2 Timothy 2:1-7

So if you’re here for the very first time, we’re going to be continuing our series in 2 Timothy, Legacy of Faith. Now this is a letter that Paul wrote to Timothy while he was in prison. In fact, it is recognized as Paul’s last letter before his eventual execution. So this is a very emotional letter, this is perhaps Paul’s last words in a letter. And so he wants to write to his protege Timothy, who is a pastor in Ephesus.

And so last week, Pastor Sunil covered chapter 1, where Paul talks about how he remembers Timothy’s tears, and the sincerity of his faith. We saw that this was in contrast to some people who abandoned Paul from the province of Asia. And so, Paul really knows that Timothy is someone who has a sincere faith, and full of tears for Paul, a love for Paul and his work. And so here, we come to this very strange place for Timothy, in context to the people around him who are abandoning Paul. You see, Paul now had a reputation for going to prison a lot.

He was this person who was constantly in chains, persecuted, in shame. He was probably looking ragged, he was beaten, he was persecuted. Now he’s in prison again, and this time we don’t know if he’s going to get out. And so people are abandoning him. You see, there’s this negative stigma around Paul right now, and people are really wondering, why should there be shame in suffering?

Why is Paul going through all of this hard work and effort, and now he’s again in prison? Should we have shame? Should Paul be ashamed? Why is Paul suffering? Well, Paul wants to make sure Timothy understands that he is not here in chains suffering because he’s a criminal, but he is here a prisoner of God.

And so 2 Timothy 1:8 says, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Now what a calling. Not only is he telling Timothy, Timothy, I am not here because I’m a criminal, but I’m a prisoner of God, but hey, you also share in the suffering, right? It’s one thing to tell someone, hey, I’m here, and it’s not really because I did something wrong. Another thing to say, hey, you come join me right now, like share in that suffering.

Like, why would anyone want to share in this suffering and what Paul is going through? This abandonment, this persecution, this torture, why? What is the point of it all? When all these Christians are in churches and, you know, they’re just chilling, right? They’re serving, they’re part of the worship team, they’re part of the media team, whatever capacity, they’re kind of just going about their day and Paul is out here in chains.

Whoever would want to join him? So verses 11 and 12, he says, For which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. And the reason that I suffer is because I was appointed a preacher, Apostle mentioned last week, another word for this is herald, like a spokesperson. So preacher, apostle, and a teacher, which is why I suffer as I do, right? I was appointed for this.

I didn’t just walk in here doing my own thing. God appointed me. He called me to suffer. And so now, he’s asking Timothy to join him in that. Second Timothy 1:13 says, Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

By the Holy Spirit who dwells with us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. Timothy, guard this good deposit, right? Guard this sound teaching that you have heard from me, this pattern. Timothy, don’t let go of it. It’s very important that you guard it.

And this guarding is going to be a cause for suffering. And so here we are, Second Timothy chapter two. And today we’re going to be going through one through seven. Timothy is being entrusted by Paul to guard the good deposit and join him in suffering. And so 2 Timothy 2:1 says, You then, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Okay, so this guarding of this deposit, this protection of the sound teaching, requires suffering, but Paul recognizes that Timothy would need a tremendous amount of strength to fulfill this calling, right? We might think that sharing the gospel or preaching or teaching sound doctrine, there’s nothing that goes along with that except for what it is, just preaching, just reading the word, just serving. But Paul says, hey, this is going to require a tremendous amount of strength to do this. This isn’t something that you can do by being weak, right? Because this is going to test you. This is going to put you in trials.

This is going to take something beyond yourself, and you need to be strengthened in this. And so what does it mean to be strengthened in grace? When we hear the word strengthened often, oftentimes we think of maybe going to the gym or going and improving your strength by increasing weights over time. Or maybe it’s, hey, now I’ve gotten stronger. Things that I used to do became easier for me.

Now I can take on a bigger task, right? Being stronger, being strengthened. This type of strength in grace, what could that possibly mean? Well, Paul talks to Timothy in chapter 1. He says in verse 9, who called us, talking about God, to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

So what does this have to do with grace and being strengthened by it? Well, Paul is telling Timothy in this verse, before even the ages began, we can go back to the previous slide, yeah, before even the ages began, God had this plan for us, right? God had this purpose for us in Christ Jesus. He saved us, and not only just saved us just for the sake of saving, but he called us to a holy calling. Another way to say that is called to a holy life, or a life that is separated for God. Not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace.

So while we were in our sin, and we were dead in our trespasses, and we were wicked, and we were evil, right, what was our purpose? What was our destiny? It was hell, right? It was being enemies of God. It was wickedness.

It was destruction before God. But God took us from that and gave us a new purpose, a new calling, called us to a holy calling, right? And it’s not because of anything we have done, but because God had already gave us grace before even time began, right? You were chosen while you, before you were even in your mother’s womb, God chosen you and appointed you and brought you into his family. Now we see that that is, like, it’s one to have grace before time began, but it was made perfect when Jesus Christ died on the cross, and that grace actually brought us into the family of God, right?

So God called us before time, and then he died on the cross, and so this grace now puts us on this new trajectory, this new path, where you were once supposed to go, and dead, God lit up the way for you, and God changed the trajectory. God changed you. And so that means if we are saved, that means we are all called, right? Some of us, we sometimes think that we can walk by and say, hey, grace, God saved us by grace, cool, go to church, serve, cool, got all my life, but God gave us grace and called us to a holy life, right?

God had a purpose for you before time even began. So what is that plan? What is that calling? Well, before time began, God gave us grace in Christ Jesus, and we can be strengthened in that grace, we can be strengthened in that God gives us a special grace for his purpose, right?

If God called us by this grace, if God changed us by this grace, then God will strengthen us by this grace for whatever you were equipped and called to do. And so we might be wondering, man, how could that pastor or preacher preach during these circumstances, right? When everything’s going astray, when so much chaos is coming, how can they preach? How can that missionary go to the most remote places where tribesmen are trying to hunt him down, but he still wants to preach the gospel?

How can he still preach when they kill his wife or kids, right? How can that mother take care of orphans, right? How can they adopt these kids who had such troubled pasts and still serve and still smile? How can people have peace under the most trying of circumstances?

Well, it’s because of grace. God gives us a special grace for his purpose. If God called and equipped you, he will give you a special grace for that calling. That’s what strengthens us. That grace that God has given us will bring us about, right?

He’ll give us the strength to what we need. And Paul knew this very well. 2 Corinthians 12 says, three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. Talking about a thorn at his side. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so the power of Christ may rest upon me, right? God’s grace is sufficient for us and he strengthens us when we rely upon him. Paul was going through a tough circumstance and he pleaded to God, God, just get rid of it. Get rid of it.

But God strengthened him. And how did he strengthen him? He said, my grace is sufficient for you, Paul. In your weakness, my strength is made perfect in your weakness.

And so we can be, we can take rest in this, right? We could take rest in this, that despite his inadequacies, his shortcomings, his fallings, his trials, the things that he deals on a daily basis, he can still trust that God’s grace is more than sufficient for him and will empower him to do the good work. Why? Because he wasn’t called to this work in the first place because of what he had done, but because what God has brought him to.

Right? If God puts you in a circumstance, whether that’s you serving in church in whatever capacity, whether that’s children’s church or media or worship or at your schools, or maybe it’s your job. If God placed you there, God will equip you with a special grace in that spot, right? Only if we rely on him though.

If we rely on our strength alone, then how can God’s strength be made perfect in our weakness? Right? If we are boasting about our strength and what we can do in our might, how can God’s strength be given to us? Right?

If we don’t rely upon his unmerited favor and his grace. For those who want to call on it, God’s grace is sufficient. And so, right? The phrase holy life can be seen as holy calling.

And it’s not because of who Timothy was, but because of who God was, is, and will always be. It was his purpose and his grace. We don’t have to be strong on our own. And then, if you go to the next slide, yeah, so verse two, and so that grace and strength is there.

What is the purpose of it in Timothy’s life? Well, what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also, right? We might think of this as just a, you know, small task, right? Okay.

You’ve heard this from me. I’ve shown this example. Go teach other people and they’re going to teach too. Cool.

No. Paul says, there’s a suffering that is required for this, right? There’s a suffering in this partnership. There is this grace that is needed.

There’s a strengthening that’s needed. And so, what Paul is doing here is he poured into Timothy and now he’s asking Timothy to pour into the next generation. But we see what Paul went through to pour into Timothy, right? In Timothy, as a young kid, Paul visited Lystra and Derby and preached, and preached, and preached.

And then when Timothy joined him on his missionary trips, he saw Paul being persecuted. He saw Paul suffer. He saw Paul going through all this. Everything Paul did was not just for himself, but for Timothy and for the church, right?

Timothy, I poured for you. Pour into the next generation. Did you see what I did for you? Do it for the next generation.

You see, this strengthening is not just for Timothy, but also for the body of believers. It’s not strength so that Timothy himself can be empowered and equipped, but to do the good work and pour into other people, right? To grow the church. And so, this is what we as a church do, right?

People pour into our lives, good, sound doctrine examples, and then we pour into the next generation’s life. And we have to be faithful. Whether it says faithful men, yeah, faithful men, right? And trusted and faithful men, because why?

The good word, the sound teaching that I’ve given to you, don’t lose it. And trust it to people who will teach it and will not distort it, right? Not for their own gain or purpose, but they’re going to teach it faithfully. And there’s another part about this, who will be able to teach others also.

These faithful men that Timothy was supposed to entrust are also going to be able to teach later. Why? Because it is God’s work, it’s not just one man’s, right? God’s church, God’s grace, God in Paul, God in Timothy, God in these new people who are going to be teaching and continuing the work.

And so, this is also a grace for Timothy. Timothy isn’t alone in this, right? God has saved him, God has called him, God has given him a Holy Spirit that gives him strength and power and does not make him timid. God strengthens him in his grace, and God also provides Timothy helpers who can also teach the word, who can be with him.

We saw Paul last week of a guy named Onesiphorus, I’m probably botching that. But he refreshed Paul during his time in imprisonment, and Paul was so thankful for it. Timothy, there are going to be other people who can help you. Don’t take it all on yourself, right?

Entrust it to faithful men. And so, why? Why do all this, right? Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Now, when we think about entrusting and serving and what Paul was doing during this time, he was suffering for the sake of the gospel, right? But he was also suffering for Christ Jesus and being a good soldier unto him. And so, suffering wasn’t a suggestion to Timothy. Suffering was a calling.

If we don’t suffer for the sake of the gospel, what war do we think we’re fighting? A soldier who goes on the battlefield expects conflict, expects to go away from home, expects to fight, expects to serve, expects to deny oneself. If you were a soldier and you said, yeah, I’m going to battle, but as soon as the enemy starts firing back, I’m just going to flee. What kind of soldier are you, right?

Are you a good soldier? Are you a faithful soldier? No, but Paul tells Timothy, Timothy, you will suffer. And it’s part of the calling because you are waging war against all these principalities and all these powers of darkness.

But share in that suffering with me. Don’t sit idly. Don’t do, just don’t be in your comfort zone, not fighting this fight. You saw what I did, Timothy.

You saw the life that I live. You see me in these chains right now, writing this to you. Fight the good fight, Timothy. Share in the suffering.

And so, Timothy has heard the sound teaching mentioned earlier, now entrusted to reliable people. It’s not just about Timothy, but the family of God and we are called to suffer for the gospel. Now there’s some verses here with Paul’s example. Romans 8:36 says, for it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all the day long.

We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. Whose sake is Paul talking about here? For his sake? No.

But for the sake of the church, for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the people who are suffering, for the people who need help, who need that light in their life, right? For whose sake are we suffering for when we are in God’s holy calling? It’s not for our sake, but to further the gospel, right? Paul is in chains right now because he wants to further the gospel and so he accepts suffering as part of it.

And so when we partner in the gospel, for the sake of it, we partner in suffering. And so in whatever role you are called to be, I don’t know what that looks like in your personal life, but understand that if you are here to serve and for the sake of the church, be willing to endure suffering, right? Why? Because for that young kid who’s growing in the faith, who lives in a new world, in this next generation, who’s being told all these lies from the enemy and in his schools, for all the friends who are encouraging him to stray away from the faith, like who’s God?

Who’s teaching him? Who’s teaching her, right? For the sake of the person who never knew God in his life, grew up as a teenager, went off to do whatever, never heard about God, is an enemy of God, for their sake we suffer. For the sake of the person who’s been in church their whole life, but the message did not hit them, and they pretend, and they pretend, and they pretend.

Maybe they were saved, but they have this seared conscience, right? They feel numb. They feel like something in them is just not moving. They don’t understand why everyone else is worshiping, and they don’t have a worship in them.

That is who we suffer for, right? For their sake. We partner in the gospel so that we can entrust, so that we can provide, so that we can help, right? If that means laboring on the worship team, if that means laboring on preaching, if that means laboring in whatever capacity, if that means sacrificing, do it.

For their sake, right? Now, in this suffering, Paul also, he gives images of what the suffering is going to look like. 2 Timothy 2:4-6, see, no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. And so we see three images here, the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer. These three images are what Paul is urging Timothy to suffer like, but there’s also a reward for that suffering, right? We don’t just suffer for the sake of suffering, right?

We suffer like Christ suffered, right? For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, right? For the sake of this reward, this great reward, we suffer, we labor, we further the mission of the gospel, and Paul knew, man, I’m in chains right now, I’m suffering for the sake of this church right now, and some of these people have even abandoned me at this moment. But there’s also a great reward when I leave this earth that is beyond my present circumstance.

So when we suffer, we suffer for the sake of the church, for the sake of unbelievers and bringing them to Christ, but we also suffer for the sake of a great reward in heaven. And so Paul urges Timothy to suffer like him, as a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. So let’s go into these three examples. 2 Timothy 2:4, no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

And so the role of a soldier is to serve their king, their commanding officer, their country, and it means that they’re going to endure hardships. It means that they’re going to go wage war against the enemy if called. It means that they are going to be at a moment’s notice, ready to go. If we’re talking about on-call here, soldiers are on-call.

I need you here, go there. I need you to come here, come here. They’re attacking us from the left, go to the left. They’re attacking us from the right, go to the right.

But what is a soldier going to do? Well, good soldiers endure hardships, bad soldiers flee on sight. But also, what is the drive of the soldier? I’m going to please my commanding officer.

He tells me where to go, I’m going to go there. I’m not caught up in these civilian affairs. I can’t live my life in this comfort zone here, and just kind of do this, and just kind of live here and do that, and be ready for war whenever I’m called. I need to be trained.

I need to be ready. I need to be preparing myself. If I’m in this city for a second, and my commanding officer says, let’s go, I’m gone. I can’t just stay here when my commanding officer tells us to leave.

Everything he does is to please this commanding officer. But this is a form of suffering. The soldier is denying themself. The soldier is giving up on their sake for the sake of a higher authority.

The soldier is saying, you are more worthy than my life is right now. The greatest reward for me right now is to please you. I don’t count my life as anything, but I want to know you. I want to serve you.

And Paul was a soldier. He was in chains for the gospel. He was denying himself for the sake of Christ, for the sake of knowing Christ. And so a soldier has to give up many things.

Some of them are bad things, pride, independence, self-will, and some of them are good things, his home, his family. Nevertheless, if a soldier is not willing to give up these things, he is not a soldier at all. And so we see examples of this. Joshua 5:13-15, I have it pulled up here.

It says, when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or for our adversaries? And he said, no, but I am the commander of the army of the Lord, the commanding officer. Now I have come.

And what did Joshua do? Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, what does my Lord say to his servant? What does my Lord say to his servant? This is the call of a soldier of Christ.

What does my Lord say to his servant? If our Lord tells us to go, are we ready to go? If our Lord is telling us to stay, are we ready to stay? Or are we too caught up in civilian affairs and the cares of this world and the worries of this world to even care about what our commanding officer has to say?

Do we even know who our commanding officer is? We’re meant to be ambassadors for Christ on this earth, and we’re meant to have a temporary home here and eventually go to our heavenly home. We’re not meant to be caught up in just the affairs of this world, but for the calling that God has saved us and called us for. He’s given us this great grace and strengthens us and given us his spirit, not to waste on these civilian affairs, but to follow him.

And so Joshua here follows the commandment of the Lord. We have another example, the faith of the centurion, a very familiar story. Matthew 8:5 says, when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help. Lord, he said, if my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly, Jesus said to him, shall I come and heal him?

The centurion replied, Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority with soldiers under me. I tell this one, go when he goes, and that one come when he comes. I say to my servant, do this, and he does it.

Now we’re often seeing this passage as the faith that the centurion had that amazed Jesus. But look at what the soldiers under the centurion do. Goes where he tells him to go and comes where he tells him to come. And he tells them, do this, they do it.

This is what we as soldiers under an authority is supposed to look like. But that means we need to spend time with them. We need to be around them. If we can’t hear his voice, how can we know what his command is?

And so Matthew 16:24 says, then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Right? We’re called to deny ourselves, carry up our cross, and follow Christ.

Now is all this suffering in vain? No, right? Pastor John Piper, when he went through this book of 2 Timothy, he talks about, yes, there are three images that call for suffering in different accounts for the elder, but there are three rewards as well. Right?

Three promises. And so the reward of those who devote themselves like a soldier is pleasing their commanding officer. Right? What a great reward it is.

And we might not understand it from this side, but on the other side, when he says, good and faithful servant, what a great reward that is. When the master comes back, are we caught asleep? Is our oil burning? Well, if we want to please God, then nothing will please us more than when we get to heaven, he says, good and faithful servant.

Right? We want to be worthy of the calling that God has called us for. We don’t want to squander the gifts. We don’t want to let go of everything he’s entrusted us with by being faithful and serving him so that one day he will tell us good and faithful servant.

Now, the second image is that of an athlete. 2 Timothy 2:5 says an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. Well, ironically, this week, there were a couple of athletes who didn’t follow rules in the NBA. This huge gambling scandal came because people were sports betting, and then they told their fellow players, hey, I’m going to get injured.

I’m going to leave after five minutes of playing, bet on my unders, meaning bet that I don’t come back. Bet that I don’t perform well. Right? And so they’re kind of rigging the system and getting paid because they broke the rules.

Well, the FBI has them under investigation right now, and I’ll tell you this. They’re not going to be crowned with the championship while they’re in prison. Why? Because they didn’t compete according to the rules.

But what does this mean for Timothy and for us? We’re called to live a life of integrity, right? There are rules that God has given us, laws, moral laws, but also the laws written in our hearts. God has given us this conscience.

God has given us the spirit to discern, and so we’re called to live a life of integrity. Timothy, yes, you should be a good soldier, and you should deny yourself, but don’t be disqualifying yourself. 2 Corinthians 9:27 is Paul, another example from him says, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified. Right?

So, if we are going to live these lives of integrity, that qualifies us for the prize. But if we’re just going to be doing this and not controlling ourselves and our bodies and everything that we want on this earth, man, are we disqualifying ourselves from the prize? And so what is this reward? Well, the reward for the soldier is to please his master.

The reward of those who serve with integrity is receiving the crown of righteousness. It’s what Paul ends 2 Timothy with, I have fought the good fight, I’ve finished the race, and before me is the crown of righteousness for all those who endure. Right? There is a crown that we don’t even have comprehension of on this side of eternity.

We have no idea what this crown means on the other side, but clearly it’s worth pursuing if God is telling us to pursue it with this race of life. If you’re running this whole life for this crown, it’s worth it, because God knows how to give good gifts, and God rewards those who serve him and eagerly wait for him. And so what is the third image? The hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

Well, this one’s actually more clear. Timothy was called to be a hard worker, entrusting others with the gospel, sharing in the suffering of Christ, labor, work hard, right? It’s not a casual thing. It’s not something that I just get up and say, okay, now I’m serving Christ today, okay, he called me to pray today, okay, I’ll pray, right?

Do it diligently, as a hard worker, and it’s a thankless job. A farmer can labor day and night, and where are the crops coming from, the fruits, where’s the fame? The soldier at least is praised by his master. The athlete wins the race.

The farmer, thankless job, but serves with hard work. Now we talked about how Paul is pouring into the life of Timothy and how his examples are being shown. 1 Corinthians 15:10, here’s Paul’s example, says, But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Paul was given this grace, and he said, I’m not going to squander this grace, this gifting God has given me, but I’m going to work so hard for the sake of the gospel. What is the reward for the farmer? The reward of those who work hard for the Lord is a share in the crops. Their labor is not in vain.

Whether it’s on this side of eternity or in heaven, their labor is not in vain. Those who suffer for Christ, the reason Paul is asking us to suffer for Christ, for asking Timothy to suffer for Him, is because your suffering is not going to be in vain. There are great rewards for those who serve their master, who run with integrity, who labor. There are great prizes.

And so, if we went by our lives and we were thinking to ourselves, man, okay, I’m amped up. I’m going to be this good soldier, I’m going to be this hardworking farmer, I’m going to run this race with integrity. We’re missing the biggest point. It is by grace we’ve been called into this holy life, and by grace we receive these promises, these rewards, right?

This is not so any of us can boast and say, I served, I worked hard, I gave it my all, and I ran with integrity. Look at me. No. Grace has strengthened Timothy here, and grace has strengthened Paul.

We just saw this verse, 1 Corinthians 15, it says, but by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. Look at that last part. Though it was not I, but the grace of God that was with me. God’s grace is with us.

When we serve, and man, everyone’s like, good job, right? God’s grace. When we have shortcomings, and we don’t know where to turn to, God’s grace. When we are wondering where the heck am I supposed to go in life, God’s grace.

When we’re wondering if it’s all worth it or not, God’s grace. It was God’s grace that saved us, it was God’s grace that transformed us, it was God’s grace that gave us a new purpose in Christ, and it is God’s grace that helps us fulfill that call in our lives. It is by grace we can share in sufferings, and therefore, please the master, receive the crown, and share in the crops. All God’s grace.

So be strengthened in that, rely upon that, so that no one can boast, right? It is not by my might. It is not by my might I have been saved.

It is not by my might I’ve been given a purpose and a holy calling. It is not by my might that I’ve been given the spirit of God that keeps me from being timid. It is not by my might that I’ve been strengthened in grace.

It is not by my might that I can guard the good deposit or entrust others. It is not by my might that I have the devotion of a soldier. It is not by my might that I can run with integrity like an athlete.

It is not by my might that I can work hard like a farmer. It is not by my might that I can endure sufferings. And it is not by my might that I can receive the rewards and promises of God, but by grace.

All of these things so that no one can boast. We read this in Ephesians earlier, so that no one can boast, but God, rich in mercy, in his immeasurable grace, so that no one can boast, right? For if I boast, I boast in my weaknesses. I boast in Christ.

Then the last verse of the chapter, 2 Timothy 2:7, think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Now this is a lost skill in today’s generation. This is something that we often neglect. When was the last time you meditated on the word of God?

If God will teach you these things, and God will strengthen you, and God will give us this grace, when was the last time we spent time with him? When was the last time we sat with him? If God is our commanding officer, when was the last time where it wasn’t just, okay, to-do list, okay, done. I’m supposed to pray morning and night, okay, check, check, cool.

Bible verse of the day, that sounds great, it applies to me every single day, right? His grace is sufficient for me, perfect. We can’t fool God, right? James says, if anyone, sorry, let me pull it up, right, I’ll just say it.

James talks about if we’re someone who looks into a mirror and sees what’s wrong, but doesn’t do anything about it, what have we done, right? If we read the word of God, but don’t apply it in our lives, if we don’t listen, do what it says, what do we gain? And so, this meditation, this understanding that comes from God is what strengthens us, is what allows us to run this race. And look at the most important thing in verse 7, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Isn’t this the theme of this entire chapter? The Lord will give you, the Lord has saved you, the Lord has called you, the Lord will strengthen you, the Lord will give you understanding. Just show up, think over what I say, for more than a minute, right, meditate on it.

So, Charles Spurgeon had a message on meditation, and he said, it’s a lot of old English, so I’m going to try to bring it to modern terms, I guess, okay, it says, let me tell you that there ought to be special times for meditation. I think every man should set apart a portion of each day for this gracious exercise. A Christian will ever be in a lean state if he has no time for sacred musings before his God.

Those men who know most of God are such as those who meditate most upon Him. Those men who know most of God are the ones who meditate most upon Him. Those who realize most experimentally, in practice, the doctrines of grace, are those who meditate and soar beyond the reach of all these things.

I think we shall never have, this is still Charles, I think we shall never have much advancement in our churches until the members thereof begin to accept habitually the council. Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors before thee. Never such advancement in our churches unless we go into our secret place and shut the doors and say, God, I’m here.

And by the way, I’m not here to speak, I’m here to listen. God, I’m here, what do you want to say to me? What do you want me to do? Do I need music to do this?

No. I’m just going to trust you, God. I’m going to sit here, I’m going to wait here because you promised that you will give me understanding. Pastor Sunil often says, right, say the promises of God back to him, right?

If God will give you wisdom, trust that. Say, God, you will give me wisdom, I know it. You will give me understanding. I’m here, Lord.

Okay, till the noise of business somewhat abate and we give ourselves to calmer thought and the solemn silence of the mind find at once our heaven and our God, we must expect to have regiments of dwarves and only here and there a giant, right? If we’re not going to be spending time in the Word and meditating on it, we’re just dwarves of faith. Giant minds cannot be nourished by mere casual hearing.

Mystic souls must have meditation to support them. Would you be strong? Would you be mighty? Would you be valiant for the Lord and useful in His cause?

Take care that you follow the occupation of the Psalmist David and meditate. This is a very happy and profitable exercise. As we have some verses on meditation, Psalms 19:14 says, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 119:15 says, I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Joshua 1:8 says, the book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.

Philippians 4:8 says, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there’s anything worthy of praise, think about these things. And Psalms 1:2, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law, he meditates day and night.

How often are we meditating? Are we just dwarves of the faith because we have casual hearings, casual understandings, superficial? Is it any wonder that God’s love is not abounding in us and reaching out to others and equipping us and empowering us if we don’t want to listen to him? Paul tells Timothy, not just through words, but through example.

Paul lived his life surrendering, suffering, serving, but he didn’t do it on his own strength. He said, but by grace, the grace that is within me, I can do these things. And so, and ask the worship team to come up as I close here.

The role of an elder is sacrificial, requires integrity, and calls for hard work, but God’s grace is sufficient and strengthens us to do the good work and allows us to share in the reward. If you want to be a hardworking farmer, a good soldier, and an athlete that runs with you, grace is there for you, but also be willing to meditate on what God has to say. We don’t have to run this race on our own, otherwise we’re going to get burnt out, otherwise we’re not going to have love in us, otherwise, man, we’re the ones who are going to be needing the message more, right?

God’s grace is sufficient and more than able to strengthen us through the good work. And so trust in it. Trust that He is a God who keeps His promises, that He’s worth following.

We read here in Ephesians, and I’m just going to take one verse from it. Ephesians 2:7 says, so that in the coming ages, He might show us the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. And why is this so crazy to me?

We just read earlier that before time began, God had given us this grace, right? Before time began, He chose you. Before time began, He has called and He has appointed you for a holy calling.

And then in this present time, He gives us grace in the midst of suffering. He gives us grace to do the good work and grace for our calling. Then look here in Ephesians, man, in the coming ages, immeasurable riches of His grace, immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

If His grace has been so sufficient for us to rescue us from death, to appoint us to a holy calling, and to help us endure in the midst of suffering and trials, man, what is this grace going to look like when we get to heaven? This immeasurable riches that He can’t wait to share with us. Are we ready for it?

Are we anticipating it? Are we meditating on it? Heavenly Father, God, we just come into Your presence today, Lord.

We just thank You, Lord, for Your word and how You spoke through Timothy, through Paul, God. We just thank You, God, for the word that shows us that You have given us this grace, Lord. Not by our own works, not by our deeds or anything that we can measure up to, Lord, but because of who You are, God.

God, because it pleased You, Lord. God, it pleased You to give us purpose and a calling, God. You strengthen us, God, and You are here, Lord.

You give us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline, God, that does not make us timid, Lord. God, You give us knowledge and insight and wisdom, God, if we ask for it. We thank You, Lord, for Your grace.

God, we pray, God, for our daily lives, Lord. God, where we fall short, give us more grace, God. Where we serve, give us more grace, God.

God, help us to be these good soldiers, God, to be hardworking farmers, God, and to run this race with integrity, Lord. And, Lord, knowing that this labor, this suffering is not in vain, God, but for the sake of Your church, Lord, and for the sake of the rewards and promises in heaven, God. We thank You, Lord.

We trust You, Lord.