A FAITHFUL WORD FOR FAITHFUL MINISTRY – 2 Timothy 2:11-13
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on November 26, 2014 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group; November 26, 2014
2 Timothy 2:11-13
Theme: The words of an ancient hymn remind us of motivations from a faithful God to faithful service.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
The apostle Paul was seeking to encourage his younger mentee and ministry colleague Timothy to give his all to the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ—even though that ministry would involve hardship and suffering. He encouraged Timothy to do as he himself did—to look ahead to the day when he will stand before the Master and hear Him say, “Well done!” In the second chapter of this letter, he is seeking to exhort Timothy to minister in a way that would be acceptable to the Lord who had commissioned him. And for this reason, he quotes to Timothy the words to what might have been a familiar first-century hymn.
There are a few passages in the New Testament that biblical scholars believe to have been the words to early hymns—written and sung by the believers in worship in such a way as to remind them of important truth. Some portions of Scripture give that impression because of their lyrical character and worshipful focus; such passages as Romans 11:34-36; Ephesians 5:14; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 1:17; 3:16; and 1 Peter 2:22-25. This morning’s passage appears to be one of those passages. Note that Paul says, in verse 11, “This is a faithful saying . . .” This suggests that they were not his own words; but rather, that he was quoting familiar words. And note especially that he calls them “faithful”. They are words that can be trusted; and since they are words the Holy Spirit saw fit to include in His preserved and written testimony of inspiration, they have been forever stamped with divine authority. We can count on them to be truth from God for our edification.
Notice the four lines of this ‘hymn’. The first two present us with a positive promise of encouragement. The third presents us with a negative word of warning; and the fourth gives us a purposeful affirmation of outcome. Together, they constitute a faithful ‘word’ that exhorts us to an acceptable ministry for Christ in this world.
I. A FAITHFUL ASSURANCE OF LIFE (v. 11).
A. The first line says, “For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.” The single Greek word for the phrase “died with” is translated here as if it were a past fact. But the verb is in a particular form (the gnomic aorist) which can be translated as if speaking a universal principle rather than a specific event. If we “die with” the Lord Jesus—however that may be; whether literally in the sense of physical martyrdom, or in the figurative sense of denying self and giving up one’s all for Him—the promise is that we will also live with Him. As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 16:24-25, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
B. This is a principle that the apostle Paul took seriously. It was the basis of his hope in this letter, as he faced the probability of execution (4:6-8). He believed with all his heart that he died in Christ in the assured expectation that he would live in Him. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). His assurance of this was based on the Lord’s own resurrection. “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God” (Romans 6:5-10).
II. A FAITHFUL PROMISE OF REWARD (v. 12).
A. That first line of this hymn spoke of a whole-life commitment. The second line speaks to specific experiences of suffering. “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.” The word for “endure” means “to bear up under”; and it is here put in the present tense of the verb—suggesting an ongoing habit of practice. Each temptation to sin brings with it the temptation to yield. But each temptation is also a test to refine us. We cannot choose whether or not temptation will come; but we can choose to not yield to it. And each choice not to yield bears with it the promise of eternal reward. As Pastor James wrote, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).
B. Paul saw this promise of reward as greatly encouraging. He knew that there will be a review; “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). But he expected to be one of those who would hear the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21; see also v. 23). Therefore, Paul elsewhere encouraged the saints, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17).
III. A FAITHFUL WARNING AGAINST DENIAL (v. 12).
A. Many would be tempted to deny the Lord in times of trial. Paul warned—in the words of this ancient hymn, “If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” The word “deny” is put in the future tense—suggesting a hypothetical possibility in time to come—as if to say, “If we should one day deny Him . . .” The result is also put in the future tense; “He also will deny us”. It’s important to remember, however, that the apostle Peter denied the Lord, and repented unto forgiveness. This means that there is forgiveness for the repentant denier—though there will, no doubt be a loss of rewards suffered. It’s the unrepentant denier, however, who would be denied by the Lord.
B. Jesus expressed the principle of these words in His own teaching. He told His disciples, “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9). Similarly, in Matthew 10:32-33, He says, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven”—that is, affirming His confession not only before the angels, but also before the Father. He also said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). We should never fear the shame of men—which, in the end, amounts to nothing (Hebrews 13:6). Instead, and far more, we should fear the shame of our Lord!
IV. A FAITHFUL AFFIRMATION OF OUTCOME (v. 13).
A. The final line of this hymn is more an expression of truth than a call to conduct. It says, “If we are faithless (or “unbelieving”), He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Even if we fail Him or refuse to believe His promises, He Himself cannot fail. Our failures do not ultimately affect Him. Even if we deny Him, He cannot deny Himself. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).
B. This is more than an affirmation of God’s consistency in the face of our sinful denial. It is an assurance that we can rest confidently in the victory of the cause of the gospel; knowing that it is based on the unshakable promises of an unchanging God and not on our frail and uncertain abilities. As the writer of Hebrews puts it; “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).
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The four lines of this ancient hymn give us four, short and pithy statements of solid truth for practical Christian living. They are faithful words. We can count on them to prove absolutely true. May God help us to take them to heart—and to allow them to motivate our service to Him!
