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LIVING FOR JESUS         2 TIMOTHY 2:1-2
 
            If you have your copy of God’s Word with you, this morning, I invite you to turn to the second letter of Timothy and the second chapter.
Allow me to read to you the first two verses of this chapter.
Let us pray.
Since the beginning of the year, we have been discovering the way in which we are going to fulfill our mission statement.
I want to take a minute and remind what our mission statement is: Reaching Sylacauga to love God and to love others.
In that statement, you have the fulfillment of the two great statements made by our Lord known as the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
The Great Commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.
The Great Commission is to make disciples.
In order for us to accomplish this great feat, we must have a plan for doing this.
Our plan is to help people exalt the Savior (worship), equip the saints (small groups~/discipleship), and evangelize the lost (witness).
Last month, we spent our Sunday mornings discussing how we ought to exalt the Savior (worship).
This month, we are going to focus on equipping the saints (discipleship), and next month, we will examine the issue of evangelizing the lost (witnessing).
Now, let us return back to our text for the morning and talk about this second step in our process of fulfilling our mission statement.
I believe our denomination has done a great work in reaching and teaching people about the gospel, but we have not done as well of job on discipling believers.
Some years ago, two teenagers were discovered in an attic room chained to their beds, where they had been confined since early childhood.
They were totally disoriented and almost animalistic in behavior.
They had been undernourished and unloved, and, as would be expected, were underdeveloped in every way—physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally.
They were the product of child abuse at its most malevolent extreme.
Equally tragic is the condition of many children of God today who are undernourished spiritually and, consequently, are underdeveloped, confused, disoriented, and immature in the things of the Lord.
There are more popular preachers today than at any time in church history, but few powerful ones.
There also are more popular churches, but few powerful ones.
There is much activity, but little spiritual fruit; much talk about Christianity, but little conviction; high moral proclamations, but little accountability; doctrinal creeds, but much compromise.
(John MacArthur)
            It is my prayer and desire to be a powerful church for the Kingdom of God rather than a popular church.
It is my prayer and desire to produce powerful leaders rather than popular ones.
And it is my prayer and desire for our members to live powerful lives rather than popular ones.
After all, God is looking for people who are faithful.
So this morning, I am going to reveal to you the power for living the Christian life and the pictures for living the Christian life.
I know that we will not have time to look at all the pictures that Paul illustrates, but we will discuss the first one today and come back next week to discuss the other three.
THE POWER FOR LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – (1)
            *You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
*
            Paul is writing to his young apprentice in the faith.
Timothy was already saved when Paul was introduced to him on one of his missionary journeys.
Timothy was well-spoken of in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to accompany him on his journeys.
He became a spiritual son in the faith to Paul and this is why he is called *my child*.
He was young in the faith when he began in the ministry, but he had been discipled by Paul.
Paul had founded the church at Ephesus, where Timothy was now during the writing of the letter.
The church was well-grounded because of Paul’s presence and ministry there; but things began to deteriorate over time.
The leaders of the church were characterized by doctrinal error and sinful behavior.
So Timothy was sent there by Paul to help set the church back in order.
This is the reason for the first letter, which focuses on church life.
In this letter, Paul was encouraging Timothy to remain strong.
Obviously, Timothy’s age and timid disposition played a role in him being intimidated by the opposition.
So Paul writes to encourage the young man to stick to the task and not give up.
In verse 1, there is a connection to what was previously said in chapter 1.
In fact, Paul gave Timothy four commands in that chapter.
They were fan into the flame the gift of God, which is in you (6), do not be ashamed of the testimony about the Lord, nor of me his prisoner (8), follow the pattern of the sound words you heard from me (13), and guard the good deposit entrusted to you (14).
Also, he was to perform the task, duty of a good minister of the gospel.
He was to be like Paul and Onesiphorus, who were unashamed of the gospel and the testimony of Christ.
And he was not to be like Phygelus and Hermogenes, who turned away from the faith and deserted Paul when the going got tough.
Today, we find those in both camps.
There are those who are loyal till the end no matter the cost and those who cannot handle the pressure and leave the faith.
In verse 1, *you then *is emphatic.
You are not to be like the latter, but the former.
You are to keep the commands that I have given you and not desert the faith.
You are to stand firm in the Lord and to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might.
This is true of all Christians.
So you *be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.*
Now the command be strengthened literally means “keep on being empowered.”
As Christians, we know by grace we have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph.
2:8-9).
So salvation is by grace and this grace begins our journey with the Lord because it is only this undeserved favor that we can even have a union with the Lord.
Yet, this grace is not a one time act by God at salvation, but is a present reality in the life of a believer.
This means that grace sustains us through this life; otherwise we would be condemned for our sins.
Instead grace is a blessing that keeps us saved.
So Paul was combating some of the philosophy of that day which was proclaiming that the grace comes from within.
It is inside of you to live the life that is pleasing to God.
Today, people believe it is in our strength that we are to serve the Lord.
You have the power with inside of you to live a godly life.
But Paul in this verb *be strengthened by the grace *tells us it is from without rather than from within.
Several years ago, engineers in New Jersey were building a bridge over the mouth of a river on the Atlantic coast.
As they were putting down pilings, they came across the hull of an old ship that was buried in the sand.
To keep the bridge on the planned route, the hull would have to be removed.
After they tried every mechanical means they could think of, the ship remained in place.
A young engineer suggested placing several large barges above the hull on either side, running cables underneath the hull, and attaching them tightly to the barges at low tide.
When the tide rose, the hull was loosened some.
At the next low tide the cables were tightened again, and at high tide the ship was loosened some more.
After following that procedure for several cycles of tides, the ship eventually was freed.
What humanly devised mechanical force could not accomplish, the immeasurably greater forces of nature accomplished easily.
Many Christians and churches are like that hull, embedded in spiritual immobility.
They recognize the problem and try every human means to extricate themselves, but to no avail.
But what His children cannot accomplish in their own strength, their heavenly Father can do by the power of His Spirit.
So Paul says beware of your own inadequacies and draw upon a strength that can truly help.
Jesus said, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Paul told the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (2:20).
In other words, we are to be totally dependent upon Christ.
It is our union with Christ that makes this grace available.
To be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, you must be weak in yourself, but strong in Christ’s sufficiency.
Living for Jesus means understanding the power for living the Christian life.
THE PICTURES FOR LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – (2-7)
            Paul, in verses 2-7, gives four illustrations to show how we are to live a strong, obedient, spiritual life.
They are a discipling teacher, dedicated soldier, disciplined athlete, and a diligent farmer.
We are only going to have time to look at one of these and we will come back on the next Lord’s Day and examine the others.
DISCIPLING TEACHER – (2)
            *And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.*
*            *This verse is related to the one that goes before it.
A believer is strengthened by the grace by sharing with others God’s Word.
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