Sermons and Podcasts Southern Hills Baptist Church - Round Rock, Texas

Remembering and Responding - Hebrews 10:19-25

As Christians we believe that God has entrusted us with something precious. God has given us His Word and the Gospel and we have been called to steward the truth that has been given to us. This means that we should be committed to knowing the truth and protecting it from those who would try to distort it. As Paul gives Timothy some final instructions, this is a theme that comes up over and over: The importance to stewarding and standing for the truth. Paul goes to great lengths to remind Timothy of his responsibility to know the truth and guard it from those who would seek to twist or pervert it.

Extreme labor, frequent imprisonments, countless beatings and often close to death. This is the way Paul begins a description of his experience as a minister of the Gospel. He goes on to speak of being whipped, being beaten with rods, being stoned, being shipwrecked, being threatened, being hungry and without food. And that’s to say nothing of the emotional burdens. This description from 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 should add weight to Paul’s appeal to Timothy to share in his sufferings. As Paul calls Timothy to greater Gospel faithfulness, he repeatedly reminds him of the necessity of suffering. Why was Paul willing to suffer so much? Why would he call Timothy to this kind of suffering? In 2 Timothy 2:8-13 we get a look at what motivated Paul. Here he calls on Timothy to remember various aspects of Gospel and why it is worth suffering for.

The Apostle Paul was called by God and he gave his life fully for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His aim was to know Christ and to make Him known. And for the sake of Christ and His Gospel Paul endured suffering, imprisonment and eventually death. But through it all he maintained joy and hope and he believed that greater joy awaited him beyond this life. Near the end of his life, from a Roman prison, Paul wrote a letter to his faithful partner in the Gospel, Timothy. In this letter he is calling on Timothy to take up the mantle and continue the work of Gospel ministry. As we read this letter it serves as a good reminder to us that we too are called to this work. In chapter 1 Paul makes his initial appeal, calling Timothy to be unashamed and to commit himself to guarding, stewarding and proclaiming the Gospel. Now, as we come to chapter 2, it seems Paul is moving more into instruction. He’s giving Timothy instruction about the specifics of the ministry – what he should do and what he should expect. He is helping Timothy see what faithful Gospel ministry looks like.

God Plans to Pour Out His Wrath But Show His Mercy - Genesis 6

We probably all know what it is like to be in a situation where we are hesitant or slow to stand up for the truth of the Gospel. We are a people who are prone to struggling with fear and pride and timidity. For us, the first chapter of 2 Timothy is an important reminder. In 2 Timothy 1 Paul is exhorting Timothy to be bold and courageous and to stand firm for the sake of the truth. He’s calling on Timothy to be unashamed, willing to suffer, and to be a faithful guardian of the truth of the Gospel. As Christians it is a message that we need to hear and take to heart. While the heart of Paul’s charge is in 2 Timothy 1:8-14, in verses 15-18 he provides some examples for Timothy to consider. The first is a negative example of many people who were ashamed of the Gospel and who failed to be faithful. The second is a positive example of one man who was unashamed and who remained faithful to the Gospel even when it was inconvenient and dangerous.