Opening Illustration: Eating the Onion at Crossings Camp. In our time in God’s Word last week, we read about what happens to some of our relationship when we choose to burn bright with the gospel message. And one of things we discussed is that Paul mentioned two names – names that are mentioned nowhere else in Scripture. The only thing we know about them is that they deserted Paul once he was arrested. It’s humbling to think about what someone’s last impressing is of us. Years ago, I worked at a student camp. The same student camp that we send our students to each year. Each morning of camp, all the students come together to kick off the day. As part of that kickoff, we would have the student leaders come on stage for some competition. When I was there, I would have three student leaders eat a apple covered in peanut butter without using their hands. Except, I would use an onion instead of an apple for one of the student leaders. And we would never tell the crowd he had an onion instead of an apple – we would just make it look like he failed miserably at the challenge. And each week, that student leader would pretty much hate for the week. It was about a year ago, I met a new pastor from Columbia. As I was introducing myself, he said, “I know who you are. In the summer of 2006, you made me eat an onion at Crossings Camp.” After all those years, when he thought of me, the one thing he remembered about me was that (extremely funny, and totally worth it) trick I played on him.

What we do matters. There are two ways we can look at that reality: As a burden or as an encouragement. You can look at that as a missed opportunity or a new opportunity. As I studied God’s Word this week, I became more and more encouraged that what God puts in front of us today is meant to fuel us – to fire us up. We reach a point in Paul’s second letter to Timothy where Paul pulls back and says, “Look at what we get to be a part of!” And specifically, look at what your life will point others to, even long after you’re gone. Paul tells Timothy, “Remain faithful and watch what God will do with your life.” Here’s what I want to find encouragement in today: And this gets me fired up. God will use your faithfulness for the next generation. God has a much bigger plan than eating onions at student camp, so let’s see what it is. Open your Bible to 2 Timothy 2. We are going to look at the first six verses of the chapter. As you make your way there, I’ll remind you all that we are going through this entire book of the Bible. It’s a timely message for us, especially as we enter the fall. It’s a message that we can “take heart because God is faithful. Sermon Series: Take Heart: The Faithfulness of God. God’s Word is alive and powerful, let’s read it with expectancy.

Read 2 Timothy 2:1-6. Pray. 

When you look at your Bible, you see these chapter and verse numbers. It's important to remember that Paul didn’t write this letter with those in there. They were added in the 1600s to help us read and remember. So, we can’t look at the start of chapter two as disconnected from chapter one. Paul had just written about these three people and their legacy. Now, he turns back to Timothy to encourage him with this: There is more than enough power provided for the task you’ve been given. And that’s such an encouragement for us as well. 

1) There is more than enough power provided for the task you’ve been given. (vs. 1) What’s the task we’ve been given? What have we seen so far in 2 Timothy? We are to have the courage to burn bright. We are to fan the flame of our spiritual gift so that we can burn bright for Jesus. We are to be faithful to the gospel message that is our good deposit. In verse 1, Paul gives Timothy this great encouragement. What does verse 1 say? ¹Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. This is the second time we’ve seen Paul encourage Timothy this way. In the second verse of chapter one, we see very similar language to what in this verse. I can imagine as Paul was writing this letter and he was talking about these two men that deserted him that his heart goes to Timothy and he’s thinking, “I don’t want this to happen to Timothy.” “I don’t want him to falter.” So, then Paul, with all of heart, says, “My dear son, be strengthened! My dear son, be strong!” Paul’s heart is for Timothy to march forward.

But where does Paul point Timothy to for strength? If you go check out the latest children’s books, what is the overarching message you’ll find? Everything you need exists inside of you. Your courage, your kindness, your strength – it can all be found inside of you. “Well, Jess, is that bad?” “Is it bad to ignite self-confidence and self-esteem in kids?” No, not at all. The problem comes from where we derive our confidence and strength. Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to dig a little deeper. Paul isn’t bolstering Timothy’s self-esteem. What does Paul tell Timothy? “…be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. “ Paul is reminding Timothy of the source of his strength. What did we learn at the end of the book of Ephesians? Ephesians 6:10 – “Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.” The only way we can find true strength and confidence is through what God gives us.

When I look back on my life, it’s amazing to see that I am where I am. When I think about myself and when I think about what this life has thrown at me, the only reason I’m able to stand here with joy in my heart is because of what God has given me in Jesus. It’s amazing that I love Jesus now more than I ever have before. Do you ever think about that in your own life? Do you ever marvel that you’re here today? Do you ever think about what Jesus gives you and has given you? I want to tell you all something: If you have Jesus, you have everything you need to finish the task that God has put in front of you. For me, I hate starting a task, only to find out that I don’t have all the supplies I need to finish the task. Before my knee surgery, I got a lot of projects done. One of my projects was to repair our wooden fence. I got down to fixing the last part of the fence, and what happened? I realized that I was one piece of wood and 10 ten nails short. So, what did I do? I went back to the store to get what I needed to finish. What if I told you that instead of going to the store, I sat in the backyard and with all my might, I tried to produce that one board and 10 nails with my mind. You’d think I have a few screws lose! Why on earth do we so the same things with our lives? Why do we try to muster up enough self-strength for our God-given tasks? I think the reason this is true is because we often see God as begrudging Father. That if we go ask our Father for more help, that at some point, He’s going to get tired and frustrating.

Some of you need to hear this this morning: God never tires of giving His endless grace. God’s grace and power has no limit. There is enough power provided to you because the Source of the power is endless. And God loves to give His grace. The Father loves to equip His children. There’s an old hymn that has two verses that say this:

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

If you need power and grace, go ask God! Whatever area of life you are worn out in, it’s time to deal with it in the context of a Father that is ready, wanting, and excited to give you strength. It’s time to give God your strength – you have to give up – and receive His strength. Anyone that has ever been useful in the Christian life has been consumed with asking God for strength. You may have heard of the great preacher Charles Spurgeon. At some point, go look up his weekly schedule. Go look up at what Spurgeon would accomplish in a day. He was once asked how he was able to do all that he did. His response: “You have forgotten, there are two of us.” What an encouragement! God will give us what we need to remain faithful if we ask Him. The reason Paul gave Timothy this encouragement is because Paul would then tell Timothy of the task. Here’s what we see next: Be determined to not let the gospel fade on your watch.  

2) Be determined to not let the gospel fade on your watch. (vs. 2) Paul communicates the sting he felt when he was deserted. His heart pours out to Timothy to remind him where his strength comes from. And now, Paul gives Timothy his task. Look at verse 2: ² You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. What’s the task? To teach God’s truth – the gospel – to other trustworthy people. Paul makes it clear that the gospel has to be taught and shared. God revealed it to Paul. Paul taught it to many, including Timothy. Timothy is to pass it along to other trustworthy people. And those people are to pass it along to others. If you are like me, you might be asking, “Is this my task as well?” Yes. What does Matthew 28:19 say? “Go, therefore, and make disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” What does Acts 1:8? “And you will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Let me be clear on something: the gospel won’t fade and the gospel can’t fade. Nothing will stop the gospel message. But the gospel can fade in your life on your watch.

What Paul is telling Timothy is to make sure his gospel line doesn’t fade out. Think about this…Timothy lived out his calling – he passed along the gospel to reliable people. And those people lived out their calling and did the same. That line continued from Timothy and the disciples – all the way to you. The reason you can receive God’s truth today is because of the faithfulness of those who came before you. We stand on the faithfulness of those who came before us. There’s also the reality of the other side. Some people along the way, let their gospel line fade out. So, the choice that was in front of Timothy is the same that is front of you today: Will the gospel fade on your watch? Now, I don’t think a Christ-follower makes the conscious decision to go, “Yeah, I’ll just let it fade. It’s not that important.” I don’t think the two men that deserted Paul made the conscious decision to fade away. The choice you have to make is to not make the gospel fade on your watch. Illustration: In 1888, a young Doctor named Felix Rey treated a patient who had a significant cut to his left ear. The doctor took such good care of the patient, that the patient would paint a portrait of the doctor and give it to him as a gift. The doctor didn’t really care for the style of the painting, it was bright and bold for the time. The doctor would give it to his mom. The mom didn’t like it either, so she used the painting patch a hole in her chicken coup. Well, as the story goes, a man visited the mom one day and asked if she had the painting. The man found the painting in the chicken coup and bought it. The artist had simply signed his first name on the painting: “Vincent”. Well, that Vincent Van Gogh painting is now worth millions. That doctor didn’t intentionally set out to let an expensive piece of artwork fade away in a chicken coup. But that doctor also didn’t make the choice to NOT let the art fade.

Choose to not let the gospel fade away on your watch. Maybe in the margin of your Bible you write down, “Not on my watch.” Maybe you get a sign made in your house that says, “Not on my watch.” Maybe you set a daily reminder on your phone that says, “Not on my watch.” Maybe the background of your computer says, “Not on my watch.” Maybe you take a dry erase marker and write on your bathroom mirror, “Not on my watch.” Make the decision not to let the gospel fade on your watch. How cool will it be when the next generation looks to our generation and says: “We stand on the faithfulness of those who came before us.” How cool will it be when the next generation doesn’t look at us and say, “They ate onions and deserted Jesus.” Instead they say, “They burned bright for Jesus.”  You’ve got the power because you’ve got a Father who never tires of giving His endless grace. Make the choice not to let the gospel fade on your watch. When you’re doing those two things, it makes this final encouragement come to life: Enjoy the Christian life. 

3) Enjoy the Christian life. (vs. 3-6) In these final four verses, there is definitely a weight when you read them. Suffering, soldiers, athletes, and farmers are all pictures of hard workers. But I don’t want to miss the other side of the hard work, which is the joy that is produced. Let’s read verses 3 through 6 again: ³ Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. ⁵ And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. ⁶ And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Paul provides three metaphors of the unashamed, burning bright follower of Christ. They also illustrate what it means to guard the good deposit of the gospel. We can understand the metaphors clearly: The soldier fights. The athlete trains. The farmer labors.

But don’t miss what happens when live out the Christian life as we are called: The soldier pleases his officer. The athlete wins the prize. The farmer enjoys the fruit. What happens when we live out the Christian life? We please Jesus. We bring him glory. We grow in strength and wisdom. We go deeper into the presence of Jesus. We experience what it looks like to become holier. We find the joy of what it means to see someone accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. We live in the joy that only comes from Jesus. The diligent and the determined experience the joy of the Christian life. The diligent and the determined know that our lives are a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Here’s my encouragement to you: Don’t look for shortcuts in the Christian life. You may find the latest and greatest hack on Instagram, but that’s not how the Christian life works. You can’t use Jesus as your life hack. Jesus isn’t a life hack to make your life easier. Simply put: Jesus must be your life. When you see Jesus as anything other than your life, you miss out on the joy that comes from Jesus. Enjoy the Christian life! That’s the kind of faithfulness the next generation needs to see from us. 

That summer in 2006 when I tricked that youth pastor to eat the onion, I get why it left a lasting impression. I just hope that there was someone else that summer that walked away with a little bit more than that. Maybe they walked away with a little more hope, a little more joy, and a lot more Jesus. Let’s let that be the motivation of our hearts as we enter the final quarter of 2024. Let’s have the courage. Let’s fan the flame. Let’s burn bright. Let’s lock up the gospel in our hearts. Be faithful to God and let God use your faithfulness for the next generation. Let’s pray. 

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