2 TIMOTHY 2:8-132008 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Timothy 2:8-13

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2008. And so we need to remember. It means to call to mind. It's something that we do to hold on to the truths that we have heard in the past.

And it's important to understand, to study and remember this message, the gospel message, especially now in the days that we are living. Now, as we go on in the book a little bit later, Paul is going to warn Timothy about the perilous times that will come.

There in chapter 3, verse 1, he says, Verse 5,

He'll go on then to warn him about those who will preach the things that are not according to the scriptures, about the falsehoods and the heretical teachings that will come and how people will amass teachers to themselves who will tickle their ears, but not really have the substance of the gospel message. And so as Paul is warning Timothy about these things, it's important for us to remember this.

Because we are living in the last days, we need to remember the gospel message. Right now I'm reading through a book. I'm just about finished with it.

And I would encourage you to read it if you would like. It's called Faith Undone, and it's by Roger Oakland. And he's basically examining all of the implications and details of what's called the Emergent Church. And it's a fairly new movement in the last several years that's been gaining ground and popularity. And so he's...

Sharing in the book about the dangers of that movement and really where it's headed, the implications of the things that are being taught and pursued in that movement. And frankly, it is really scary stuff that is going on.

Really going back to mysticism and altered state of consciousness and things like that in order to have some type of experience with God, disregarding the scriptures. I mean, there's all kinds of things and it's quite a book to work through. It's not one of those like, oh man, it's so great, I can't put it down. It's one you got to work through, but...

But as you see all of the ramifications of what happens when you throw sound doctrine out the window, it is very, very scary. And that's why it's important for us to remember. And he'll go on now to give us the things that we are to remember. What are we to remember? First of all, remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David.

Jesus Christ. Now, of course, we're to remember Jesus. He's the center and the focal point of our lives. Right. We often talk about him as the love of our lives. And that that is true. That should be true, rather, of Christians, that Jesus Christ is not just someone who lived a long time ago, but but he's the the one that we have a relationship with now through whom we have relationship with God. He's the one who is our savior. He is the love of our life.

But we're not just talking about the man named Jesus. There's much more to him than, well, than some people might think or proclaim. And we can see that by the title that Paul adds here. He says, remember, Jesus Christ. Christ is not his last name. I'm sure you know that Christ is instead a title.

It's a proclamation about who he really is, the office that he held, the role that he played. The word Christ is a Greek word. It means anointed one. It was used like in the Hebrew. The word Messiah was it also means anointed one. So Christ Messiah, they're interchangeable. They're just different languages, but they both mean anointed one. Now, throughout history, Christ.

Throughout the history of the Jewish people, God was promising that a savior would come. The Messiah was going to come. He was going to set his people free. He was going to be the deliverer. He was going to save the people from their sins.

Prophecies of this began all the way back in the garden in Genesis chapter three, verse 15, when God prophesied of the seed of the woman, the seed that was to come, the seed being a reference to the Messiah that would bruise the head of the serpent or crush the head of the serpent.

In Genesis chapter 12, verse 3, God had promised to Abraham, in your seed, the whole earth will be blessed. Again, using the word seed to reference the one that was to come, this Messiah that was promised, the anointed one, the one that would be anointed by God to bring salvation to the whole earth. He told Abraham, in your seed, the whole earth will be blessed. He said something similar to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7. David, in your seed...

Telling us that the Messiah would be from the line of David. He said to David, I will build you a house that will endure. The book of Psalms is full of messianic references. References that the Messiah was coming. The promised Savior, the Redeemer was going to come. Psalm chapter 2, Psalm chapter 22 and many, many more.

The prophets, the writings of the prophets are full of references to the Messiah. We've seen that already many times on Wednesday evenings as we go through Isaiah. And we'll see it much, much more, in fact, increasingly more as we continue on in the book of Isaiah.

But Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, all of these prophets spoke of and prophesied of the Messiah that was to come, the anointed one that was to come. The entire Jewish population was waiting, expecting, knowing that the Messiah would come. Now, to attach the name Christ to Jesus is to recognize that he is that promised savior that they were waiting for.

He is the one that God had promised since the very beginning. The fall of man in Genesis chapter 3. God promised there the solution for sin. The redemption that was necessary in order for salvation. Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah is what that means. He is the Savior. He is the one that God sent to save his people from their sins.

Paul doesn't just say, remember Jesus Christ. So he says of the seed of David. Now, this is important because as God has been promising a savior. Well, there's many who will try to rise up and proclaim to be that savior. But God makes it clear in his word as he's promising a savior. He makes it clear who that savior would be. And he gives us details about that savior, that Messiah in his word.

To protect us from the many false claims. To this day, there's many false claims and there will continue to be many false claims. But the Savior that God was sending had to be a descendant of David. He could not be a descendant of anyone else. He couldn't be a descendant of Moses. He couldn't be a descendant of Aaron. He couldn't be a descendant of anyone else. He had to be of the line of David.

God gave this promise, prediction, guarantee in the scriptures that we would know who the genuine Messiah, Savior, the one that God had sent was. Just this last Wednesday, Olivia and I were having this conversation about why is it so important to have genealogies in the scriptures? We get kind of bored with them, you know. You start out in the New Testament and it's him, begot him, begot him, begot him, begot him. And what's the point of all of this?

Well, it's to establish that Jesus Christ is a descendant of David. God made sure that explicit, careful, detailed records were kept so that you could take the line of Jesus and trace it all the way back to

To King David and then even further back all the way to Abraham and then even further back all the way to Adam. But proving that Jesus Christ indeed was a descendant of David, it makes sure that he can be recognized as the Messiah. Now, God gave other details as well. I'm sure that you're familiar with them.

He had to be born in Bethlehem. It had to happen before 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed. He had to be born of a virgin. He had to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. And on and on and on we could go. And all of these things...

As you look at these details, they make it more and more impossible for anybody else to be the Messiah besides Jesus Christ. Chuck Missler in his Prophecy 101 series deals with this. And if you want to dig into that a little bit more, I'd encourage you to. But he shows mathematically it's impossible for anybody else to be the Savior that God had promised.

Because of all the prophecies and the scriptures that Jesus fulfills, it's mathematically impossible for someone else to fulfill those same prophecies. And it would have to happen before 70 AD, before Jerusalem was destroyed. So Jesus Christ really is the Messiah. He is the one that God has sent. He is the one that is the anointed one.

Paul says, remember, remember who it is we're talking about. Remember who it is that we worship. It's not just another man. It's not just a great prophet, not just a good teacher. But Jesus Christ, he is the Messiah. He's the one that God sent, the one that God had promised and prophesied of since the beginning. Back in Genesis chapter three, he is the one, the only one by whom we can be saved.

This is the only name given among men under heaven by which we must be saved, Peter said. So remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David. Now, he goes on to say that he was raised from the dead. Here's what you're to remember about Jesus Christ of the seed of David, that he was raised from the dead. Now, we'll be celebrating this in two weeks. I couldn't believe it as I was looking at the calendar. Two weeks and Easter is already here.

And it's the day that we celebrate and remember and recognize that Jesus Christ rose from the grave. We celebrate it on that day because it's the day that it took place. That Sunday morning, the first day of the week, they found the tomb to be empty. Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. This isn't just something we've attached to him later on after he's already lived.

But he actually claimed to be the fulfillment of those prophecies. He claimed to be the Messiah. He claimed to be God. And his resurrection proves that claim. It proves all of his claims of who he was. Turn with me real quick to Luke chapter 4. We'll come back to 2 Timothy in just a moment. But it's really important that we understand that Jesus did claim to be the Messiah. He claimed to be the anointed one.

In Luke chapter 4, it's the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He's in Nazareth, and he's attending a service. He's at a tabernacle, and it says that he stands up to read, and he's given a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. And so he reads from the prophet Isaiah, and it's actually in Isaiah chapter 61. But here's what Jesus reads in verse 18 of Luke chapter 4. He says, "...the Spirit of the Lord is upon me."

Because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. But then notice in verse 20, Then he closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him.

Verse 21, and he began to say to them, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. What's Jesus saying? This scripture is fulfilled. What's fulfilled?

The anointed one is here. The spirit of the Lord is upon me, Jesus says. Hey, this is fulfilled. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach the gospel, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to set at liberty. Jesus is saying, he's claiming, look, I am the one. I'm the anointed one. I'm the Messiah. Today, this is fulfilled. I'm the fulfillment of this scripture, of these things.

Jesus claimed from the beginning of his ministry that he was the Messiah that God had sent. He didn't just claim to be the Messiah, though. The book of John, the gospel of John, is full of Jesus's claims to be God. He didn't just claim to be the anointed one that was to come, a great prophet that was to come. He claimed to be God. In John 14, 6, he claimed to be the only way to the Father.

Now, these are very radical claims. It's often been said that either you got to say that Jesus was lying because he did make these claims. And so either he claimed these things and they weren't true or he was insane. That was he thought they were true, but in reality, they weren't. Or you have to believe that Jesus was telling the truth, that he is who he said he was. You can't say, well, Jesus was a good prophet and a good teacher, right?

And leave it at that because Jesus made these radical claims that unless they're true would only be claimed by someone who is insane. Not all there. But Jesus is who he said he was. He claimed to be the Messiah. He claimed to be God. And his resurrection solidifies forever the claims that he made. In Matthew chapter 20 verses 18 and 19, Jesus is talking to his disciples saying,

It's the end of his ministry. It's really we'll be looking at these things next week as we look at the Passion Week. He's writing into Jerusalem and he tells his disciples, we're going to Jerusalem. He says the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death. Verse 19 of Matthew 20 says and deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge, to crucify. And the third day he will rise again.

So not only did Jesus claim to be the Messiah, not only did he claim to be God, he predicted and he proclaimed ahead of time in great detail what was going to happen to him. Notice some of the detail here. He said that the Son of Man would be betrayed, not captured, not just taken prisoner, betrayed. We know Judas Iscariot betrayed him. Betrayed to whom? To the chief priests, to the scribes, to the Jewish religious leaders.

So these two details, things that Jesus, if he was a mere man, would have no control over and would have no ability to know ahead of time. Yet he prophesied about these two things heading into Jerusalem. But then the third thing he goes on in verse 18, they will condemn him to death. So he's going to be handed over to the Jewish leaders. They're going to condemn him to death. Now, the Jewish leaders several times already have tried to kill Jesus.

They tried to cast him off a cliff. They tried to stone him. But Jesus says, that's not how I'm going to die. He goes on to give further detail about his death. He says they're going to deliver him to the Gentiles.

So he's not going to be put to death by stoning, which would be the Jewish method of execution. He's going to be condemned to death. But instead of being stoned, he's going to be delivered to the Gentiles. Again, something else. If Jesus was not God, he could not know. Nor would he have control over. Then he goes on to talk about what the Gentiles are going to do. They're going to mock and scourge and crucify.

Again, things that Jesus could not know or have control of unless he was who he said he was. He gives these seven aspects, these seven details of his death. Betrayed to the Jewish leaders. They'll condemn him to death. They'll deliver him to the Gentiles. They'll mock him. They'll scourge him. And they'll crucify him. And on the third day, number eight, he says he will rise again.

Eight specific elements of his death and resurrection, the day that he would rise again, the fact that he would rise again. Incredible. The claims and the proclamations that Jesus was making. Now, if he had made those and died and then just stayed in the grave, well, we would have determined he's just another crazy person who's claimed to be Christ.

But he's the only one in history who have made these claims and then was able to fulfill them and make them come to pass. Why? Because he is exactly who he said he was. His resurrection proves his claims to be God, to be the Messiah, to be the way, the truth and the life.

In Matthew chapter 26, Jesus makes some further claims. This is a little bit later on, right before he's about to be crucified. He's introducing communion to his disciples. And he says, look, I'm giving you a new covenant in Matthew 26. And this covenant is for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is claiming that his blood, the blood of the new covenant, is for the forgiveness or remission of sins.

But then in verse 32 of Matthew 26, again, he says, but after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. Various times in various ways, Jesus proclaimed who he was, made radical claims about his person, his background, his ministry, and the fact that he would rise again. And Jesus Christ is the only one that has fulfilled these prophecies, these promises, and these claims.

Because the tomb is empty. He raised from the dead. Proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Jesus Christ is risen just as he said. He is God. He is the Savior. He is the only way to the Father. Paul says, remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead.

Now, this is so important. Again, I'm sharing these things with you because it's what Paul writes today. But as often happens, as I'm reading through this book, Faith Undone, there's extra special urgency upon my heart. Because one of the things that is taking place across the church, and if you only immerse yourself in Calvary Chapel, you probably won't experience much of this. But it's happening widespread across the United States and around the globe.

The denial of who Jesus said he was. The denial of who Jesus is. Preaching a different Jesus. You know there's other Jesuses? Let's come back to that in just a moment. He finishes off back in 2 Timothy 2, verse 8. He finishes off verse 8 saying, according to my gospel. So Jesus Christ, he is the Messiah. He is who he claimed to be. Proved it by the resurrection of the dead. By rising again.

Paul says, according to my gospel. And I love that Paul personalizes it here. Paul says, according to my gospel. Now, the gospel is not something that Paul had invented or accomplished. It really wasn't anything that Paul had a part of at all in the gospel message and what took place with Jesus Christ. But it's my gospel because it was the message that Paul preached. My gospel, he says.

This is the message I preach. I don't preach another message. There's not other good news. The good news is Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead. What is your gospel message? Consider that for a moment. What is your gospel message? What is your good news? What is the good news for you? What is the good news that you share with others? What is...

Your gospel. What do you say is essential for salvation? What do you say is the way to heaven? Who do you say that Jesus is? Now, when it comes to that question, who do you say Jesus is? Many people say different things. Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew chapter 16. Who do people say that I am?

And even at that time already, there was quite a diversity of answers. Well, some say that, you know, you're John the Baptist or one of the prophets. But Jesus turns and makes it personal. Who do you say that I am? Who do you say that Jesus is? Peter says in verse 16 of Matthew 16, you are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, the promised one that was to come, the son of the living God, Peter says. And Jesus commends him.

He says, hey, this isn't from you, Peter. You're not smart enough to have that answer. That's from the Lord. God spoke that to you. This is the truth of who I am. I am the Christ, the Son of the living God. But who do you say that Jesus is? Who is Jesus to you? Is he the Savior? Is he the Son of the living God? Paul warned about those who would come and preach another gospel and another Jesus.

In 2 Corinthians 11, verses 3 and 4, Paul is expressing his fear to the Corinthians. And I can relate. Again, as I'm reading through this book, there's a fear that just, it's a fear of what is taking place in people's hearts and the great deception that is happening.

Paul says in verse three of second Corinthians 11, but I fear less somehow is the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness. So your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Just as Eve was deceived, he said, I fear for you that you would be deceived, that your minds would be corrupted. He goes on in verse four of second Corinthians 11 saying, if he who comes preaches another Jesus, what do you mean another Jesus?

Well, when you begin to change the claims of Jesus Christ, you begin to preach another Jesus. When you begin to say, well, you know, maybe you actually wasn't born of a virgin, you begin to preach another Jesus. When you begin to say, well, he wasn't really the son of God or he wasn't not God, you preach another Jesus. There's many who preach another Jesus. We're very familiar with many of the cults that preach another Jesus.

But what's scary to Paul and what's scary today is that there are those that we would not normally think of as a cult that preach another Jesus. A Jesus different than we find written here in the Word of God. He says, I fear, just as Eve was deceived, I fear that you would be deceived because if someone comes and preaches another Jesus, and he goes on to say, or if you receive a different spirit or a different gospel,

which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it. Paul's great fear for the Corinthians was that they would be deceived, that someone would come and preach another gospel with another spirit and with another Jesus, and that they would put up with it, that they would receive it, that they would allow it to take place. This is why Paul says to Timothy, remember, there's a lot of people that don't think Christians can be deceived. No, Christians can be deceived.

Paul says, I fear that you would be deceived like Eve was. That's why we need to remember. We need to recall. We need to bring to mind and keep in the forefront of our mind who Jesus is. He's Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the seed of David. And he raised from the dead. The essentials of our faith, the essentials of the gospel message, who Jesus claimed to be, those are not negotiable things.

And if you change those elements, if you change those things, if you change the claims, you're preaching another gospel, another Jesus. Anyone who shares that you can get to heaven apart from Jesus Christ is preaching a different gospel. Because Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me. So again, I ask you, what is your gospel message? What must I do to be saved?

And does your message line up with what the scripture says? It's so crucial. It's so important. In the days to come, it will become even more important and crucial. Because in the last days, perilous times will come. Perilous times will come. There'll be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel message. Why not? Because it's the power of God unto salvation.

To change the gospel message, to preach another gospel message, and yet still be religious, is to have the form of godliness but to deny its power. We need to remember. We need to be established, founded, deeply rooted, grounded on the truth about who Jesus is, who he claimed to be, and the resurrection that proved his claims. Paul goes on in verse 9,

He says, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains. But the word of God is not chained. So he says, first of all, I want you to remember, remember Jesus Christ. Remember who he claimed to be.

Remember that he raised to the dead according to my gospel. This is the message I preach and this message for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains. As Paul is writing this letter to Timothy, he is imprisoned at Rome for the second time. He was imprisoned once. We read about that at the end of the book of Acts.

He wrote several books during that time. He was released for a short time and now he's imprisoned again back at Rome, not expecting to be released again this time, but expecting to be put to death. And he says it's for the gospel message. It's for the reason that I preach this Jesus that I am in chains. It's for this reason. It's for this Jesus that I preach that I suffer trouble as an evildoer because the gospel was not popular.

And still to this day, it's not popular. But here's what Paul says. He says, but the word of God is not chained. I love this. Paul says, I'm here in chains. I'm suffering, suffering trouble as an evildoer because I preach this message. But the joke's on them. They can chain me up, but the word of God is not chained. You cannot stop the word of God.

We saw Isaiah 55, 11 last week. God says, My word shall be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. It shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. God's word cannot be chained. It can't be shut up. It can't be silenced. It can't be stopped.

Men will try and governments will try, but God's word cannot be chained. They attempted to chain God's word by putting Paul in prison now for the second time. But God's word cannot be chained. I just received an email this morning from Aaron, who's there ministering in China. China is a communist country, persecutes Christians. It chains them up. And yet the word of God is not chained.

And the Christian population is growing in China. The gospel message is spreading. Even though they're chaining people up. Even though they're persecuting. Even though the country, the government forbids it. The gospel, the good news, the word of God cannot be chained. It's still effective. It's still active. Because Hebrews 4.12 tells us that the word of God is living and powerful.

You can't stop it. You can't quench it. You can't chain it. The word of God is going to accomplish what he set it forth to accomplish. The word of God is powerful. It's why the word of God is so important for us to know, for us to learn, for us to share. Because it cannot be chained. It will accomplish what God set it forth to do. Paul says, I suffer trouble as an evildoer because I share this message. I share the truth of Jesus Christ. But the joke's on them.

Because the gospel, the word of God cannot be chained. And so verse 10, he says, therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. I love this. Paul says, therefore, since the gospel cannot be chained, since the word of God cannot be chained, Paul says, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus. Here's the point.

Personally, I think it's pretty amazing. The point is, even if I'm chained for the word of God, the work of God continues. And so I endure. Now, consider for a moment a hypothetical situation. The Lord puts it upon your heart to go on to the mission field, to go into an area, a region that restricts the preaching of the gospel.

And you go and you spend two days proclaiming the gospel message. You're caught and you're imprisoned. Now, we would have the tendency in our minds to consider that situation somewhat of a failure. Man, there is so much potential. You know, God could have done so much or there is so much room for people to get saved. Man, it's a shame you got put in prison. It's a shame you got caught. It's a shame that they imprisoned you for preaching the gospel. But the reality is...

Here's what Paul's saying. It's not a shame. No, it's not. Because the word of God cannot be chained.

And so I endure because, hey, even though I'm here, I know God's still working. And me being here and just the testimony of me being here. And every time anybody finds out why I'm in prison, it's a proclamation of the gospel message. And so the result of the work of God continues. The word of God is not chained and there's still growth taking place. And the gospel is being proclaimed, even though.

It seems like it isn't because I'm here in prison. This is what Paul shared in Philippians chapter one, verses 12 through 14. He tells the Philippians, hey, brethren, I want you to know the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. It's backwards for us as he's writing Philippians. He's in prison for the first time at Rome. And he says, hey, guys, I want you to know this. Make sure that you understand this. I'm in prison.

Seems like a failure. Seems like, man, what a missed opportunity of all the ministry that could take place. But he says, the things that have happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. The gospel has been furthered. The gospel and the word of God is being spread.

He says it's become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest. Everybody knows that my chains are in Christ. The gospel message was proclaimed more clearly by Paul being imprisoned than by him out on the streets preaching the gospel. It was more effective because the word of God cannot be chained. If a Christian preaching the gospel is chained, imprisoned, or even put to death, it's not a tragic end to their ministry. It's a furtherance of the gospel.

God works it out that way. And so it's worth enduring, Paul says. That's why I endure. Therefore, I endure. Hey, if it requires alienation from your family for you to preach the gospel message, for you to hold fast to who Jesus is and not compromise on the truth of God's word, it's worth it. If it means that they cast you out of the family, excommunicate you from the family,

It's worth it. The word of God is not chained. Endure that they may be saved. Richard was sharing a story from Egypt. I think it was on a Wednesday night when he shared. And it shared this message. It proclaimed it so clearly. And so you can ask him the details afterwards because I'll mess it up. But hey, if it means alienation, if it means rejection from your family, it's worth it. Endure.

Preach the gospel message. If it requires the loss of your job, it's worth it. It will be for a furtherance of the gospel message for you to stand on the principles, on the truth of God's word and not compromise. If it requires imprisonment, if it requires martyrdom, it's hard for us to grasp. If it requires your death, the sacrifice of yourself, it's worth it. The gospel message will be furthered. The word of God cannot be chained.

Let's move on to verse 11. He says, this is a faithful saying, for if we died with him, we shall also live with him. So Paul, he's talking about his own experience, sharing with Timothy, calling him to remember who Jesus is. And now he gives him a faithful saying, something he gives several times in the pastoral epistles. And usually as he gives the faithful saying, it's in regards to something about the gospel message. And we see that the case here as well.

This is something that's faithful. This is something that's true. This is something that we can rest assured on. What is that? If we died with him, we shall also live with him. Paul is presenting here the thought, the truth, that those who believe in Jesus Christ were included with him in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Paul says, if we died with him, we shall also live with him. Romans chapter 6 says,

Paul gives a little bit more insight and detail in that, and so I would encourage you to spend some time in Romans chapter 6 later. But there in Romans chapter 6, Paul gives us baptism as an example, as an illustration, as really the proof that these things are true. Now, we often talk about baptism and we say baptism.

Well, what is baptism? It's an outward sign of an inward change. It's not something that saves us. It's not something that is required or necessary for salvation, but it's just a symbol. It's a pictorial proclamation of what is actually taking place spiritually.

And what is actually taking place spiritually? Well, baptism is you get dunked under the water and it signifies that you died with Christ. You were buried with him and then you're brought back up. Hopefully not too long after you were put under, depending on who's doing the baptizing.

But you're brought back up signifying that just as Jesus Christ is resurrected, you have been resurrected. You were included with him in his death, burial and resurrection. There's a reality to this truth. It's not just hypothetical. It's not just something we imagine. But spiritually speaking, there's a reality to this truth. We were included with him.

In his death, burial and resurrection. Romans chapter 6 verse 4 says, Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life.

He goes on to talk about being united together with him in his death. And so therefore we'll be united with him in his resurrection. He goes on to say in verse six that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we might live new life free from sin, free from the bondage to sin, free to serve Jesus Christ. Galatians chapter 220. Paul says something very similar again. He says, I've been crucified with Christ.

The life I now live, it's not by me, but it's through Christ who lives in me. We have new life in Christ. If we died with him, our sinful nature, our carnal body has been crucified. It's been put to death with him. And therefore, he says, we shall also live with him. The promise of eternity, just as Jesus Christ resurrected never to die. You and I will live with him.

The promise of everlasting life with Jesus Christ. You're going to be around. If you believe in Jesus Christ, if he's your Lord and Savior, if you have received the gospel message, if you remember that Jesus is the Christ of the seed of David and he was raised from the dead. Hey, you're going to be around. You're going to live as long as Jesus does. That's something pretty comforting. If we died with him.

We will live with him also. Verse 12. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we endure, if we persist, if we continue on, he says, we'll reign with him. If we died with him, we'll live with him. If we endure, if we continue on, if we persist, we'll also reign with him.

Now there's tons of stuff that we could go into here, but just get a general grasp of what Paul is talking about here. He says, look, you were included with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. And so if you continue...

You're going to be included with him in his reign when he comes and establishes his reign. Revelation chapter 20, verse six talks about the millennial reign of Christ as he establishes thousand year reign on the earth. He says, look, they talking about the Christians who have taken part in the first resurrection, those who have been raptured up, those who have been caught up together with him, says they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. We're included with him in his death.

His resurrection in his reign. But if we deny him, he also will deny us. Here's the thing. We were included with him. He's transformed us. He's changed us. Made us new creatures in Christ. But Paul says, for the person who denies Jesus, Jesus will also deny that person. The word deny means to reject, to not accept, to refuse something offered.

For the person that Jesus offers salvation and they say, no thanks, I've got my own. I think I'm good with what I got. They deny Jesus Christ. If we deny him, Paul says, he also will deny us. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 33, but whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father in heaven. Not only is it a rejection of the gospel message that Paul is talking about here, but a failure on our part.

To represent Jesus. To walk with Jesus. Whoever denies me before men, Jesus says in Matthew 10.33. Same word. To deny. To reject. To not accept. Him also I will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Jesus says, look, if you deny me before men, if you won't walk uprightly before men, if you won't walk with me before men, if you won't be a witness unto me before men,

I will deny you before my Father who is in heaven. That's scary stuff. But there's good news. We find the good news in the example of Peter. Remember Peter? What did he do? Well, we know he denied the Lord. Matthew chapter 26 verse 70 and following gives the account of Peter when questioned. Hey, weren't you with Jesus? No, he denies it.

And using the word to deny, it's the same word that's described or the same word that's used by Paul here in verse 12. Peter denied the Lord. The promise is, the rule is, if we deny him, he will also deny us. So was Peter saved? Well, yes.

But he denied him. How is that possible? If the rule is if we deny him, he will also deny us. Jesus said in Matthew 23, whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my father in heaven. That's what Peter did. He denied Jesus Christ before men. Hey, you were with Jesus, weren't you? No, I wasn't with Jesus. He denied it. Again, a little bit later on, he denied.

You've got to be with Jesus. I mean, your accent gives you away. No, he denies it again. I was never with him. I don't know what you're talking about. Then later again, come on, we know that you were. He denies it three times. But Peter, later on, becomes a very powerful evangelist, apostle of Jesus Christ. How could this be? We find Peter was saved because he had another encounter with Jesus Christ.

If we deny him, he will deny us. It's the truth. It is a reality. And you need to know that those who reject Jesus Christ will be rejected by Jesus Christ. But while you have breath, there's still time to have another encounter with Jesus Christ, to have breakfast with him like Peter did, to be restored, to be forgiven, to be given another chance just like Peter. If you continue on denying him, you will be denied by him.

But if you'll turn back, if you'll repent, right now is the time, right now you have the opportunity. But if you die in that state of denial, you will find yourself being denied by Jesus before his Father in heaven. Peter was saved because he had a new encounter with Jesus Christ. He had a repentant heart and God forgave him. And that leads me to verse 13. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself.

Remember at the beginning of chapter 2, Paul tells Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. I think this really comes down to the root of what grace is. When we're faithless, he remains faithful. Even though we don't deserve it, even though we blow it, even though we mess up royally, he remains faithful because he cannot deny himself. He gives us undeserved favor and kindness.

But you can remove yourself from the grace of God by living in a state of denial, by rejecting God's grace, by rejecting Jesus Christ, by refusing to be obedient, by being in rebellion to him. Now, if you're not in rebellion, but you're just faithless, you blow it, you mess up. The good news is he remains faithful. Now, aren't you glad that even if I mess up, that he's faithful now?

Even if I, well, the word faithless, it was quite a surprise for me to learn as I was preparing for this. Every other time this word is used in the New Testament, it's translated unbelieving. If we are unbelieving, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. If we do not believe God, if we miss out on the steps of faith, if we miss out on believing the word of God, if we fall short in the area of faith, of belief,

believing God according to his word, he remains faithful. And it immediately brought to my mind Mark chapter 9, where Jesus is there and the father of this child, his demon possessed. He says, Lord, can you heal my kid? What if it's possible? Will you heal him? Jesus said, if it's possible, well, everything's possible to him who believes.

And what does he say in Mark 9, 24? The father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. He recognized, he confessed, I have unbelief. I believe, but help my unbelief. Lord, I'm faithless, is what he's saying. But he remains faithful. His son was touched. His son was healed. When we're faithless, when we doubt, when we don't believe God at his word, he's faithful. His promises are true.

We often quote Philippians 1.6, being confident of this very thing, that he who has began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. We can be confident that he began the work and he will be faithful to complete it. He will accomplish the work that he began in you. When we are faithless, he is faithful. Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 5 and we'll end there. It's just a couple books to the left of 2 Timothy. 1 Thessalonians 5.

The gospel message that we've been studying is that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He was raised from the dead on the third day. And by believing on him, we are included with him in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. And we will reign with him, but if we reject him, we will be rejected by him. But if we fall short, if we stumble, if we lack faith, he will still be faithful.

And that's good news for us because we blow it. We fall short. And yet he promises that he will finish the work that he began in us. And so 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, look at verse 23. It says, But then look at verse 24.

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. There's not much left up to us in the gospel message. Not much really for us to do. Salvation isn't based upon our works. It's not based upon how good we are, how set apart we are, how religious we are, how righteous we are. No, salvation is based upon believing in Jesus Christ. Paul said, remember Jesus.

Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, he was put to death for you. He was resurrected from the grave, solidifying and proving his claims. Remember, because believing in Jesus Christ, you will be saved. And yet, being saved, believing in Jesus Christ, we find ourselves, at times, we struggle with unbelief. At times, we find ourselves that we are faithless.

At times, yes, we blow it. In fact, many times and often and more than we would ever want to admit, we're faithless. But he remains faithful. And here Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5, May the God of peace sanctify you completely, set you apart completely, make you completely holy. May your body, soul, and spirit be preserved blameless. It's hard to imagine.

May you be blameless at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. So work hard and be blameless. Know what somebody says. He says, he who calls you as faithful, who also will do it. What's our role? What's our job? We just need to believe. And even when we stumble in unbelief, he's faithful to do it. But we just need to believe in Jesus Christ. We just need to have that relationship with him. That's all that's required for us. And he will do the rest. He's faithful. He will do it because he cannot deny himself.

And we were included with him in his death, his burial, and resurrection. God is faithful to do the work in us. And so there's great hope and comfort for us. As we remember Jesus Christ, we remember and we know that he will do the work in us. That yeah, we fall short. And yeah, it's frustrating when we blow it. Yet God is faithful to complete the work. He will present us blameless before himself. Isn't that incredible? I mean, I look at my life and I say, man, you got a lot of work left, Lord. I guess I'm going to live a long time.

He's going to do it. He's faithful. It's going to happen. Continue to believe in Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus Christ. But understand this, if you reject, if you deny, if you rebel, he will reject you. He will deny you. There's a great seriousness and severity to the gospel message. Not only is it a great hope and comfort for us if we believe, it's great condemnation for those who will not believe.

In Mark chapter 16, Jesus said as he's sending out the disciples, he who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. The choice is ours. What are you going to do? Believe Jesus Christ, walk with him and have relationship with him, or deny him and he will deny you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, God, your word is so good in that it speaks the truth.

It's reliable. It's not wishy-washy. You don't change your mind. But Lord, you bring us the truth clearly for us to understand, for us to see. Lord, as your word is described as a mirror, I pray, Lord, that you would help us to see our reflection. Lord, as we look to you, Jesus Christ, Lord, may we understand who we truly are. May we cast ourselves completely upon you, Lord, because we realize that

There's nothing that we can do for salvation. There's nothing that we can add to it. Lord, it has nothing to do with us. Lord, it's about grace. May we be strong in grace that is found in you, Jesus Christ, by receiving what you've done for us. And help us, God, not to compromise your message. Help us to remember who you are, who you proclaim to be. God, may that be the message that we share with others. May that be the good news that we deliver to the people around us.

And God, for those who reject, Lord, we pray that you would have mercy on them. You would open their hearts and open their eyes while there's still time. Today being the day of salvation, Lord, that you would bring them into right relationship with you. Lord, that like Peter, they would have an encounter with you that would bring them into right relationship with God. Lord, thank you that when we are faithless, when we blow it because of our lack of faith, when we don't believe you at your word, Lord, when we mess up,

Thank you that you are faithful. You're so good to us. Lord, we thank you that you'll be faithful to complete that work in us. So Lord, we look to you. You be glorified. You do the work. May your name be praised. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.