As a church family, we are making our way through the book of 2 Timothy in a Sermon Series called “Take Heart”. We know that this is a letter written from devout Christ-follower named Paul to a young man named Timothy. Paul is encouraging and challenging Timothy to remain strong and diligent in his faith and in his ministry. Timothy was leading the church in Ephesus as they were beginning to experience persecution and false teachers. One of the main purposes for this letter to challenge Timothy to keep going, to keep marching, to endure. Today: There is an important question that is indirectly asked of us in our passage today. The question is this: What enables you to endure? Illustration: Enduring my child’s dance recital. Years ago, my daughters took some dance classes. As part of the dance classes, there was a recital at the end. When I arrived for the recital, I remember thinking there were a lot of cars in the parking lot for that one little dance class. And when I sat down in this large auditorium with hundreds of other parents, I realized this night would not go as I thought. We sat down and it was much to my delight to see my daughters dance on stage first. As soon as they left the stage, I look to my wife to get the “let’s go” head nod. Only to get a “we’re not leaving head shake”. She then preceding to tell me that all the dance classes would dance to together later on. FOUR hours later, my kids would come back on stage as the final performance – a performance that would last less than 60 seconds. The only reason that I was able to endure that kind of (suffering) is because of my love for my daughters. I wanted to be able to look my daughters in the eye and tell them how proud I was of them. The only way I could do that was based on one thing: intentionality. Would I wait 4 hours to watch some random kid’s recital? Absolutely not. I know my kids. I have a personal relationship with my kids. I have a future with my kids. I love my kids. I have a plan for my kids. My endurance for my kids comes from my intentionality with my kids.

While this isn’t a perfect example, it still serves as a point to this: Endurance emerges from intentionality. What Paul tells Timothy in this letter, in these verses we are about to look at, is that our endurance in the Christian life doesn’t happen by accident. Our endurance comes from our intentionality. I know Jesus. I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I have a future with Jesus. I love Jesus. I have a plan with Jesus. What Paul tells Timothy – what God tells us – is how we become intentional about enduring the hardships of this life. If you haven’t already, open your Bibles to 2 Timothy 2. We will be looking at verses 7 through 14. God’s Word is alive and powerful, so let’s read with expectancy. Read 2 Timothy 2:7-14. Pray. 

Our first of three ways we can be intentional about developing spiritual endurance in our lives may not be the first one you’d think of. Paul tells Timothy to “think”. Here’s what we see first: Think for yourself about what God’s Word says. 

1) Think for yourself about what God’s Word says. (vs. 7-9) We broached this topic a few weeks ago, but clearly it’s something worth repeating. Take a look at verse 7 again: ⁷ Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. Why it important for Timothy to think about what Paul says? Paul knows that what he has taught Timothy is not something of his own, rather, Paul knows that it is God that has spoken. Paul knows he is simply an instrument of and for God. So, Paul is telling Timothy to think about what God is saying. We are to think on, to think about, to think through God’s Word. As a pastor, the last thing I want to do is to do your thinking for you. I heard another pastor this week talk about how Christians can often be like butterflies. We just love to flitter over from one passage to another. We find a good verse, read it, and say, “That was a good verse.” But the problem is that you have no idea what it really means. And if you were asked what it means you might say, “I don’t know what it means, but I can tell you what it means to me.” And therein lies so much danger. Because God’s Word has now become your word. Rather, the Christian should be like the bee. Where you find that flower and drink up all its nectar. Then you store it up and eventually it transforms into this sweet honey.

The calling in this verse is for you to study, know, and think about God’s Word. You can’t rely on pithy statement from a distant pastor as your means of understanding God’s Word. You must learn to think properly about God’s Word. We know that what enters through the mind is what our hearts will dwell on. And what our hearts dwell on is what comes out of our mouths. Think for yourself about what God’s Word says. “But what if I don’t know how to think and study the Bible?” What does the second half of verse 7 say? “The Lord will help you understand all these things.” Listen to this: The Holy Spirit that inspired God’s Word is the same Holy Spirit that helps you understand God’s Word. For those of you who have a relationship with Jesus Christ and have received the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit illuminates God’s Word. When you study God’s Word, there are two components going on: Human study and divine illumination. The more you labor in God’s Word, the more the Holy Spirit will illuminate God’s Word.

Illustration: My child asks me if the Bible is the biggest scam in the history of the world. I don’t know if this is the case in your household, but my children tend to ask the deepest questions at bedtime. This past week, one of my children, at 10pm asked me if the Bible is the biggest scam in the history of the world! It’s a great question, but why at 10pm?! The reason I bring that up is because one of the ways we know the Bible is completely true is through its power. Not only does the Holy Spirit illuminate God’s Word, but the God’s glory is also revealed through His Word. The Bible self-authenticates God’s glory. When you read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit divine illuminates its understanding so that you can see God’s peculiar glory! What happens when a Christ-follower reads the Bible is so unique and powerful, that it’s undeniable. Why is all this so important? We endure when we know what is true. When God’s Word is your ultimate truth and when God’s Word is what you believe, it’s what enables you to endure. Belief is powerful. Belief is what moves you to action. And that’s what Paul writes next. Paul didn’t say it like this, but you need to figure out your “if.” 

2) Figure out your “if.” (vs. 10) In verses 8 and 9, Paul continues with this idea of thinking, knowing, and believing. Both of these verses – and the belief that is contained within them – produces endurance in Paul – which we will see in verse 10. And Paul wants the same for Timothy. Look at verses 8 and 9: ⁸ Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. ⁹ And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. Paul tells Timothy to always remember what is true in these two verses. These verses are foundational to the faith. So what does Paul tell Timothy? There is so much to unwrap in these verses, but let me give you a few key parts:

1. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead 
   • No other religion or worldview believes this
   • The resurrection of Jesus Christ is uniquely Christian
   • Because if you accept the resurrection, then you accept everything else about the Bible
   • The resurrection of Jesus is permanent and paramount. 
2. The resurrection of Jesus wasn’t random
   • It was the line of David, which means Jesus is the Messiah
   • This had a massive impact on the Jews 
3. You chain those who share the gospel, but the gospel can never be chained

Paul knows all this to be true, so what does that mean for him? Look at verse 10: ¹⁰ So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. Did you catch that? Paul said he’s willing to endure what? ANYTHING! And Paul meant it -- this wasn’t hyperbole. This man of God was in chains in prison – this wasn’t lip service. Paul was ready and willing to endure anything. But what does the rest of the verse say? “IF it will….” Paul was willing to endure if it served a purpose. Paul wasn’t seeking hardship and suffering because he was bored. Why was Paul willing to endure anything? ¹⁰ So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. “My dearest Timothy, I’m in chains, I’m in prison. This is hard. I’m tired. I’m dying. But if this brings to know Jesus as their Savior, then I’m all in.” “Timothy, here’s my ‘IF:’ bringing people to eternal glory.” “The reason I do what I do and the reason I am willing endure is for people to move from spiritual death to spiritual life.” “Timothy, do you know your ‘IF?’’

What about you? What’s your IF? What is the purpose of your endurance? What are you enduring for? Illustration: “Blood Flow Restriction (BFR)” at Physical Therapy. I was at physical therapy this week for my knee and my therapist said, “Jess, it’s time for BFR.” BFR? “Yeah, blood flow restriction.” Another therapist then asked, “Is this his first time?” When that other therapist asked that question, there was this slightly malicious enjoyment in her question.” My therapist responded with a smile, “It is!” What then preceded to happen is that I had this air cuff put on my leg that restricted the blood flow while I did my therapy. It may have been the most pain I’ve experienced, including my surgery. Well, I went back a second time last week and that torture device came out again. But this time, I was told, “Do you know why we do this?” They explained how this BFR increased the healing in my knee. The pain didn’t go away the second time. But what did change? The purpose. The “If.”

Now, life throws hard things at us because we live in a fallen world. Bad things happen and there is often no reason why. But that’s not what this verse is about. This verse is about what are you are running after in life. And are you willing to endure the hardships that come with whatever you are running after? Some of you have never thought about that in your own life. You’ve been running after the next thing hoping that it will give you purpose. That’s backwards. Your purpose should direct where you are running. GOSPEL PRESENTATION. My hope and prayer is that everyone in this room is running after the same thing Paul is: that our lives will bring others to salvation and eternal glory. Men, let me address something briefly for us. Something I’ve started to notice is that there are a lot of men in our culture are bored. Men have purpose in their thumbs. If it’s a phone, a computer, video game controller, or a TV remote – what can be done with the thumb is what drives men. If that strikes a chord with you, here’s my encouragement: Dream again. Imagine what a life of adventure looks like. And I’m not talking about selling your house and backpacking in the Himalayas. I’m talking about your sense of adventure with Jesus. Your sense of adventure with your wife. Your sense of adventure with your kids. Your sense of adventure with your church family – the men in this church. Join the men’s community group. Serve the church – come get your hands dirty. What can you do where you are right now that brings about adventure for the sake of God’s glory and God’s kingdom? Dream again. What are you running after that has purpose that will cause you to go, even if this brings about some hardships, “I will endure?” 

If your want a spiritual life that endures, you soak up God’s Word for ourselves. If you want a spiritual life that endures, you figure out your “if”. And here’s the last piece that we can take hold that produces a life of endurance: Trust the unchanging God. 

3) Trust the unchanging God. (vs. 11-14) Paul starts off verse 11 with: “This is a trustworthy saying”. Paul tells Timothy, “If you want a life of spiritual endurance, then you can trust what I am about to say. You can bank on it. You can build your life on it.” So, what does Paul tell Timothy that he can trust? Look at verses 11, 12, and 13 with me. These verses are probably from an early Christian hymn: ¹¹ This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him.¹² If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us.¹³ If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. There are promises we’ve been given as Christ-followers. In Jesus, when we die, we live eternally with God. In Jesus, this life is training for our eternal reign with Jesus. There are also warnings Jesus has given: If you deny Jesus, He will deny you. If you are unfaithful to Him, God will remain to who He is. God doesn’t change. That means God’s promises and warnings won’t change. God cannot deny who He is. Think about the magnitude of what that means. God cannot act contrary to His character. God will make good on His Word and His promises. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He will never leave you or let you down. God is the only One that will never let you down. Quote: “Christ’s consistency to his own promises provides the believer with his greatest security. It is unthinkable that any contingency could affect the faithfulness of God, for he cannot disown himself.” – Donald Guthrie.

Paul then does a small mic drop in our final verse today, which is where we will pick up next week:¹⁴ Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. In other words, everything I said is true and from the Lord. “Quit the useless debates and start living this out!” “God doesn’t change, so trust Him. Trust His Word. Trust Him with your life’s purpose.” I’ll close with this final question: When it comes to your spiritual life and spiritual endurance, what are you being intentional about? What so many Christians don’t realize is that are subconsciously waiting for the pain to come in order to get their purpose. The last thing that I would wish is that you find yourself in a 4-hour dance recital without knowing any of the kids. Don’t wait for the pain to drive you to your purpose. Don’t let that be you. Let your purpose drive you. And if there happens to be hardships along the way, you will endure. You will endure because you know God’s Word for yourself. You will endure because you know your “IF”. You will endure because you know God will never leave you or forsake you because our God never changes.

Burn bright.
Have courage.
Take heart.
Fan the flame.
Guard the good deposit.
And be intentional about your endurance.

Let’s pray.

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