To Hold and to Keep — Westlake Bible Fellowship

0:00 Introduction and prayer

Good morning. Good morning. We're going to continue in second Timothy this morning, and I'm going to read our portion, and then we'll then I'll pray, and then we'll get started. Second Timothy chapter one, I just have six verses and I've enjoyed them all. Second Timothy one verses 13 through 18.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and homogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesophorus for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me.

The Lord granted him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. And you know very well how much he ministered to me at Ephesus. Let's pray. Father, we do want to ask for your help for this hour. We pray that that the truths in here that your spirit would like us to each learn might be received, that you'll help us to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

And we pray in our Lord Jesus' name. Amen. I'm going to ask for help, because my fifth and sixth graders are here or gone? Did they run? There.

There's there's... I need some help with some scripture reading to help break things up later. I gave one to Jacob already. This one I'm gonna give to this young man. You've got a bible, Gabriel?

Can you read can you read this verse? You'll be the last to read. John and... Who put these other fellows? John and Jeremy.

No, John. Okay. I'll let you guys know when you're up. I looked up the life expectancy in The United States recently and it's... Do you guys want to know?

It's it's it's seven seventy eight, which means I'm still in the third quarter of life. If you go with the biblical three score and 10, I'm in the fourth quarter. And the subject today, and I think that the Lord gave me the text that that I needed. I didn't strategize where did I wanna preach from second Timothy. This is just where it kinda settled, and I think the Lord has a message for me, and that message is to to hold and to keep, and we read those words in these in these first couple of verses, to hold on to and don't let go, and to remember that the Lord is helping me.

I want to cite some of the some of the sources that were very helpful to me, which I've cited in the past. One is Kenneth Weiss's word studies. He does a great job, explaining the words and some of the background behind the words and terminology. Also a fellow I love Scroggi, William Graham Scroggi. It's one of our textbooks from Emmaus that I really enjoyed.

He is very analytical and helps to to bring the texts together and explain how it's put together. And of course, McDonald and MacArthur. I enjoy Bill McDonald and John MacArthur for their thoughts as well, and anything that doesn't make sense is probably from me. Also, I apologize for taking the Doug Torok approach. You guys know what the Doug Torok approach is.

You just tell you like crazy, cram it all into the head, and then you trust the Lord for it to come out in a hopefully a palatable and digestive way. So so with that, we're going to launch into these these texts. But as I mentioned, the words hold and key... Hold and keep are vital to the lesson that I need. And since I only have six verses, we're gonna develop those words by doing some review.

4:25 Paul's words to Timothy

For us, it might be our parents or or somebody else that brought the word of God to us. We need to keep that and hold it. I'm mindful of that verse in Colossians two in regards to to being firmly rooted and to clearly know what we are about as believers. Colossians two six and seven, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as you have been established in the faith as you have been taught, and overflowing with gratitude. So to sort of set the stage for this, I want to review Timothy, a little bit about Timothy, some about Paul in the in the the world in which they lived.

Paul, of course, was writing to Timothy. Timothy is still a young man, is referred to as a young man. And the world that Timothy lived in was not was not unlike ours. There was people challenges. There was false teaching abounding.

There was cultural and societal matters. There was personal problems. It appears that Timothy had some health health needs. There was what we might call unfair life problems. We all like to complain about life sometimes.

And for Timothy, it might have been the fact that his dad was deceased or perhaps that his dad was not a believer and he was not involved in his life. So we can't complain that our situation is more difficult or or not that their situation is more difficult than ours or ours is more difficult than theirs. So that's encouraging. The challenges that we have were also theirs. Timothy, the name Timothy means one who honors God, one who honors God, and that, as followers of Christ, should be our ambition as well.

Timothy, of course, was Paul's very close companion, perhaps the closest, friend, faithful disciple, and in many ways, the right hand man. Timothy had other or Paul had other workers too that were of great assistance to him. Scripture seems to indicate that Timothy came to faith on Paul's first missionary journey, and then when Paul returned on his second journey, he enlisted the help of Timothy for the ministry. He might have been he might have been joining Paul as early as a late teenager because fifteen years later, Paul still refers to him as a young man and that no one should despise your youth. He might have been as young as 35.

Now when I was in high school, 35 was ancient, but now it's quite young. So some of what the scriptures say about Timothy. Timothy as Paul's right hand man had a glowing... Has a glowing testimony in Philippians two. Philippians two nineteen through 22.

We won't read it, but he was he was commended there for his service. Paul, Timothy was also involved with the Thessalonian church, first Thessalonians three. He had a role with... In Corinth, first Corinthians four, and of course, in Ephesus. He spent a lot of time in Ephesus, and that's how first Timothy opens.

First Timothy opens with Paul or with with Paul encouraging Timothy to be in Ephesus to help correct the error that was being taught. Now these, some things about Timothy that are remarkable, he was a he was a good soldier of Jesus Christ, but apparently he had a nervous temperament and was physically weak. In first Timothy five, Paul uses the term frequent infirmities. In fact, Paul seemed to have an infirmity himself that he asked the Lord to remove. And these these serve as a reminder that God depends on our availability and our willingness more than our natural skills that we think we can give to God that that he...

We think he needs from us. So God obviously used these two men in a powerful way despite their despite their limitations and and Paul... In Paul's case, something he begged the Lord to remove. They had a very solid relationship. In fact, as Paul, near the end of his life, he wanted to see Timothy, wanted to see him one more time.

9:51 Paul's last letters and purpose

So one of the fellows I mentioned, Scroggi, identifies a twofold purpose in in the writings of of Paul to Timothy. One was to address the spread of error. And there's three errors that he pointed out that I'll I'll share with you now. One was what the the Gnostics were promoting a succession of succession and hierarchy of mediation between God and the world. And everybody today who's not a Christian has their own philosophy of how God deals with us and what we need to do to satisfy God, and it's always changing.

And it was true in that day too. And perhaps that's the reason Paul says to not give heed to fables and endless genealogies. Related to that, of course, was the fact that just as today people will say, it's okay for you to believe in in Jesus Christ, but there's other things too that are important. But Paul reminded Timothy that there's that there's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Another false teaching was that matter was inherently evil.

But we read in first Timothy four verse five that every creature of God is good. So Paul was encouraging Timothy to address these matters. Another purpose in writing was Paul's consciousness that the end was near. He was in that famous Roman prison, Tatullian Prison, I think it is. I have it somewhere.

That was nothing like... That was terrible. It was an underground prison, and it was where most people ended their life, where most people had not come out of. So to summarize, Paul's second purpose was to caution and to confirm, to warn against false teaching in its many forms, and to encourage Timothy and every minister and every Christian to continue in the truth and to live a holy life. And that's where these five young men come in.

I'm going to have them read in order, and you'll see the pattern of these as they do so. First Timothy one fifteen.

First Timothy one fifteen. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sins of the divine chief.

Thank you. These five are fundamental truths, and that one Jacob just read illustrates that Christ's coming was the way of sin's forgiveness. Okay. First Timothy three verse one. That when I summarize with the words Christ's ministry, the way of noble service.

First Timothy four nine. Thank you. So Christ's life is the way of spiritual progress. Second Timothy two eleven to 13. Christ's strength is the way of successful suffering.

And Gabriel, do you have one? Thank you. So Christ's way is the way of honorable work, serving him faithfully. Okay. This brings us back to second Timothy chapter one.

15:20 Looking back at 1 Timothy 6

First Timothy six eleven, but you, oh man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until the Lord Jesus Christ appearing. That you keep, and that that's a word that's in our text for today in verse 13 of chapter one.

Without spot, that you keep without spot. I I enjoyed what we had to say about that. It's free from censure, irreproachable, free from vice, and a favorite word of mine, unsullied. So living a pure and clean and in a relative sense, a holy life, a holy testimony before the Lord. That you keep his commandments.

And I think a great motivation for this is to consider the work of what God has done for us in in these subsequent verses. And well, who God is. He is the only potate, the king of kings and lord of lords, who alone has immortality dwelling in unapproachable light with whom no man has seen or can see, and whom be... To whom be glory and honor and everlasting power. Amen.

We have the opportunity to to know God and then to serve him. He alone is the almighty God. And that, without a doubt, I'm sure, is what sustained Paul through his many trials. If you would look at second Corinthians, he chronicles some of his trials, the beatings, the shipwrecks, the sleeplessness, the the neglect of other Christians for his care, and so on. But what kept Paul going was the magnificence and the power of the one he knew and served.

So moving to second Corinthians, not second Corinthians, second Timothy, finally, and for the rest of our time, I want to make mention to some of these verses prior to our text today that talk about what what we have in the Lord Jesus, what we have... What God has done for us, which should buoy us when we need a lift. Nine and ten, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. There have been preachers in this pulpit that have used the phrase in in general. They said, those of you that have been saved, I hope you've never gotten over it.

And I confess that sometimes I think I get over it and lose the excitement and the the joy of knowing that my sins have been forgiven, that I have a relationship with God, that he is he is my life. And Paul is challenging Timothy in his circumstances saying, do not be ashamed of the Lord or me. He says that in verse eight, do not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord nor of me. What greater greater thing can we align ourselves than with with the Lord and what... And his truth.

Let's take a look at some of these some of these specified things here to to encourage us. Why do we need to be saved, which literally means delivered? We need to be delivered because we are sinners. But we can't do that ourselves. We are we are hopeless.

We are worthless, or unable to to to satisfy God or to or to merit his saving us. The holy calling is is an identity for God that he wants to share for us. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. They were without sin. But when they sinned, they were separated from God, and there's no way to get back to God of our own doing.

We cannot save ourselves. Ray talked about these verses for a bit, and one of the thoughts that I enjoyed was the the grace. Let me let me find the phrase. His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Grace was part of God's character.

Obviously, we could not receive it before we were here, but it was it was there in his in his plan ready to be dispensed upon us for those who would receive it. And then it was powerfully demonstrated in the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was historically demonstrated and accomplished in the man Christ Jesus, the mediator between God and man. And his work abolished death, removed the power of death, the sting of sin, and defeated the devil. You brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

The in word immortality means imperishable. The life we have in Christ is imperishable. Most of you know John three sixteen, whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life, will not perish. And proclaiming this truth was Paul's life, and it was his charge now to Timothy, and consequently Paul suffered for it, and he was in the last days of his life because of because he was proclaiming that message. So let's look at a couple of these words in verse 12 before we go to verses 13 and following again.

Paul was not ashamed. Whatever his walk with God cost him was irrelevant to him. So he knew, I know. He says, I know. He knew absolutely beyond any doubt it was a settled matter.

He didn't have to think about whether or not he would hold him his life dear to himself or not. He was pouring himself out entirely for the Lord. He was persuaded. That means that he had his mind was fixed in an unmovable position. There was no retreat for Paul.

That he is able to keep. Keep is a military term meaning to guard, defend, to keep watch. He knew that God was able to keep. He had absolute confidence in God to keep what he had committed to him. Paul's service.

And there's some debate here by the the theologians, so to speak, about what these words exactly mean. Obviously, know that those who are in faith that have been saved are saved forever. They can't lose their salvation. But I think the interpretation I favor is that Paul had an absolute confidence that God was strong enough, was strong to enable him to be faithful in his calling in spite of the suffering that attended to it. Paul knew that God was going to bring him to the end of his life successfully.

When those days were very difficult for Paul, he knew that the Lord would provide. And he was trying to instill that same confidence in Timothy because Timothy would soon be... Have additional responsibilities. So second Timothy, the letter to second Timothy is a little bit different than the letter to first Timothy. We see a little bit of an anxiety or passion from from Paul in his in his mentoring of Timothy.

24:49 Fidelity and Paul's prison

Many were put to horrible deaths. It was a crime to confess to being a Christian. And Paul was concerned for for Timothy. Paul was concerned for the churches. Paul was about to pass the baton and he wanted it to be done successfully.

All of us have seen relay races where that baton passing is botched and it's just not good. Paul wanted to pass the baton cleanly. That's one reason why there's repeated exhortations in these these two letters. And Paul longed to see Timothy one more time to come before winter, before the winter storms would make travel impossible. So that's...

Introduction's done, folks. We'll go now to verse thirteen and fourteen in in the end. So... But it serves as a illustration of what Paul or what Paul is telling Timothy to hold fast to. Hold fast, that doesn't mean do it quickly, but do it securely.

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Pattern. I know when people sew garments, they often use patterns. That way they can get it get it right, accurate. They don't just say you're going to sew a dress and then just ad lib and freehand it, you follow a pattern.

That's part of what's being talked about here. Or for for woodworking. Those of you who do woodworking, you probably set up jigs from time to time so you can duplicate your your piece and have uniformity. Yesterday, I had to prepare some fence posts. I had to make four six foot fence boards and the four foot fence boards.

And I had a 100 of them, and I wasn't going to use my tape measure for each one and make a mark. That would take too long. So I set up a simple jig and could just cut them automatically without measuring each one. That's some of the idea here, to follow the pattern. The pattern that exists was many of the things that we just talked about, the the true gospel, the the faithful saying verses that we read.

Paul was encouraging and instructing Timothy to hold true to the hold true to the faith, true to the scriptures. The last phrase is very important, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That's a combination of words that occur several times in these epistles to Timothy. It's a faith in the truth of God's word and work, but it's also important how we should share that and teach it. A love that takes into account the needs of others.

I'm struck by the beginning of first Corinthians 13, which we all know is the love chapter, But it starts out with a warning. You know, you can be you can be the most eloquent communicator. You can be the most committed worker. You can be the most generous contributor, but if you don't do it in love, you're just a clanging symbol. So that's an admonishment to us too, to to teach and to preach with the right attitude.

Verse 14, that good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. I think that good thing is the sound words of verse 13 and the things that we've talked about in in this... In my lengthy introduction, the the body of divine truth, the word of God. We have that word again, keep. Keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you.

Keep in the sense of guarding and watching and defending. And it's no small reference to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This would probably been a good place for me to develop things a bit more, but I have concise thoughts here. Specifically that Paul's idea of the indwelling spirit, and I'll read this to get it right, Paul's idea of the indwelling spirit is that the normal expected attitude of the believer is one of yieldedness to and cooperation with the spirit, which makes him feel at home in the believer's heart and unrestricted in his work of sanctification. Paul's idea of the indwelling spirit is that the normal expected attitude of the believers to...

Is one of yieldedness to and cooperation with the spirit, which makes him feel at home in the believer's heart and unrestricted in his work of sanctification. I could probably get some answers from the audience, but I won't ask for audible answers. Doc... Uncle Dave's. Uncle Dave's remarks about the Holy Spirit.

I just appreciated them. And you can probably picture in your mind and list here his voice when he said those words. It's not how much you have of the spirit, but how much the spirit has of you. How much the spirit has of us? Appreciate it very much.

You know, in the upper room discourse, Jesus is about to depart and his disciples are are struggling with that, but he tells the disciples in John 14, I will not leave you orphans. That he would send the spirit, the spirit of truth to guide them and to help them. So and the same is true of us. The spirit is is in our lives to help us, and we need to listen and submit, which of course is a challenge because of our wills, but we need to understand that his ways are best. Verse 15, this you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me.

Asia here is a reference to the area that's modern day Turkey, and I apologize that my bible bible geography is pretty pitiful, but it's it's not the Asia that we think of today, Vietnam and Philippines and that area. It was modern day Turkey, And as I mentioned earlier, the persecution was intense. And and Paul was probably... Well, he's not... He wasn't a popular prisoner in the affectionate sense.

Just... And we can get an idea of that, perhaps, just with the recent the recent goings on in Pakistan with Aja Bibi being sort of released. The religious fanatics there are just in an uproar that she's being released, and they're rioting, and it's causing persecution for others. So I can understand why Phygellus and Hermogenes might have deserted Paul because Paul was in some ways public enemy number one. And the abuse that would be given to Paul would overflow onto them.

And I hope that all of us are faithful in in the challenges that we face. Some some of the expositors thought it was due to doctrinal reasons, but others just said it was because they wanted to save their own skin and avoid the danger and the persecution. I loved what Bill McDonald cites cites Guy King, and I I know nothing about Guy King. I'd... So I googled it, and that didn't help because he's a jazz musician born in 1973.

So I often read Bill MacDonald's commentary just to to see the people that he read. But this is a great quote from Guy King regarding Fagellus and Hermogenes. They couldn't help their ugly names, but they could have helped their ugly character. In other words, he's poking fun at their names, but they could have done the right thing. I assume that if they deserted Paul, they weren't doing the right thing.

34:23 Faithfulness and Onesiphorus

And I'm not sure that this is not posthumous praise, in the sense that perhaps his associating with Paul led him himself to be persecuted and put to death because Paul uses some interesting terminology here. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Manasseforus. And also in chapter four, I think chapter four of the same book, talks about mercy being given to his family. Now don't be mistaken that he's hoping that he'll receive mercy for his for his soul, but rather that... Well, from in the Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Mount from Matthew five verse seven specifically, we see that mercy is the reward for those who have been given mercy.

So mercy in the sense of reward. And he has this testimony here that he served faithfully Paul in his last days and also at the church in Ephesus. Well, that brings me to the end of my notes, but I'd like to just challenge myself and us all to, in these last days, to to hold fast to the pattern that's been given to us in the scriptures and to and to hold carefully and with value these things by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can live lives that are helpful to one another and honoring to the Lord. So let's pray. Father, do thank you for these glimpses we have into real people's lives and how they were faithful to you.

Father, we know... I know that my human nature is a shrink back and to look for the path of comfort and ease, but help us to be... Help me to be more gripped by your magnificence, first of all, and then your great grace in my life for bringing me to faith, for saving me, for delivering me delivering me from from my lostness, from my hopelessness that's outside of Christ. Father, we pray that you help us just to do the right thing amidst the challenges of life and our own shortcomings. And we pray these things in our Lord Jesus name.

Amen.

To Hold and to Keep — 2 Timothy 1-2

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To Hold and to Keep — 2 Timothy 1-2

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