2 Timothy 3:10-13 says,...
Today's verses are 2 Timothy 3:10-13, which read,
v.10, 11 - Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happen to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!
Paul gives Timothy another list. Paul must have some small slips of paper in the cold dark dungeon cell where he is gathering these last thoughts for Timothy to know or to do. This is a list of reminding Timothy of what he has experienced as he traveled with Paul.
Timothy heard Paul's teachings and then compared that with Paul's conduct. Paul's conduct gave credence to Paul's purpose and his purpose was in line with the faith given to him by God. Paul's faith showed Paul's patience for people to hear and respond to the Gospel message and Paul's patience showed Paul's love for Jew or Gentile to know of God's grace through the cross of Christ. Paul's love drove his perseverance even in the midst of the persecutions and sufferings that happened to him. Timothy was a witness to all of this.
Paul then gives Timothy three specific persecutions and sufferings that he endured at the cities Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra that Timothy was witness of. Those persecutions and sufferings led Paul to flee for his life but he realizes that it was God who rescued him from death to continue on. The point here is that even among all of that Paul continued on. He didn't stop. He didn't throw in the towel. He didn't hold a committee meeting to take a vote to go on. He went on to the next town with the message of Christ. Paul is reminding Timothy that he saw all of this as a first person eye witness.
v.12, 13 - Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Exhibit A is Paul himself. Paul is desiring to live a godly life in Christ Jesus and he has experienced persecution. To desire is to pursue after with actions that are coming from you. You are not a nominal Christian, a Christian by name only, but you are actively putting yourself in a place to grow under God's words given to us. What will happen to you is what happened to Paul and to Jesus Himself which is persecution not because of you but because of who you are following. You stand before them representing a holy God that they do not want to bow to as you continue to bow to Him.
The evil man and imposter also has a desire and a pursuit but its end is much different. The trajectory of his life is from bad to worse and from deceiving to being deceived. Paul is instructing Timothy to take a good look beyond what he sees at the moment with the false teachers and leaders lives. Most likely they look really good right now but what is going to happen to them as they continue to ignore God's ways? Is it going to get better? The answer is no. They are deceiving others by having a form of godliness but you need more than just a form. You need to be godly because you have accepted the godliness of God sending His Son Jesus Christ to shed His blood for you and you are following after Him even in persecutions and sufferings. The false teachers are being deceived themselves as they are deceiving others that there is another way that is better than the gospel way.
Evil looks good at times. Satan dresses it up to look attractive. It many times looks comfortable and easy. It appeals to your selfish nature as you concentrate on what you like and what you want and what you think and what you feel. Now lay that alongside of the Gospel. The focus shifts off of us and onto God and others, the two greatest commandments. Your eyes are diverted outside of yourself to serve God and others for the benefit of them to not be worse but to be better through Christ and not to be deceived by Satan but walk in the truth of God's grace. Paul is giving Timothy solid footing to stand upon when persecutions and sufferings come and he is tempted to bow out of this Christian life for something else. Paul wants Timothy to look at where the imposter's life leads to and where does the Christian life ultimately end up at. There is no comparison. Keep with Christ! Let's pray.
"Lord thank You for Paul's example and for Timothy's first hand eye witness of it. We need those godly people around us who have showed us with their very lives to stay true when the times get tough. They are just following after You. They have taken Your word to heart and put it into action. Help us to have a long view when the short view looks tough on following Your way and Satan's way looks so good. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.10, 11 - Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happen to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!
Paul gives Timothy another list. Paul must have some small slips of paper in the cold dark dungeon cell where he is gathering these last thoughts for Timothy to know or to do. This is a list of reminding Timothy of what he has experienced as he traveled with Paul.
Timothy heard Paul's teachings and then compared that with Paul's conduct. Paul's conduct gave credence to Paul's purpose and his purpose was in line with the faith given to him by God. Paul's faith showed Paul's patience for people to hear and respond to the Gospel message and Paul's patience showed Paul's love for Jew or Gentile to know of God's grace through the cross of Christ. Paul's love drove his perseverance even in the midst of the persecutions and sufferings that happened to him. Timothy was a witness to all of this.
Paul then gives Timothy three specific persecutions and sufferings that he endured at the cities Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra that Timothy was witness of. Those persecutions and sufferings led Paul to flee for his life but he realizes that it was God who rescued him from death to continue on. The point here is that even among all of that Paul continued on. He didn't stop. He didn't throw in the towel. He didn't hold a committee meeting to take a vote to go on. He went on to the next town with the message of Christ. Paul is reminding Timothy that he saw all of this as a first person eye witness.
v.12, 13 - Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Exhibit A is Paul himself. Paul is desiring to live a godly life in Christ Jesus and he has experienced persecution. To desire is to pursue after with actions that are coming from you. You are not a nominal Christian, a Christian by name only, but you are actively putting yourself in a place to grow under God's words given to us. What will happen to you is what happened to Paul and to Jesus Himself which is persecution not because of you but because of who you are following. You stand before them representing a holy God that they do not want to bow to as you continue to bow to Him.
The evil man and imposter also has a desire and a pursuit but its end is much different. The trajectory of his life is from bad to worse and from deceiving to being deceived. Paul is instructing Timothy to take a good look beyond what he sees at the moment with the false teachers and leaders lives. Most likely they look really good right now but what is going to happen to them as they continue to ignore God's ways? Is it going to get better? The answer is no. They are deceiving others by having a form of godliness but you need more than just a form. You need to be godly because you have accepted the godliness of God sending His Son Jesus Christ to shed His blood for you and you are following after Him even in persecutions and sufferings. The false teachers are being deceived themselves as they are deceiving others that there is another way that is better than the gospel way.
Evil looks good at times. Satan dresses it up to look attractive. It many times looks comfortable and easy. It appeals to your selfish nature as you concentrate on what you like and what you want and what you think and what you feel. Now lay that alongside of the Gospel. The focus shifts off of us and onto God and others, the two greatest commandments. Your eyes are diverted outside of yourself to serve God and others for the benefit of them to not be worse but to be better through Christ and not to be deceived by Satan but walk in the truth of God's grace. Paul is giving Timothy solid footing to stand upon when persecutions and sufferings come and he is tempted to bow out of this Christian life for something else. Paul wants Timothy to look at where the imposter's life leads to and where does the Christian life ultimately end up at. There is no comparison. Keep with Christ! Let's pray.
"Lord thank You for Paul's example and for Timothy's first hand eye witness of it. We need those godly people around us who have showed us with their very lives to stay true when the times get tough. They are just following after You. They have taken Your word to heart and put it into action. Help us to have a long view when the short view looks tough on following Your way and Satan's way looks so good. Amen."
Pastor Adam
Comments
Post a Comment