2 Timothy Series - “Guard What God Has Entrusted to You”

      

“Guard What God Has Entrusted to You”

2 Timothy 1:9b-18

I have listened to good advice from the Word of God and teachers of the Word in my journey in Christ, and there is none sounder than the wisdom and advice to guard what our Lord Jesus Christ has given us. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23)

  Paul is imprisoned in Rome as He writes to Timothy this final letter. And Paul is giving sage advice to “his son” (1 Tim. 1:2) to guard what God has entrusted to him and in him.

With that, let’s read the the first portion of the lesson text, “…This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. ”

Timothy was now the pastor/overseer in the church of Ephesus for some time now, and Paul knew that he had given Timothy all that he had had to give. Paul is so thankful for God’s grace through Jesus Christ. From that Damascus encounter with Jesus, to the suffering and trials of his missionary journeys, to the Roman prison for his preaching in Christ Jesus, Paul had held precious and guarded well all that God had entrusted to him. Paul’s faith was strengthened with the knowledge that what Jesus had started will be completed, “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].” (Phil. 1:6 AMP)

Paul focuses now on “his son” Timothy. Timothy is exhorted to stand firm and to guard the sound teaching of the gospel message entrusted to him. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” (Luke 12:48b) 

For Paul had met and experienced the false teachers and false apostles in his journeys, and he knew that the schemes of the devil were to infiltrate the church with false teachings that would kill, steal, and destroy the church. Paul had proclaimed the gospel of Christ to whoever and wherever because he was “appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher” for this very purpose in God’s will and divine plan to guard the church. Paul knew that there was no shame in the suffering that he had and was experiencing for the preaching and teaching of the gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Rom. 1:16)

Paul’s words and teachings to Timothy were of divine origin, and he knew that his faith in Jesus was solid at the end of his life as it was when he first believed. For Paul probably treasured the words of Jesus given to Ananias for Paul, “…for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15-16) 

 He knew that God was more than able to protect the message entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit. “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.“ 

It was this faith and trust in Christ that ensured Paul of the call that the Lord Jesus had placed in Timothy was well protected. So Paul was confident that Timothy would securely hold the treasure of the truths of God’s teachings in scripture entrusted to him. “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” God had given the Holy Spirit to Timothy for the purpose of the gospel and He would help guard and protect the sound teachings of the truth even to the day of Christ’s return. 

Application - I can give no greater advice or admonition to any believer than to guard what God has given you. For God’s gifts are precious “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father” “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (James 1:17a, 2 Cor. 9:15)

Like Timothy we are to fan into flames the gift(s) that God has given to us for His use. For God foreknew us before the beginning of time. And God never does anything that He doesn’t back up and equip us for the journey of life in Christ. He has given us His grace, a marvelous and indescribable gift, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” “ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” (2 Cor. 9:15, Eph. 2:8, 3:16) We have received the indescribable gifts of God’s Grace, His Word, and the Holy Spirit for the life and work He has destined for us. For it is through the gifts from God we have eternal life through the gospel and are equipped by His word and Spirit for His purpose, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Rom. 6:23, Eph.2:8, )

We are to guard and cherish these precious gifts that God has entrusted to us. For like Paul, we will face suffering and attacks from the enemy of God and His spiritually darkened minions. We should be confident and assured that what we have been entrusted with by God, He is able to assist us in guarding by the  Holy Spirit until that day of Christ Jesus’ return for His church. I can’t state this enough, For we have been given a blessed treasure in the Word of God, and we should proudly proclaim it without shame, for it “... the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…” (Rom. 1:16)

We are to hold fast to proper hermeneutics, for scripture should interpret scripture and be checked for the context. It will not contradict itself. Scripture never needs to have supplemental words added to clarify its meaning or intent. As Paul stated many times (2 Tim. 4:3-4, Titus 1:9, 2:1), sound doctrines are the foundational, objective truths of the gospel. Since the beginning, sound doctrine has been under attack from outside the church as well from within.

 How do we know sound doctrine, read the Bible and stay in the Word! For the Holy Spirit is the guide and revealer in the teachings (doctrine) of the holy scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” “ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” “... hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.” (John 14:26; 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:10;  Rom. 10:17; Titus 1:9, 2:1)

Last, Paul had taught Timothy that the last days would be inundated with perilous times and apostasy, for many would leave the faith to follow unsound doctrine, suffering the many ways of the devil’s schemes to destroy the work of God. So let's read the final portion of the lesson text, “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.”

Paul was not referring to all as in everyone in the province of Asia, but that there were key apostates who were leading many away from the church through unsound doctrine or in the shame of suffering from being connected to Christ and the church. Paul named two men, who are not mentioned again but were amongst the first to leave Paul in the province of Asia, and the work of God. Timothy would have known these men as well. 

Paul then commends “the household of Onesiphorus” the brother in the Lord who had assisted Paul in his imprisonment in Rome. Onesiphorus’ fortitude and strength of faith were evident in that he was not ashamed of Paul or the suffering for all those who believed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He spent his time and finances in refreshing Paul by relentlessly searching for him in the Roman penal system. Timothy would have remembered Onesiphorus from his time in the church at Ephesus and all the labor for Jesus he did. He stood alone in the midst of those who lived in the province of Asia for the sake of the gospel, and prayer for him was one of mercy Paul asked for him until the day of the Lord’s coming for the church.

Application -  Apostasy, the falling away from the faith in Jesus and the teachings of the truth in scripture, was now prevalent in many of the churches. As Jesus taught about the kingdom of God, how the jewish believers would hear the word (the gospel, the seed) and some would receive it grow, others would be choked out by the world, others had no roots, so left quickly, and others rejected the word because the devil’s minions (the birds) would steal it from their hearts and minds (Matt. 13). The Jewish people had rejected Jesus as their king, and subsequently crucified the One who came in the name of the Lord God. With this rejection, came the postponement of God bringing His kingdom to earth. For without a king in the line of David, the covenant couldn’t be met, and the nation of Israel had not repented of their unbelief and sins. This was the first sign of apostasy before and during the church age. For God was instituting a new work, the church, the body of Christ that would be drawn from all the world by the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the gospel and Word of God. It was in this new creation, the church, that the enemy of God now began to attack. Satan changed tactics, he used men and women as his angels of light to teach another gospel and taint the sound doctrines with lies and deceit, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Cor. 11:13-15)

This led to the church being divided and to many who left the church because of deception.

This is very prevalent among the churches today. For there are various translations of the Bible that propagate unsound doctrine in order to back up and enhance false teaching. There are various definitions and versions of who Jesus is and that the words from two thousand year old gospel teachings aren’t relevant, they must be supplemented with additional teaching in order to placate the teaching to tolerate deviances that have become the new norms and mores in culture in order that the world will be fully enlightened. Paul told Timothy and us that people in the last days wouldn’t hold to the teaching of the Word of God, but would seek out false teachers to tell them what they want to hear. “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Tim. 4:3)

We are told throughout the Bible of the apostasy, the great falling away (apostasy) before the coming of the Lord for His church. And we are also told to stand firm and not to be led away and astray by the lawless winds of new teaching in this world, “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Pet. 3:17-18)

So let us not be like those in the last days the scripture foretells will fall away, but I “urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude v.3)

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis