you this Sunday, but you are in for a real treat with Dave Auler opening our class with a report on his recent mission trip to Cuba and our own Mark Krohl sharing our lesson this week.
See you next week!
In His Love,
David & Susan
