1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,680 You're listening to Key Life Fellowships Pulpit ministry 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:08,880 podcast. We thank you for tuning in as we 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,280 learn from God's Word together. If you would like more 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,720 information regarding Key Life or to speak with one of our 5 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,920 pastors, please visit us at keylifefellow-ship.com. 6 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:26,680 Amen. I pray this morning that you are 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,120 thankful for the leadership that the Lord has provided in our 8 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,680 lives, both through His word, through His Holy Spirit that 9 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,280 lives in us, that continually point us to Christ our Lord and 10 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,800 our Savior. You have your Bibles if you 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:44,840 would. Turn to 1st. 12 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:49,200 Timothy, as we continue our journey and looking at this 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,600 pastoral epistle covering for us biblical ministers and biblical 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,600 ministry. I can't think of a more. 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:04,840 Needed message for our culture than what we're going to see 16 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:10,720 today. A message that I pray would 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:17,240 cause men of God to rise up in this church, in the homes that 18 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,120 are represented here in the community that we live in. 19 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,120 I pray that the Spirit would prompt us, nudge us, convict us, 20 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,320 urge us, and being obedient to the things that we're going to 21 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:35,480 see today in this text. So today what? 22 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,240 Paul is going to do, he's going to continue teaching Timothy on 23 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:45,200 the heels of warning Timothy and in essence, warning the entire. 24 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,280 Church at Ephesus about the dangers of false teachers. 25 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:56,520 He's going to now give Timothy a lesson on the path of a true man 26 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,800 of God. What path should a man of God 27 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,200 truly walk? What path? 28 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,640 Should he follow, He begins to this section, as we'll see in a 29 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:12,320 moment, with a statement or a term Man of God, he says, But 30 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:16,920 you, oh man of God. He he juxtaposes the ungodliness 31 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:20,360 of false teachers with Timothy, who is a man of God. 32 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,880 And he says, But you, oh man of God. 33 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:29,160 Paul borrowing a term from the Old Testament, barring a term 34 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:35,280 that was used to describe the prophets of old as men of God, 35 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:42,360 people who live for God, true children of God, representatives 36 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,480 of God. This term man of God would have 37 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,960 spoken about a person's relationship to God. 38 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,200 A person would be a man of God, who of course has a relationship 39 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,000 to him. He belonged to God. 40 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:57,720 And he was loved by God, and he in return, because of the love 41 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,280 that he received, loved God as well. 42 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:05,480 This also speaks of his life unto God, his obedient testimony 43 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:09,320 characters as it's displayed in his life. 44 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,320 This. Term man of God, again, that 45 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:16,000 Paul borrows from the Old Testament. 46 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,560 It would have spoken volumes into the authority in which this 47 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,840 man would stand. He literally stood in the 48 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,760 authority of God and in the authority of God's power and 49 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:34,560 God's powerful word. It also would have pointed to 50 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:40,000 his message message. That these prophets would have 51 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,400 boldly proclaimed. They would have proclaimed the 52 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:46,160 Word of God, the Word of truth. It would have been bold in this 53 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:50,160 proclamation. And it's clear from all of 54 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:55,640 scripture when the term man of God is used, it's used for a 55 00:03:55,640 --> 00:04:00,920 man. Who walked a different path, a 56 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,640 different path from the world, a different path that he once 57 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:09,440 walked. He walked the path, pointed 58 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:12,280 others to God, pointed others to the truth. 59 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,320 And Paul takes this term, a man of God, and he applies it. 60 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,480 To his young protege. Can you imagine when Timothy saw 61 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:26,040 that? Because the godliest person that 62 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,160 Timothy has probably ever known in his life is the apostle Paul. 63 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,760 And there's something about it when a person who mentors us 64 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,800 also encourages us with these kinds of terms. 65 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:44,680 Timothy, understanding Paul is probably one of the most godly 66 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:46,920 men that he's ever known. And then Paul to now turn the 67 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,960 tables and to write to Timothy and to refer. 68 00:04:49,960 --> 00:05:01,080 To him as a man of God, I know that it thrilled his heart that 69 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,920 the man of God, the apostle Paul, who had set him such an 70 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,800 example, because he was following the example of Christ, 71 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:11,960 he now refers to him with such a term. 72 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,440 When they understood the weight of this term, it wasn't 73 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:20,240 something that was just being thrown around this this term 74 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:25,960 accompanied men such as Elijah and Elijah and Isaiah and Moses. 75 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,960 Many of the prophets of Old Paul now uses it to refer to this 76 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:40,040 young pastor here at Ephesus. But not only does he refer to 77 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:45,160 him as a man of God. What we're going to look at this 78 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,440 morning is the fact that he then. 79 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,920 Follows it up with several imperatives. 80 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:55,520 He's then going to command him. Because you are a man of God, I 81 00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:01,320 want to teach you how to live up to being that which God has 82 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,920 called you in. Christ Jesus to be. 83 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,680 Well, this has application not just to those of us who are 84 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,920 pastors here today. It has an application not to 85 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,760 those of us who are men. It has applications to all who 86 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:19,800 are in Christ because it is his grace that has allowed us to be 87 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:24,400 called children of God, men of God, women of God. 88 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,640 And we have been made that through the sacrifice of Jesus 89 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,880 Christ. And we are not yet perfect, or 90 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,000 at least I'm not, and I hope you don't think you are. 91 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:42,520 We are being conformed into that which God has already called us 92 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:48,800 to the image of Christ. Paul using that same idea here. 93 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:55,280 When he refers to Timothy as man of God, then he's going to 94 00:06:55,280 --> 00:07:00,280 clearly define the path that Timothy. 95 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,120 And all who aspire to be men of God, a women of God, a children 96 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:09,160 of God, need to travel in this. Life let's read it together. 97 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,880 First Timothy chapter 6 verse 11 and I will go ahead and tell you 98 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:14,440 this. There's much to be covered here, 99 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,440 so put your listening ears on, he says. 100 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,200 But you, man of God. Flee from all of this. 101 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,440 All of what? All of the thievery, All the 102 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:29,200 conniving, all of the greed, all the covetousness. 103 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,720 Of the false teachers that we talked about last week and we 104 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,520 see in the Scripture above this, he says flee from all of this 105 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:42,440 and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, 106 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,240 endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the 107 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,960 faith. Take hold of the eternal life to 108 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,360 which you were called when you made your good confession, in 109 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,680 the presence of many witnesses, in the sight of God who gives 110 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,400 life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who, while 111 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,400 testifying before Pontius Pilate, made the good 112 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:09,720 confession, I charge. You to keep this command without 113 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:14,360 spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus 114 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,160 Christ. To which God will bring about in 115 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:21,240 his own time. God is the blessed and only 116 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:25,560 ruler, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone is 117 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:29,560 immortal, and who lives an unapproachable life, whom no one 118 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:35,080 has seen or can see. To him the honor and might 119 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,520 forever. Amen. 120 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:40,200 Let's pray together, Father, in the name of Jesus, we come to 121 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:45,280 you now and we ask as we open your word that you would unfold 122 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:51,000 the truth that you desire for us to see in this, this day, and 123 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,160 that that truth would do what you desire for it to do in 124 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,040 transforming us. What if it be to grow the 125 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,760 believer who has already surrendered to Christ as Lord 126 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:04,720 and Savior? Lord use it to do that. 127 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:10,400 What we ask? Also, that you would use it to 128 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,360 draw the center out of the darkness of sin into the light 129 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:16,480 of Jesus Christ. That you would use it to bring 130 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:21,240 conviction and regeneration upon the life of the unbeliever 131 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,560 today. That they would be regenerated 132 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,400 to new life and faith, and that they would truly believe and 133 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,960 trust in Jesus Christ because of the words of Scripture today. 134 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,800 Lord, may we give you all glory for it. 135 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:36,960 May your will be done through it. 136 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:40,640 And we pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus. 137 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:48,080 And all God's people said Amen. I told you there's a lot there, 138 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,760 and as you've seen as you were reading this passage, I know 139 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,240 what you think you have said under my preaching long enough 140 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,080 to to ask yourself this question. 141 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:57,840 As I was. Reading that enormous section of 142 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,480 Scripture, how long is this going to take? 143 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,480 Well, it's going to take from the beginning to the end. 144 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,200 But I can say this, when you get to the end, you won't be sorry 145 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:13,600 that we took the time that we took. 146 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,400 We learned much about the true man of God, and I'm going to 147 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,440 refer to him as the man of God because that is what Paul 148 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:27,320 referred to Timothy as. You can, if you are a female 149 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:32,720 here today, insert the term woman of God for you, but we're 150 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,160 going to see that He puts Him on a path. 151 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:40,360 He says, I don't want you to be like those false teachers that I 152 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,600 just instructed you about, because the true man of God's 153 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,120 path will be this. He begins with this. 154 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:50,640 It will be a fleeing path. Verse 11, he says, But you, man 155 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:56,440 of God, flee from all this again. 156 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,880 Flee from the teachings of the charlatans, flee from the 157 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:03,920 conniver and the lies of the false teachers. 158 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:07,520 Flee from false doctrine in any way, shape or form. 159 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:12,400 Flee from these things. Flee. 160 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:17,600 Just as Christian was warned to flee from the City of 161 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,640 Destruction and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress to flee. 162 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,280 Just as the Corinthian believers were warned to flee from sexual 163 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:27,800 immorality and idolatry, Flee to flee. 164 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:32,480 As Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife when she desired to have 165 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:37,360 sexual relations with him, Paul is instructing Timothy that part 166 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:41,880 of being a man of God is to constantly be fleeing. 167 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:49,760 This term flee here in the Greek is a term fugo, and that term 168 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:53,240 fugo means to flee as a fugitive. 169 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,200 It is Speaking of the flight of that person who is running from 170 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,560 those who are trying to detain or to arrested them. 171 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:11,800 He's saying, Timothy, I want you to flee as a criminal flees from 172 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:17,320 justice with all your might, with all your strength, run in 173 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,760 the opposite direction to flee. To flee from what? 174 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,760 We're Speaking of fleeing from wickedness. 175 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,840 And I want you to all to understand that we as men of God 176 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:33,840 and women of God are called to constantly flee from wickedness. 177 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,760 One of you may say, that's why I don't see any wickedness around 178 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:39,920 me. It might not be around you. 179 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:45,360 It might be in you. Because when he begins to tell 180 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,720 him to flee from wickedness, he's not leaving out the part 181 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,920 that we all know to be true. He could be Speaking of his own 182 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,680 inward sinful desires. And don't we have those? 183 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,040 How many of you here today you know that you have been washed 184 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:04,800 by the blood of Jesus Christ, that you have been granted 185 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,800 eternal life, that you have the hope of heaven because your 186 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,120 faith has been placed in Christ and Christ alone? 187 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,440 To save you, how many of you would say, I know that and 188 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,600 therefore I will experience eternal life in the presence of 189 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:17,960 God forever because of what Christ has done for me? 190 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:19,680 How many of you can confidently say that? 191 00:13:23,560 --> 00:13:25,800 Did you know this? No matter how confidently you 192 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:33,960 can say that. Inwardly, in your flesh, you're 193 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:39,680 still not yet fully redeemed. There is in all of us abiding 194 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:45,600 and inward sinful desires, and the man of God is to be fleeing 195 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,880 from wickedness that that begins at home, that begins inside of 196 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:55,000 us, to ask God to show us any remaining corruption that may be 197 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,880 inside of us. Why not? 198 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:02,120 So that I can play with it, or I can coddle it so that I may flee 199 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:04,320 from it. So I may run as that fugitive 200 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,680 runs from law enforcement in the opposite direction of where all 201 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:09,800 the blinky red and blue lights are coming from. 202 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,280 Flee from wickedness. Just as Paul said in First 203 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:18,880 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 18, flee from sexual immorality, 204 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:22,400 First Corinthians 10/14 flee from idolatry in any way, shape 205 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:25,480 or form. Second Timothy 222 Paul also 206 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,200 says flee A youthful passions or laws. 207 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,840 This is a theme that Paul preaches throughout his whole 208 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:36,280 earthly ministry, that we are to flee from wickedness. 209 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:44,040 Even inward wickedness. And if you're not fleeing from 210 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,600 sin, you're flirting with. Sin. 211 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:51,240 Now I want to say that a little louder so that you get that, so 212 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:55,520 that you process that if you were not fleeing from sin, you 213 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,120 were flirting with sin. You know what I'm talking about, 214 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,680 That inward desire that you've not yet mortified, that you've 215 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,280 not yet crucified, that that is your little pet temptation, that 216 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:13,440 you you, you might on occasion dally with, entertain, ponder 217 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:18,080 upon. If you're not fleeing, you're 218 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,160 flirting. And flirting is very dangerous, 219 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,920 isn't it? Especially when we're commanded 220 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:28,040 in Scripture to flee. He's telling Timothy don't. 221 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:33,400 Flirt with your inward desires. Flee from them as. 222 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,080 Born again, as all of you who were here a moment ago testified 223 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:43,000 to you still have great need for continual fleeing in your life. 224 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,080 Flee from wickedness. But not only is he Speaking of 225 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:54,920 fleeing from wickedness inwardly, any remaining and 226 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:56,720 abiding human corruption that may. 227 00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:01,640 Still exist in your life. He's also talking about fleeing 228 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:06,400 from worldliness. Not just the influence of sin 229 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,040 within, but the influence of sin from without. 230 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:12,840 Now, if we were to be honest, how many of you would say I feel 231 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:14,480 the pressure of the world constantly. 232 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:19,840 It's pushing me, it's pulling me, it's straining me, even at 233 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:24,440 times wooing and drawing me attempting. 234 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,480 To cause me to lose sight of Christ and to focus on the 235 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:31,000 things of the world. And he's telling young Timothy, 236 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,800 we have to flee as a man of God. We have to flee from wickedness, 237 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,000 but we also have to flee from worldliness. 238 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,320 That's what fleeing means, Fleeing from the things that are 239 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,840 ungodly, wickedness and worldliness. 240 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,920 Fleeing from the sinful influences not only of our 241 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:56,920 corrupt flesh, but fleeing from the influences of this corrupt 242 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:00,280 world. James and James Chapter 4 says 243 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:01,000 it like this. He said. 244 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,600 You adulterous people. Don't you know that? 245 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:06,240 Friendship with the world. That means enmity against God. 246 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,400 Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of God. 247 00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:13,359 Of the world, excuse me, becomes an enemy of God. 248 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,319 Anyone who chooses to become a friend of the world becomes an 249 00:17:17,319 --> 00:17:19,680 enemy of God. Now what he doesn't say is this. 250 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:25,800 You become a lesser friend or not so good friend, or maybe a 251 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:29,320 distant relative. No, he uses the term enemy. 252 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,800 He says you have put yourself in a position that is kicking 253 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,240 against God. But to the man of God, he says, 254 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:41,800 flee from this type of worldliness, flee from the 255 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,320 things of this world, the influences, the darkness that 256 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,320 is. Without as well as the darkness 257 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,320 that is within verse John chapter 2. 258 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,080 John says it like this and verse 15 do not love the world or 259 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,000 anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the 260 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:58,600 love of the Father is not in them. 261 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,920 For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of 262 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,960 the eyes and the pride of life comes not from the Father, but 263 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:07,200 from the. World, the world and its desires 264 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,320 pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 265 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:15,400 John telling those who would be reading his writing, telling us 266 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:20,400 today, 2000 years later, the importance of fleeing from the 267 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:24,560 world, fleeing from any love that you might have from the the 268 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:28,640 for the world. Dying to this, fleeing from 269 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:36,400 worldliness all together. And please know this, the man of 270 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:42,080 God doesn't flee from these things, Wickedness and 271 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:47,840 worldliness, the game Christ, He flees from these things because 272 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:52,080 he has Christ. And I want you to understand the 273 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,360 difference. I want you to understand the 274 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:56,120 truth. You couldn't flee from the 275 00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:58,880 things of the world world and the things of your own 276 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:00,880 wickedness were it not for Christ. 277 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:07,160 So he's telling Timothy, referring to him as a man of God 278 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,280 first, who has been made a man of God by the grace of God, that 279 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,720 the responsibility of a man of God who has graciously been made 280 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,040 a man of God by a sovereign act of God. 281 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:20,080 He is saying now you have the responsibility to flee, to flee 282 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,680 from wickedness and to flee from worldliness. 283 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:30,720 So let us, people of God, stop entertaining wickedness and 284 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:37,680 worldly corruption, and instead let us run from it as a 285 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:45,680 fugitive, running from those who desire to restrain them, because 286 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:49,120 your own wickedness and your own worldliness desires to restrain 287 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:52,400 you. May we flee, just as the Word of 288 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,560 God says. So a true man of God will take 289 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:58,680 the path that is fleeing, fleeing from wickedness, fleeing 290 00:19:58,680 --> 00:19:59,960 from worldliness. Secondly. 291 00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:03,600 As we follow this text out, the true man of God's path will be 292 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,840 not only a path of fleeing, but it will then be a path of 293 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,360 following. He says in verse 11, the second 294 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:14,680 part he says flee from all of this, all ungodliness and 295 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:17,960 worldliness. And then he says and. 296 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:25,360 Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and 297 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:26,960 gentleness. It's very similar to what we 298 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:28,800 read in our scripture reading a moment ago. 299 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:31,120 Second Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 8. 300 00:20:31,120 --> 00:20:34,800 As we read that together, Timothy is being. 301 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:40,520 Taught here, he's being taught to make effort to follow after 302 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,280 godly things. I'm so thankful that you were 303 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,520 all here this morning. And did you know that you made 304 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:50,680 the effort to be here to follow after godly things? 305 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:55,400 At least I hope that's why you were here, that you are truly 306 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:59,560 fleeing as a man of God, as a woman of God from wickedness and 307 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:03,080 worldliness, and you are pursuing godliness. 308 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,360 This is exactly what he's telling Timothy, the man of God 309 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:11,280 that he is to do because he is a man of God, to flee, but then 310 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,080 to. Follow to pursue some things, 311 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:18,080 and I'll move rather quickly through these things, but 312 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:20,440 they're so apparent and so consistent with scripture. 313 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,440 He says righteousness. What is righteousness? 314 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:29,120 Well, many of you you love the idea of positional. 315 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:31,360 Righteousness. The fact that righteousness has 316 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:36,240 been imputed to you by Christ. You had to do nothing to gain 317 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,160 that righteousness. Your standing will always be 318 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,040 righteous, and we're thankful for that, right? 319 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:45,880 And shouldn't we be? And so we all want to embrace 320 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,280 that doctrine, but we give a not a lot of thought to practical 321 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:54,480 righteousness. The fact that what we have been 322 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:59,800 made righteous is to now be lived out in our lives. 323 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,120 Practically. This is what he's talking about 324 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:03,880 here. He's talking about right living 325 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,120 and right living before God and others to actually do the right 326 00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:13,040 thing unto the Lord and do the right thing unto other people. 327 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,920 Proverbs 2121 says this. Whoever pursues righteousness 328 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:22,960 and love finds life, prosperity, and honor first. 329 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,840 John 37 says, Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. 330 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:30,960 The one who does what is right is righteous just as he is 331 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,080 righteous. There are many who you would 332 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:35,440 claim to have imputed righteousness. 333 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:40,320 But the problem is there is no practical righteousness coming 334 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,040 out of your life. So you have positional 335 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,080 righteousness, you say, in Christ? 336 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:51,640 But make no mistake about it, those who have been made 337 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:56,240 righteous will practice righteousness. 338 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,960 That is that practical righteousness coming out of our 339 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:04,960 lives in a manner that others will see Christ and His work in 340 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,000 and through us. It is not an accident that every 341 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,080 week I tell the believers and this assembly to go out and be 342 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,160 light. Let your light shine before men, 343 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,560 that they would see or get deeds and glorify your Father who is 344 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:19,520 in heaven. Why is that important? 345 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:23,600 Because the righteous. Will live righteously. 346 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:31,120 They will do that which God has commanded them to do, He says 347 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:34,000 pursue it. Pursue righteousness in every 348 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,320 area of your life. The things that you say, the 349 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,880 places that you go, the activities that you participate 350 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,920 in righteousness should be. Something that you make effort 351 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:47,440 toward next, he says. Godliness. 352 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,600 And godliness is a term, again, that we just throw around in the 353 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,000 American church. We really give no true thought 354 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:58,000 to it, but godliness here means something a little deeper than 355 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,400 you would just believe or know on the surface. 356 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:05,360 This is talking about awareness of and reverence, obedient, 357 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:10,560 reverent obedience to God. It is being aware of who He is 358 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:16,960 and because of who He is, you willfully live a life of 359 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:22,480 obedience to Him out of reverence, out of true worship. 360 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,240 Isn't that what true worship is? It's sad that the American 361 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,800 church thinks worship is an hour time slot that you give God on 362 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:31,760 the first day of the week and that's it. 363 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,640 That's not what the psalmist described in Psalm 24. 364 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:39,800 When he describes the true worshipper. 365 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,680 He says this and verse one, the earth is the Lord's and. 366 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,240 Everything in it, what's happening there, this person is 367 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,760 aware of God, who he is, the world and all who live in it, 368 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:51,160 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the 369 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,640 waters. He has a reverent recognition 370 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:57,040 and an awareness of just who God is. 371 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:01,160 And when we have that, it will bring us to our knees. 372 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,080 He says, as we continue that Psalm. 373 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,360 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? 374 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:10,880 Who may stand in his holy place? Who can approach such majesty? 375 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:16,560 Verse 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does 376 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:21,000 not trust in an idol or swear by what is false, they will receive 377 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,320 blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their 378 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,480 Savior. Such is the generation of those 379 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,680 who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. 380 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:35,160 That is what godliness is. It is a man. 381 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:40,240 It is a woman who is aware and who understands just who God is 382 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,960 and simply. Because of who God is and who 383 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:51,240 you are not, you reverently lay down your life in obedience to 384 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,800 Him. You get to serve him, you get to 385 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:58,840 love him, you get to fellowship with him. 386 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:03,280 Oh, worship takes a whole new. Turn there if we understand it 387 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:09,040 properly, doesn't it? Godliness, meaning that you are 388 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:13,760 aware of God, you're reverent toward God, you were driven by 389 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:17,640 God, and it's all about him and nothing about you. 390 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:20,960 That's what worship. That's what godliness is. 391 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:24,240 He goes on and he says and faith, this faith that he's 392 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:26,120 talking about here is not saving faith. 393 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:28,120 We know that saving faith is a gift from God. 394 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:32,360 He's talking more than just. The salvific faith that you 395 00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:36,680 receive at regeneration. He's talking about ongoing and 396 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,720 continual trust in God and His Word. 397 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,400 He's talking about the faith that the Old Testament says the 398 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:46,200 just will live by faith. He didn't say that just will 399 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:50,080 experience faith one time when they're saved, and then they'll 400 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,120 walk by sight the rest of their lives upon this earth. 401 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,600 No, he says you can distinguish the just those who have truly 402 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:01,360 been justified by God, those who are truly righteous, you can 403 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:06,240 distinguish them by their continual, ongoing trust in God 404 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:09,760 and His word. This is what he's telling 405 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:15,520 Timothy to do. Follow after faith an ongoing 406 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:19,120 and continual trust in God. Hebrews 11/6. 407 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,000 The author of Hebrews says this, and without faith it is 408 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:25,120 impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him 409 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:27,840 must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who 410 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,440 earnestly seek him. That is an ongoing trust in God, 411 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,640 trust in the fact that He is the giver of. 412 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,320 All good things that He is the creator and the sustainer of 413 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,720 life that He is sovereign over all that you can trust Him and 414 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,640 you can trust every single promise that you find in his 415 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:45,080 word that. Applies to you. 416 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,960 He's telling Timothy follow after these things, man of God, 417 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:56,360 righteousness, godliness, faith. He then says love. 418 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,080 So many times when we get to love in scripture, I've heard 419 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:05,960 people for the sake of trying to sound ultra wise, complicate 420 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:09,200 love. This love that he's talking 421 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,760 about here is no nothing new to the New Testament. 422 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,720 It is the same love that Jesus loved his disciples with. 423 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:20,560 This is brotherly love. This is agape love, and he is 424 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:25,320 saying this about this love. This is what we are to pursue. 425 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:30,920 None of us are perfect in how we love one another, but we are to 426 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:36,920 pursue this, to follow after it. What is the greatest example of 427 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:38,160 love? Jesus said this. 428 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:41,960 He said that I lay down my life for my friends. 429 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,320 What does brotherly love is laying down your life for 430 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:47,640 others. You want to love like Jesus? 431 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:48,960 Love. Sacrifice yourself for the 432 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,960 well-being of others. Do not only what the New 433 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,680 Testament commands over and over and over to consider others 434 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,960 above yourself. Do what Jesus teaches us in the 435 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,920 Gospels. To do What did he say to his 436 00:28:59,920 --> 00:29:01,840 disciples? You said I lay down my life for 437 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:03,920 my friends, I lay down my life for my sheep. 438 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:07,320 It was known that he had this kind of brotherly love. 439 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:10,640 What did Jesus say about that love? 440 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,400 It will be what distinguishes you from everyone else. 441 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,800 They will know you because of your love for one another. 442 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:21,920 They will see that brotherly love coming out of you. 443 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,240 Paul's telling Timothy here. Pursue that. 444 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:33,320 Pursue that kind of love, the kind of love that we see in 445 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:38,000 John's first epistle, where it says in 314 we know that we have 446 00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,160 passed from death to life because we love each other. 447 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,480 Anyone who does not love remains in. 448 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:47,280 Death when you see brotherly love in your life, you know that 449 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:49,680 you are loving the people that are sitting around you right 450 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,160 now, that you are worshipping the Lord with that you were 451 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,480 studying the scriptures with. When you're willing to lay down 452 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,800 your life for them, when you're really willing to sacrifice 453 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,200 yourself for their well-being physically and or spiritually, 454 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,960 you were then and only then pursuing the kind of love that 455 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:11,320 Paul is telling Timothy to pursue true Christ like 456 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:17,520 brother-in-law, he moves from love to endurance. 457 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:20,680 Endurance. And he's not just talking about 458 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:22,400 physical. Endurance. 459 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:27,840 He's talking about a spiritual steadfastness, an enduring 460 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:32,920 consistency in one's walk. He's telling Timothy to pursue 461 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:37,080 steadfast consistency in your spiritual walk. 462 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,400 Oh, how important this is for the American church culture to 463 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:44,000 hear this. Don't just be a bunch of hot 464 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,600 air. Don't say that you're going to 465 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,320 do one thing and then spend your life doing the opposite. 466 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:55,840 Of that he's saying, be consistent, steadfast, enduring 467 00:30:56,080 --> 00:31:02,000 in your walk with the Lord. First Corinthians 1558 Paul 468 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,240 says, Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand 469 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:08,360 firm, let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to 470 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:10,920 the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the 471 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:13,280 Lord is not in vain. What is Paul telling the 472 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:17,720 Corinthians there? He's telling Pour it all out for 473 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:21,440 the Lord. Give all that you have. 474 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:25,200 Steadfast, enduring, consistent, he's saying. 475 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:29,600 Keep on, keeping on. No matter what you face, no 476 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,960 matter how many times you get punched in the chin, get back up 477 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:38,240 and keep. Moving forward, consistent 478 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:45,000 steadfast, steadfastness. Word that the hip and cool 479 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:47,920 Christian culture has left out of the equation. 480 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:50,880 Yet it is what the psalmist prayed for after he fell into 481 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:52,080 sin. He said, Lord, create a 482 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:57,120 steadfast spirit within me. What is a steadfast spirit? 483 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,480 That spirit is not affected by the things around them. 484 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:02,960 It's not affected by the struggles of this life. 485 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,160 It's not affected by the trials of this life. 486 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,040 It's not affected by the hurts of this life. 487 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:12,080 That steadfast spirit endures, consistently walking with the 488 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:20,480 Lord even through the fire. He then moves to this 489 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,040 gentleness. Isn't that kind of interesting? 490 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:29,040 Righteousness It seems pretty strong Godliness, very strong. 491 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:33,000 Faith, Love, endurance. And then he says gentleness. 492 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:38,440 What is he talking about here? He's talking about what Jesus 493 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:40,200 exemplified in his earthly ministry. 494 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:43,560 He's talking about meekness. Now I don't want you to confuse 495 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:47,560 meekness with weakness. What meekness is meekness is 496 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:52,800 humble strength. We would be fools to deny the 497 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,680 strength of the Lord Jesus. He is King of kings, Lord of 498 00:32:56,680 --> 00:33:03,280 Lords, Sovereign and Almighty Lord of all, and he has always 499 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:05,520 possessed that strength. He has never laid down that 500 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,920 strength. It has always been at his 501 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:13,440 disposal, but he humbly demonstrated by his own will. 502 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:21,320 Meekness, gentleness to others, the fruit of the Spirit that we 503 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:24,760 see displayed in Galatians chapter 522 and 23 where Paul 504 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,720 reminds us how important gentleness and self-control are 505 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:33,880 in the life of the believer. Because you can be pursuing 506 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:37,120 righteousness and godliness and faith and love and endurance. 507 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:42,240 But if you do this from a haughty or arrogant 508 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:49,120 self-sustaining viewpoint, based on only your own strength and 509 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:52,440 your own will, not humbly trusting and strength from God, 510 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:56,160 you forget the last part here. Gentleness. 511 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,880 It's no accident that Jesus said blessed are the meek, they will 512 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:07,800 inherit the earth. The true man of God strives and 513 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:14,199 pursues after meekness. That doesn't mean that he can't 514 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:17,800 fight. That doesn't mean that he can't 515 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:22,560 overpower you. That means that he chooses not 516 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:28,920 to, and he chooses to go the way of the Lord and to lay down his 517 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:34,760 life for others, to do this with gentleness and meekness. 518 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,600 Ephesians 4. Paul begins that chapter with 519 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:40,800 this. He says, as a prisoner for the 520 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,040 Lord. Then I urge you to live a life 521 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:44,760 worthy of the calling you have received. 522 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:50,199 Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one 523 00:34:50,199 --> 00:34:53,320 another in love. Oh, you see how they all work 524 00:34:53,320 --> 00:35:00,920 together, patiently, gently loving one another? 525 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,280 Is that not how Christ loves the Church? 526 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:08,160 Is that not how Christ displayed His love through the Gospels? 527 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:12,480 Is that not how we should display our love as godly men 528 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:14,440 and godly women? So the true man of God here will 529 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:19,840 be fleeing, and the true man of God will then be following. 530 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:27,440 He will flee from wickedness, He'll flee from worldliness, and 531 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:32,000 he'll follow righteousness, godliness, faith, love, 532 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:38,040 endurance, and gentleness. As we continue on the past of a 533 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,800 true man of God, let us move to the third thing. 534 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:42,640 This morning. The true man of God's path will 535 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:48,160 be fighting, Fighting. He said, well, you just told us 536 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:51,720 to be meek and to be gentle. How can we also fight? 537 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,280 Let's ask Paul. Let's see what is he meaning by 538 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,520 this? He says in verse 12, the first 539 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:02,800 part, fight the good or the excellent or noble fight of the 540 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,880 faith. He's not talking about fighting 541 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,760 a fleshly battle. He's not talking about fighting 542 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:11,920 an earthly enemy. He's talking about the spiritual 543 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,720 fight that we as believers are all in, whether we want to 544 00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:21,480 acknowledge it or not. Now I want to remind you as he's 545 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:26,960 reminding Timothy here. Christianity is not a call to 546 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:31,720 idleness or relaxation while we're on our way to paradise. 547 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:37,640 And I know what you're thinking. Well, it seems like it is. 548 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:40,160 Unfortunately, yes, it does for many. 549 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:47,520 But Paul is actually instructing otherwise here, instead of 550 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:50,560 idleness and relaxation while we're awaiting heaven. 551 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:58,800 He calls Timothy to warfare, a strange concept for a weak and 552 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:03,840 impotent church in this country who no longer has any fight in 553 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:08,080 them, who has joined in the liberals of somehow wedding out 554 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,680 any warrior instinct that may be left in any young boy. 555 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:15,480 But it's time we see the truth of the Word of God. 556 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:19,600 He's calling the men of God here to fight and to fight the good 557 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:20,080 fight. What? 558 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:24,680 Does he mean by this? He's talking about fighting 559 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:26,320 against the flesh. He's talking about fighting 560 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:27,880 against the devil. He's talking about fighting 561 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,080 against the world. Do we not have a fight to fight? 562 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:33,640 Of course we do, and if you ignore this fight, you're going 563 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:38,480 to be consumed by your enemy. Whichever enemy is more 564 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:42,560 prevalent in your life, be it the flesh, the devil, or the 565 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:46,000 world, and what the man of God is going to be doing, he's going 566 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:48,760 to be constantly agonizing. He's going to be constantly 567 00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:54,160 contending for the faith that he has been entrusted to contend 568 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,000 for. He's going to fight in his life, 569 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:03,640 he's going to fight in the life of the church, he's going to 570 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:07,120 fight against the world. Because the true man of God is 571 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:10,480 going to fight. He's going to find himself 572 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:15,360 refusing to be passive. That's what he means. 573 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:20,680 By telling us to take a path of fighting, Refuse to be passive. 574 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:25,520 Oh, and it has inward and outward connotations, just as 575 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,040 wickedness does and worldliness does. 576 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:34,080 He's Speaking of fighting against and mortifying the 577 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:39,160 flesh, being intentional in this, just as Paul was 578 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:41,760 intentional in this, he said. I beat my flesh off. 579 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:46,040 I actually fight against my own self. 580 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:55,160 He's talking about that fight within, fighting against your 581 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,920 flesh, fighting against your sinful desires, fighting against 582 00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:01,320 your humanity. But also, he's talking about 583 00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:05,720 fighting toward being intentional in your discipline. 584 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:10,560 Again, Paul was a disciplined man and he's speaking to another 585 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:11,400 man of God. And you know what? 586 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,200 He wants him to be disciplined in the fight. 587 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:16,440 If you go into a fight untrained, you are certain to 588 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:18,920 lose. Amen. 589 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:27,080 Because you are only. As good as your worst day of 590 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:29,360 training in anything that you do. 591 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,240 And he's calling the man of God to be disciplined in this fight. 592 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:42,560 It begins inwardly, but then it is expressed outwardly. 593 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:45,680 How do we fight this fight? We fight against those inward 594 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:47,680 things that we all fight against. 595 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,200 And some of you are losing this fight because you have forgotten 596 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,880 that it is a spiritual battle. You're not fighting it with 597 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:59,040 spiritual means. This is a battle and a fight of 598 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:04,760 faith. You must fight it inwardly, but 599 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:06,640 also you must fight it outwardly. 600 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,960 What does that look like? Fighting the unbelief? 601 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:12,640 And how do we fight the unbelief of this world? 602 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:16,320 We share the truth with this lost world through the gospel. 603 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:18,400 Oh, don't. Dare say that you're fighting 604 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:21,040 the fight of the faith. If you're not sharing the faith 605 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,680 with the lost, you're not fighting the faith. 606 00:40:27,200 --> 00:40:33,080 You're not fighting the good and noble excellent fight you're on. 607 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:39,120 Vacation, hoping that you make it to heaven Isn't. 608 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:42,160 Isn't that the sad state that we found the American church to be 609 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:46,880 in asleep instead of ready for battle? 610 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:51,760 We ought to be sharing the gospel, the truth of God's Word, 611 00:40:53,720 --> 00:41:00,480 like an army overcoming the enemy of unbelief that comes 612 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:06,240 against us constantly. Instead, we cower in the corner 613 00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:10,160 of our tents, balled up in the fetal position, asking that 614 00:41:10,160 --> 00:41:11,480 Jesus. Would just take us home. 615 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:14,640 That's weak. That's not the fight that he's 616 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:18,480 calling Timothy too. He's saying fight's a good fight 617 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:21,440 with everything that you are and everything that you have, this 618 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:23,280 excellent and noble fight that you've been. 619 00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:29,520 Entrusted to fight so fight inwardly in your life and 620 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:32,400 outwardly you just share the gospel with the hurting and the. 621 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:34,040 Lost. And as you stand against the 622 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:38,440 evil in our day, where are the Christian soldiers that we sang 623 00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:44,920 about a generation ago? No, in fact, we would have to 624 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,120 sing it today. Onward, Christian sissies 625 00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:53,240 running from our enemies with our tail tucked between our legs 626 00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:57,920 because we've forgotten that we're in a fight, he says fight, 627 00:41:59,720 --> 00:42:03,280 Fight the good fight. Fight of the faith. 628 00:42:03,720 --> 00:42:06,400 Refusing to be passive. I wish that some men and some 629 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:08,320 women of God would refuse to be passive. 630 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:11,000 You know why? I'll tell you why? 631 00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:12,960 Because there's a real enemy and he's coming for you. 632 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,360 He's coming for your marriages. He's coming for your homes. 633 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:19,560 He's coming for your children. He's coming from every single 634 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,960 direction. And you just want to get to 635 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,880 heaven safely so that you don't have to. 636 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:30,680 Endure any kind of suffering, Paul said. 637 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:35,800 May it not be so. Maybe March out into battle, 638 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:43,680 refusing to be passive. May we do this relying on God 639 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:46,200 for the strengths to fight well, That's the second part of this. 640 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:48,800 He doesn't expect Timothy to do this in his own power. 641 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:53,160 That's why he lets him know this is the the good fight of faith. 642 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:57,360 He wants him to rely on God for the strengths to fight. 643 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:01,960 He says be refusing to be passive but then rely on God for 644 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:04,600 the strength that you need in this battle. 645 00:43:09,160 --> 00:43:16,000 Humbly depending upon God as a psalmist does in Psalm 18 verse 646 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:22,560 32, He says it is God who arms me with strength and keeps my 647 00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:25,280 ways secure. He makes my feet like the feet 648 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:27,680 of a deer. He causes me to stand on the 649 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:29,680 heights. He trains my hands for battle. 650 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:32,160 My arms can bend a bow of bronze. 651 00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:36,200 You make your say you, You make your saving help My shield, and 652 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,200 your right hand sustains me. Your help has made me great. 653 00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:41,560 All the psalmist understood where his strength from the 654 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:44,360 battle comes from. Psalm 20, verse 7. 655 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:46,040 Here's what the psalmist says here. 656 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:49,040 Some trust in Chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the 657 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:51,640 name of the Lord our God, and they are brought to their knees 658 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:53,880 and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. 659 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:56,240 What is He acknowledging here? We humble ourselves. 660 00:43:56,240 --> 00:43:59,760 We depend upon God in our enemies who once stood over us. 661 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:03,320 While we they're bowing to God, they now fall before us because 662 00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:05,080 we humbled ourselves and we depended. 663 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:12,720 Upon God all the same, man of God, be a fighting man, refusing 664 00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:17,040 to be passive and relying on God for the strength that you need 665 00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:23,000 to fight. He's encouraging to be humbly 666 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:28,960 dependent upon God, but also to be biblically equipped for 667 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:31,680 battle. Ephesians chapter 6 and I don't 668 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:34,200 have time to take you all the way through Ephesians chapter 6 669 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:36,440 today, though I would love to in this context. 670 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:42,360 And we know that verse 17 refers to the Scriptures as the sword 671 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:44,480 of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 672 00:44:44,480 --> 00:44:47,000 This is our offensive weapon in this battle. 673 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:50,960 This is the weapon that God has provided us to fight the good 674 00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:57,320 fight of faith with and. Many of you don't know how to 675 00:44:57,320 --> 00:45:04,760 use it. Many of you, it's only something 676 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:07,240 that you look at on a Sunday morning and how sad that is 677 00:45:07,240 --> 00:45:11,000 because you're called to fight and you've been given 1 weapon 678 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:15,000 and you go out into battle every day whether you know it or not 679 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:20,160 and you are not armed, only a. Fool would go out into battle 680 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:24,800 unarmed. There's no police officer, no 681 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:28,240 soldier in the world who would report to duty without their 682 00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:32,080 weapon. The Word of God is the weapon 683 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:37,880 that we've been given. To fight this fight and forsake 684 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:41,440 the Word of God in our lives is to walk out into the battlefield 685 00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,160 every single day unarmed for the fight. 686 00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:48,440 Most of you won't even leave your house on a Sunday morning 687 00:45:48,440 --> 00:45:52,120 and come to church without some kind of firearm tucked within 688 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:56,920 your garments. Just this last week, we had a 689 00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,320 meeting. One of the attendees in the 690 00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:01,960 meeting said this about his church. 691 00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:06,840 He said what our church on any given Sunday, there may be like 692 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:13,920 5 or 6 firearms in the building. To which Chance looked at him 693 00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:21,520 and said that's cute and. Many of you today, because you 694 00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:25,200 have the right, and I don't take away that right, I think you 695 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:29,280 have a right to defend yourself physically and it is a 696 00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:30,160 God-given. Rite. 697 00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:37,600 But I also think you are more concerned with that because if 698 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:43,240 you strap on that Glock or that Smith and Wesson or that Sig, 699 00:46:43,240 --> 00:46:49,800 just don't drop it every single day. 700 00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:56,200 You don't equip yourself with the Word of God to go out into 701 00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:58,160 the spiritual battle that we are in. 702 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:02,200 You are a soldier who stepped out on the front lines 703 00:47:02,200 --> 00:47:06,200 completely unarmed. You, ma'am, you Sir, are 704 00:47:06,200 --> 00:47:12,800 foolish. We must rely on God's strength, 705 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:15,840 the strength that He provides us for the battle, the equipment 706 00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:17,480 that He provides us for the battle. 707 00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:21,720 That's why Paul spends so much time in Ephesians telling us 708 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,880 there in chapter 6 verse. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, 709 00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:27,720 Trust in his strength and in his mighty power. 710 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:31,160 Put on the full armor of God that which God has provided for 711 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:33,800 you to go into battle with, so that. 712 00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:40,880 You can take your stand against the schemes of the devil, but 713 00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:43,280 the American Church has forgotten the reality of the 714 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:50,280 devil. You stand unarmed may not be so 715 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:53,720 for you, man of God, woman of God, under the sound of my voice 716 00:47:53,720 --> 00:47:57,880 this morning, may you arm yourself to fight humbly, 717 00:47:57,880 --> 00:48:00,520 dependent upon God's strength, biblically equipped by God's 718 00:48:00,520 --> 00:48:03,880 Word. Arm for battle. 719 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:08,280 Because the church in America, for the most part, is asleep on 720 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:14,920 the front lines, unarmed and unaware of the enemy that lies 721 00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:17,080 before them. Wake up. 722 00:48:18,160 --> 00:48:20,600 Fight the good fight. The true man of God's path will 723 00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:25,120 be a fighting path. It will be a following path. 724 00:48:25,120 --> 00:48:27,520 It will be a fleeing path. Fourthly, the true man of God's 725 00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:30,480 path will be a faithful path. Pay attention to this. 726 00:48:30,600 --> 00:48:33,400 He says this in verse 12. Take hold of the eternal life to 727 00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:36,280 which you were called when you made your good confession in the 728 00:48:36,280 --> 00:48:39,560 presence of many witnesses. He's saying, Timothy, you have 729 00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:45,080 been called effectually by God into eternal life and because of 730 00:48:45,080 --> 00:48:47,680 that, not to earn it because of that. 731 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:53,080 Be faithful, he says, in the sight of God, who gives life to 732 00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:55,680 everything, and of Christ Jesus, who, while testifying before 733 00:48:55,680 --> 00:48:57,280 Pontius Pilate, made the good confession. 734 00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:01,240 I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame. 735 00:49:01,760 --> 00:49:05,200 What command? The command to be different from 736 00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:08,240 those false teachers that he just told us about in the 737 00:49:08,240 --> 00:49:13,400 previous verses? The command to be a man of God, 738 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:17,760 a man of God who is, as we have seen it, fleeing and following 739 00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,640 and fighting. He's now calling for him to be 740 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:25,400 faithful, to faithfully continue and to. 741 00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:32,680 Take hold of that which he has been called to take hold. 742 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:42,640 This context is to grasp the reality of what has already 743 00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:45,520 happened. It doesn't mean, of course, to 744 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:49,120 try to earn salvation by taking hold of salvation. 745 00:49:49,120 --> 00:49:52,760 Salvation is given. Eternal life is given. 746 00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:57,400 But instead, it means to faithfully walk in that which 747 00:49:57,400 --> 00:49:59,640 you have been given. You know what you're saying? 748 00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:03,920 Live faithfully like you truly have eternal life. 749 00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:07,760 Because there are many people who claim to have eternal life 750 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:13,440 who are not faithful to the Lord at all, and that is impossible. 751 00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:17,360 Again, I've seen funeral after funeral after funeral of 752 00:50:17,360 --> 00:50:21,040 unfaithful people who at the end of their life people will say 753 00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:22,920 this, they're in a better place now. 754 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:25,440 No, they're not. Stop fooling yourself. 755 00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:30,480 Because the people of faith will be faithful. 756 00:50:32,240 --> 00:50:34,800 He's. Telling him, and he's making 757 00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:38,680 clear to all of us, the held will take hold. 758 00:50:39,520 --> 00:50:44,200 Those who are held by God will in turn grasp the hand, and that 759 00:50:44,200 --> 00:50:50,840 grasps them. The held we'll take hold of 760 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:53,600 Philippians 3 verse 12. Watch what Paul says about it 761 00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:55,280 here. He says, not that I have already 762 00:50:55,280 --> 00:50:58,160 obtained all this, or I have already arrived at my goal, but 763 00:50:58,160 --> 00:51:02,240 I press on to take hold of that which Christ took hold of me. 764 00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:06,960 He says, brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet self 765 00:51:06,960 --> 00:51:09,480 yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do forgetting 766 00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:11,400 what is behind is stringing toward what is ahead. 767 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:14,760 I press on to the goal to win the prize for which God has 768 00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:16,440 called me. There's that effectual call 769 00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:19,600 again. Heavenward in Christ Jesus, he's 770 00:51:19,600 --> 00:51:22,840 saying just exactly what he is saying to Timothy here. 771 00:51:22,880 --> 00:51:25,600 He's saying take hold of the eternal life that has taken hold 772 00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:30,400 of you, that life that which you were called when you made your 773 00:51:30,400 --> 00:51:33,960 good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 774 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:37,520 You're saying be faithful to your confession of faith. 775 00:51:38,560 --> 00:51:41,440 It's that simple. Don't just say you're a follower 776 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:43,320 of Christ and deny it by how you live. 777 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:52,000 Timothy was a man of faith being addressed by a man of faith. 778 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,400 He had faith in His Almighty Creator, the Sustainer of life. 779 00:51:57,000 --> 00:51:59,640 This is what Paul is reminding him of in the sight of God who 780 00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:03,160 gives life to everything and of Christ Jesus. 781 00:52:03,160 --> 00:52:06,160 And we know Christ his Son, who gave himself as an atoning 782 00:52:06,160 --> 00:52:10,680 sacrifice. He's saying be faithful in your 783 00:52:10,680 --> 00:52:13,720 confession to believe in the one true God and to believe in the 784 00:52:13,720 --> 00:52:17,360 Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior you have 785 00:52:17,480 --> 00:52:20,840 professed. This talking about his 786 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:23,480 confession. That good confession that he 787 00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:25,040 made in the presence of many witnesses. 788 00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:26,880 When would he have done this historically? 789 00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:32,560 Well, just next week we will see it right here at Key Life 790 00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:36,720 Fellowship where we fill up the baptismal tanks and those who 791 00:52:36,720 --> 00:52:41,200 have followed Christ will give a public confession that they are 792 00:52:41,200 --> 00:52:43,680 followers of Christ. They are identifying with his 793 00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:46,680 death, his burial, and His resurrection through immersion 794 00:52:46,680 --> 00:52:50,440 baptism. Paul is saying you remember that 795 00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:52,120 when you did that in front of the church, in front of all 796 00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:54,040 those witnesses, when you professed Christ. 797 00:52:56,040 --> 00:53:00,400 He's saying live up to it, live up to your public profession. 798 00:53:02,760 --> 00:53:05,120 Romans 10/9 is very clear says if you declare with your mouth 799 00:53:05,120 --> 00:53:07,160 Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him 800 00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:11,720 from the dead, you will be. Saved, he's saying. 801 00:53:11,720 --> 00:53:16,400 Timothy, if that's true, if your confession is true, you have 802 00:53:16,400 --> 00:53:18,600 truly confessed the Lord Jesus with your mouth and believed in 803 00:53:18,600 --> 00:53:20,960 your heart that God raised him from the dead and you are truly 804 00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:22,480 saved. He says be. 805 00:53:22,480 --> 00:53:29,640 Faithful to that confession. It is the same confession that 806 00:53:29,640 --> 00:53:32,760 Jesus made in the presence of Pilate. 807 00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:34,320 I know you read that Pilate Pontius. 808 00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:36,600 Pilate part and you thought why does this belong here? 809 00:53:37,680 --> 00:53:39,840 But in John chapter 18 we get some clarity there. 810 00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:42,360 Jesus is there in a conversation with Pontius Pilate shortly 811 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:46,800 before his death, Pilate summoned Jesus. 812 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:49,560 He asked him, are you the King of the Jews? 813 00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:52,520 Jesus asked him in verse 34 of John 18. 814 00:53:53,120 --> 00:53:56,600 Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me? 815 00:53:56,600 --> 00:54:00,440 And did you get that information from something going on in you 816 00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:04,720 or did you, did you just? Hear that Pilate then comes back 817 00:54:04,720 --> 00:54:08,920 in verse 35 and he says am IA Jew and your own people and 818 00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:10,400 chief priests handed you over to me. 819 00:54:10,520 --> 00:54:13,680 What is it you have done right? Because he could find no fault 820 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,080 in Jesus and he couldn't really clearly answer the question. 821 00:54:16,120 --> 00:54:19,080 Jesus wants to know, do you know I'm the king? 822 00:54:20,960 --> 00:54:22,760 You know I'm king of kings and Lord of Lords. 823 00:54:23,320 --> 00:54:25,240 Are you just hearing that down the wire? 824 00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:28,840 Jesus in verse 36 does something that a lots of people say that 825 00:54:28,840 --> 00:54:32,480 he doesn't ever do. He's going to claim to be God 826 00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:33,480 here. Watch how he does it. 827 00:54:34,320 --> 00:54:36,240 Jesus said my Kingdom is not of this world. 828 00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:39,840 If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by 829 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:42,360 the Jewish leaders. But now my Kingdom is from 830 00:54:42,360 --> 00:54:44,640 another place. You are a king. 831 00:54:44,640 --> 00:54:49,760 Then said Pilot, and Jesus answered, You say that I am a 832 00:54:49,760 --> 00:54:52,080 king. In fact, the reason I was born 833 00:54:52,080 --> 00:54:54,640 and came into the world is to testify to the truth. 834 00:54:55,200 --> 00:54:57,920 Everyone on the side of the truth listens to me. 835 00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:00,920 What was Jesus saying? I am a king and I am the true 836 00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:02,720 king, and I am the King of kings. 837 00:55:02,840 --> 00:55:05,080 And those who listen to me are my children. 838 00:55:05,080 --> 00:55:06,920 They are my sons and they are my daughter. 839 00:55:06,920 --> 00:55:10,760 And because you're not listening to me, that's a good indicator 840 00:55:10,760 --> 00:55:14,880 that you don't know who I am. But those who know who I am, it. 841 00:55:16,600 --> 00:55:19,360 Will be more than just a confession of who I am. 842 00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:23,440 Jesus making the same confession that at some point in time 843 00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:24,840 Timothy made. What is that? 844 00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:27,480 Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of Lords. 845 00:55:29,080 --> 00:55:32,480 Paul's holding him to that. You know, it's sad we're afraid 846 00:55:32,480 --> 00:55:34,160 to do that in the modern church, isn't it? 847 00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:36,600 The whole people to their confession. 848 00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:38,760 Do you know that's why we have baptism? 849 00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:40,720 Did you know that we have baptism publican? 850 00:55:40,720 --> 00:55:43,200 We have baptism at church. It is an ordinance of the 851 00:55:43,200 --> 00:55:47,480 church, and the reason is because we can go to a brother 852 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:50,000 who's struggling and who's wandered off in the center, go 853 00:55:50,000 --> 00:55:53,760 to a sister and say, hey, you made a public profession of 854 00:55:53,760 --> 00:55:57,080 faith in Jesus Christ. Was that real? 855 00:55:57,480 --> 00:56:00,320 Well, yes, it was real. Then stop living the way that 856 00:56:00,320 --> 00:56:02,400 you're living. You're dragging Christ's name 857 00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:05,040 through the mug mud. And I will help you and I will 858 00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:10,840 pray for you in any way that I can so that you are restored for 859 00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:15,120 the whole purpose is. Paul's holding him to it. 860 00:56:16,240 --> 00:56:21,240 Be faithful to your confession of faith, but also be faithful 861 00:56:21,240 --> 00:56:24,720 in your continuance in Christ, he says. 862 00:56:24,720 --> 00:56:29,280 I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame. 863 00:56:31,440 --> 00:56:34,640 To be faithful in continuing in Christ. 864 00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:37,880 Don't let it just be this one time thing where you made some 865 00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:39,760 decision at church and got baptized. 866 00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:47,080 He's saying, Timothy, walk this path of faithfulness faithfully. 867 00:56:47,080 --> 00:56:51,160 Live up to and live out that confession. 868 00:56:52,320 --> 00:56:56,880 All that you say Christ has done for you live like that is true. 869 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:08,920 It's a sad thing is this hell is going to be full of people who 870 00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:12,760 made professions that they never meant. 871 00:57:15,280 --> 00:57:19,520 You know how I know that? Jesus says it in Matthew Chapter 872 00:57:19,520 --> 00:57:22,920 7 verse 21. He says Not everyone who says to 873 00:57:22,920 --> 00:57:27,120 me, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the 874 00:57:27,120 --> 00:57:31,080 one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 875 00:57:32,360 --> 00:57:35,240 Does that someone say is Jesus promoting work salvation, that 876 00:57:35,240 --> 00:57:37,520 we have to do the will of the Father and in doing the will of 877 00:57:37,520 --> 00:57:40,400 the Father then salvation will be credited to us, no? 878 00:57:41,360 --> 00:57:44,080 He's not saying that that would be inconsistent with all of the 879 00:57:44,080 --> 00:57:46,400 teaching of the New Testament. What he? 880 00:57:46,400 --> 00:57:50,240 Is saying is this. That there will be many people 881 00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:53,680 who just make hollow professions and who are not faithful to that 882 00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:57,400 which they have confessed publicly through their baptism. 883 00:57:57,560 --> 00:57:59,960 He's saying to us so that we can understand it. 884 00:58:00,200 --> 00:58:05,680 They are not true believers. Perhaps that describes one of 885 00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:09,520 you in the room today. Let it be known that God has 886 00:58:09,520 --> 00:58:12,640 brought you to this point so that He can do something about 887 00:58:12,760 --> 00:58:15,640 this false assurance that you've had for so long. 888 00:58:15,640 --> 00:58:18,440 There will be a continuance in Christ. 889 00:58:20,080 --> 00:58:24,000 He's saying keep holding on to the faith that holds you. 890 00:58:25,080 --> 00:58:28,240 Hebrews 10/23. Let us hold unswervingly to the 891 00:58:28,240 --> 00:58:34,880 hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful to only 892 00:58:34,880 --> 00:58:38,080 profess Christ and then to walk away from Christ and live any 893 00:58:38,080 --> 00:58:41,560 way that you want to live is just a hollow profession. 894 00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:46,640 It is not true salvation. So the true man of God will be 895 00:58:46,640 --> 00:58:49,800 on a path. That path will be a faithful 896 00:58:49,800 --> 00:58:51,880 path. So he will be fleeing, he will 897 00:58:51,880 --> 00:58:55,120 be following, he'll be fighting, and he will be faithful. 898 00:58:57,240 --> 00:59:01,160 And try as I may, knowing that I was about to fit a lot into a 899 00:59:01,160 --> 00:59:04,840 small block of time, there's one more. 900 00:59:04,840 --> 00:59:06,280 And I want you to pay attention to this one. 901 00:59:08,120 --> 00:59:13,800 And I promise you, when I'm done with this one, I'll let you go. 902 00:59:15,240 --> 00:59:16,880 But I pray that Christ will never let you go. 903 00:59:19,840 --> 00:59:22,120 The true man of God's faith will be fixated. 904 00:59:24,200 --> 00:59:26,560 What do I mean by that? What does Paul mean by this? 905 00:59:27,360 --> 00:59:29,320 Watch what he says in the second part of verse 14. 906 00:59:30,680 --> 00:59:33,800 He tells him to be faithful for how long. 907 00:59:34,920 --> 00:59:37,480 Faithful when it's easy. Faithful when it's convenient. 908 00:59:37,960 --> 00:59:40,600 Faithful on Sundays. At church, How long? 909 00:59:41,360 --> 00:59:45,520 Watch, he says, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus 910 00:59:45,640 --> 00:59:48,720 Christ, which God will bring about in his own time. 911 00:59:48,720 --> 00:59:51,880 He's saying don't worry about the time when it's supposed to. 912 00:59:51,880 --> 00:59:57,160 Happen, it'll happen, but be fixated and faithful until the 913 00:59:57,160 --> 00:59:59,240 appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 914 00:59:59,240 --> 01:00:03,320 He's saying you long for Christ's return as you are 915 01:00:03,320 --> 01:00:11,840 fleeing, as you are following, as you are fighting, as you are 916 01:00:11,840 --> 01:00:16,680 walking in faithfulness. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the 917 01:00:16,680 --> 01:00:19,440 Author and the Perfector of your faith. 918 01:00:19,560 --> 01:00:26,000 Fix your eyes on the return of. Christ is the man of God. 919 01:00:27,560 --> 01:00:30,080 He should be longing for the return of Christ, shouldn't he? 920 01:00:32,720 --> 01:00:37,920 Paul makes no beans about this when he says that there's a 921 01:00:37,920 --> 01:00:40,920 crown of righteousness that is kept for him, but not just for 922 01:00:40,920 --> 01:00:44,680 him only, but for all those who long for Christ appearing. 923 01:00:46,920 --> 01:00:50,080 Man of God should be fixated and longing. 924 01:00:50,240 --> 01:00:54,040 For the return of Christ. Now I know it's not popular in 925 01:00:54,040 --> 01:00:55,800 the modern church these days. Is it? 926 01:00:56,520 --> 01:00:59,400 Because if we start thinking about the return of Christ, what 927 01:00:59,400 --> 01:01:03,520 so many do in this worldly church that we have nowadays, 928 01:01:03,560 --> 01:01:07,120 what so many do, they start thinking about all of their 929 01:01:07,120 --> 01:01:09,560 worldly treasures being left behind. 930 01:01:10,160 --> 01:01:13,920 All of those things shrink in comparison to the glory of 931 01:01:13,920 --> 01:01:17,080 Christ. And Paul wants us to be so 932 01:01:17,080 --> 01:01:20,800 fixated upon Christ that nothing else matters. 933 01:01:22,320 --> 01:01:24,040 He says long for his appearing. Look for him. 934 01:01:26,320 --> 01:01:30,760 Keep fighting, keep being faithful as Christ has promised 935 01:01:30,760 --> 01:01:34,200 to return. And he is good for that promise, 936 01:01:34,400 --> 01:01:36,400 no matter what the skeptics may want to say, right? 937 01:01:36,400 --> 01:01:37,720 That's what they say about the Christian. 938 01:01:37,840 --> 01:01:39,560 Oh, they've been waiting for 2000 years. 939 01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:42,960 I am thankful that he delayed for 2000 years because in that, 940 01:01:43,160 --> 01:01:46,480 in that 2000 years, he gave me a window of opportunity to be 941 01:01:46,480 --> 01:01:48,600 saved. Thank you, Lord, that you called 942 01:01:48,600 --> 01:01:51,040 me out before the foundations of the earth, that I had an 943 01:01:51,040 --> 01:01:53,880 appointment with you to meet with you face to face, and I 944 01:01:53,880 --> 01:01:55,920 would dwell with you forever because of that. 945 01:01:56,720 --> 01:02:00,800 Thank you and thank you that you were patient and you were 946 01:02:00,800 --> 01:02:04,880 long-suffering with humanity. Are you longing for? 947 01:02:04,880 --> 01:02:09,080 Christ's return. Oh, you bear the title Man of 948 01:02:09,080 --> 01:02:13,120 God, woman of God, man of God, and a woman of God. 949 01:02:13,120 --> 01:02:15,000 They're longing for the return of Christ. 950 01:02:15,440 --> 01:02:16,680 Why? Because with the return of 951 01:02:16,680 --> 01:02:19,720 Christ, the full fruition of salvation will come with him. 952 01:02:23,480 --> 01:02:26,480 It's not. All completed, yet those are 953 01:02:26,480 --> 01:02:31,280 sacrifices finished. Glorification is not yet done. 954 01:02:32,240 --> 01:02:33,640 And we should long for that, shouldn't we? 955 01:02:33,800 --> 01:02:37,640 As we see in first Peter chapter one verse 13. 956 01:02:37,640 --> 01:02:41,200 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your 957 01:02:41,200 --> 01:02:45,640 hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is 958 01:02:45,640 --> 01:02:48,400 revealed at His coming. Oh, we should be longing for 959 01:02:48,400 --> 01:02:50,440 that grace upon grace upon grace. 960 01:02:50,600 --> 01:02:53,960 All the grace that we have received in this lifetime. 961 01:02:54,320 --> 01:02:57,720 Oh, how that's going to quickly shrink in comparison when we are 962 01:02:57,720 --> 01:02:59,680 graced with the presence of Christ. 963 01:03:02,040 --> 01:03:06,320 Are you longing like that? Hebrews 928 So Christ was 964 01:03:06,320 --> 01:03:08,960 sacrificed once to take away the sins of many, and he will appear 965 01:03:08,960 --> 01:03:13,160 a second time not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those 966 01:03:13,480 --> 01:03:16,600 who are waiting for Him. Some of you are content with 967 01:03:16,600 --> 01:03:19,960 just having a better life in this world because you're a 968 01:03:19,960 --> 01:03:25,520 Christian, and it is so much bigger than that. 969 01:03:26,920 --> 01:03:33,800 He is bringing to us at His return an eternal salvation that 970 01:03:33,800 --> 01:03:37,080 we can't really comprehend at this time. 971 01:03:38,160 --> 01:03:40,760 Romans 1311. Paul says this and do this, 972 01:03:40,760 --> 01:03:43,000 understanding the present time. The hour has already come for 973 01:03:43,000 --> 01:03:46,520 you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation 974 01:03:46,520 --> 01:03:48,600 is nearer now than when we first believed. 975 01:03:48,600 --> 01:03:51,600 Are you longing? Are you looking for the return 976 01:03:51,600 --> 01:03:54,920 of Christ? Is it just so old fashioned that 977 01:03:54,920 --> 01:03:59,240 we don't even want to hear? About it anymore, Philippians, 978 01:03:59,240 --> 01:04:03,160 Paul says this chapter 3 verse 20, but our citizenship is in 979 01:04:03,160 --> 01:04:06,520 heaven and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord 980 01:04:06,520 --> 01:04:09,280 Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring 981 01:04:09,280 --> 01:04:12,720 everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies 982 01:04:12,720 --> 01:04:15,040 so that they will be like his glorious body. 983 01:04:15,120 --> 01:04:17,960 Are you longing for that day? Are you looking for that day? 984 01:04:18,800 --> 01:04:21,880 You desire that more than anything that this world has to 985 01:04:21,880 --> 01:04:28,040 offer you. Titus Paul says this in chapter 986 01:04:28,040 --> 01:04:29,640 2 verse 11. For the grace of God has 987 01:04:29,640 --> 01:04:32,960 appeared that offers salvation to all people, and it teaches us 988 01:04:32,960 --> 01:04:35,720 to say no to ungodliness. And worldly passions and to live 989 01:04:35,720 --> 01:04:38,520 self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. 990 01:04:38,680 --> 01:04:41,320 This is exactly what he's telling Timothy here now, he's 991 01:04:41,320 --> 01:04:45,360 telling Titus, he says while we wait for the blessed hope, the 992 01:04:45,360 --> 01:04:49,800 appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus 993 01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:56,760 Christ appearing. Of His glory, the man of God, 994 01:04:56,760 --> 01:04:59,480 the woman of God, will long for the return of Christ. 995 01:05:01,480 --> 01:05:08,840 Not just so they can see the suffering of this world in so 996 01:05:08,840 --> 01:05:16,760 they can see Christ, the Lover of their soul, the one who 997 01:05:16,760 --> 01:05:24,080 offered himself in their place, He who knew no sin, but took the 998 01:05:24,080 --> 01:05:27,840 wrath of God upon his back. That belonged to me so that I 999 01:05:27,840 --> 01:05:30,000 can be made the righteousness of God. 1000 01:05:31,200 --> 01:05:36,480 Why would I not want to see the King who loves me like that? 1001 01:05:39,880 --> 01:05:42,480 He's telling Timothy to be fixated, longing for the return 1002 01:05:42,480 --> 01:05:47,320 of Christ, but also to be living for the glory of God. 1003 01:05:47,320 --> 01:05:51,120 Now, what Paul teaches him here is not by words but by example. 1004 01:05:51,120 --> 01:05:54,240 And I want you to follow this passage out, he says in 14 until 1005 01:05:54,240 --> 01:05:56,680 the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring 1006 01:05:56,680 --> 01:06:00,680 about in his own time. You see that big long dash 1007 01:06:00,680 --> 01:06:04,920 there? Paul leaves his thoughts for a 1008 01:06:04,920 --> 01:06:08,280 moment to Timothy. Why he talked about the 1009 01:06:08,280 --> 01:06:13,480 appearing of Christ. And when he fought for one 1010 01:06:13,480 --> 01:06:16,920 second about the return of Christ, what happens next? 1011 01:06:17,280 --> 01:06:20,120 He says God the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings and 1012 01:06:20,120 --> 01:06:22,680 Lord of Lords, who alone is immortal, and who lives in an 1013 01:06:22,680 --> 01:06:26,480 unapproachable life, who no one has seen or can see, to him be 1014 01:06:26,480 --> 01:06:31,440 honored and might forever Amen. He burst into a doxology mid 1015 01:06:31,440 --> 01:06:35,960 sentence mid thought to Timothy. What an example he leaves for 1016 01:06:35,960 --> 01:06:38,280 him. Timothy long for Christ. 1017 01:06:40,440 --> 01:06:43,800 While you're living for the glory of God, Paul stops 1018 01:06:43,800 --> 01:06:50,960 everything that he's doing and he's moved to worship the Lord 1019 01:06:53,360 --> 01:06:55,480 by his example. He's teaching us, and he was 1020 01:06:55,480 --> 01:07:02,760 teaching Timothy that when you ponder on the return of Christ, 1021 01:07:02,760 --> 01:07:06,320 you ponder on the grace of God, you ponder on the attributes of 1022 01:07:06,320 --> 01:07:11,080 God and who he is. You'll be moved to worship, 1023 01:07:12,800 --> 01:07:18,920 you'll be moved to glorify Him, worshipping him due to his 1024 01:07:18,920 --> 01:07:24,800 sovereign position, O Colossians 116, Paul says. 1025 01:07:24,800 --> 01:07:27,080 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on 1026 01:07:27,080 --> 01:07:29,800 earth, visible and invisible by the Thrones or powers or rulers 1027 01:07:29,800 --> 01:07:31,520 or authorities. All things have been created 1028 01:07:31,680 --> 01:07:34,440 through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in 1029 01:07:34,440 --> 01:07:37,400 Him all things are held together. 1030 01:07:38,960 --> 01:07:41,560 Did Paul do there? All of his thoughts about the 1031 01:07:41,560 --> 01:07:50,520 glory of Christ moved him to worship, moved him to constant 1032 01:07:50,520 --> 01:07:52,640 worship in his life, in his ministry. 1033 01:07:55,200 --> 01:07:58,320 Not only did it move him to worship, he was also moved by 1034 01:07:58,320 --> 01:07:59,920 that worship. And isn't that what should 1035 01:07:59,920 --> 01:08:04,640 happen? We should be moved by our 1036 01:08:04,640 --> 01:08:11,960 worship, not only to worship, even the simple thought of being 1037 01:08:11,960 --> 01:08:16,000 able to approach the throne of grace in our time of need. 1038 01:08:18,840 --> 01:08:21,880 Paul reminding us of the glory of the Lord here that we get to 1039 01:08:21,880 --> 01:08:24,240 participate in. He says no one has seen him, he 1040 01:08:24,240 --> 01:08:33,670 can't be approached and him be honored and might forever. 1041 01:08:34,390 --> 01:08:38,479 Amen. Though we have never looked upon 1042 01:08:38,479 --> 01:08:46,399 the full glory of God, because at best His glory was shielded 1043 01:08:46,399 --> 01:08:49,520 by the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ while He was here 1044 01:08:49,520 --> 01:08:54,359 on this earth. One day, one day, we will see 1045 01:08:54,359 --> 01:09:00,479 His full glory forever, and we ought to be fixated on this at 1046 01:09:00,479 --> 01:09:02,240 that moment. I can promise you this, all the 1047 01:09:02,240 --> 01:09:05,680 little trivial things of this world will shrink in comparison 1048 01:09:05,680 --> 01:09:09,560 to the glory that will be revealed, just as the Word of 1049 01:09:09,560 --> 01:09:15,040 God declares. Let that drive you to worship, 1050 01:09:16,600 --> 01:09:20,840 that drive you to an obedient life of worship. 1051 01:09:21,640 --> 01:09:23,840 Because that's what worship really is, isn't it? 1052 01:09:23,840 --> 01:09:28,960 It's not the songs we sing. Worship is the sacrifice of our 1053 01:09:28,960 --> 01:09:37,760 life, the laying down ourselves for the glory of God, being 1054 01:09:37,760 --> 01:09:43,600 fixated upon Christ. So the man of God will be 1055 01:09:43,600 --> 01:09:46,840 fixated. He'll be focused, longing for 1056 01:09:46,840 --> 01:09:52,240 Christ, living for God's glory. Again, Paul teaches us by his 1057 01:09:53,200 --> 01:10:00,920 example here as long for the return of Christ and live for 1058 01:10:00,920 --> 01:10:04,600 the glory of God. So what do we do with this? 1059 01:10:06,320 --> 01:10:12,840 A believer, I pray that you would desire to be a man of God, 1060 01:10:12,840 --> 01:10:19,800 or for some of you, a woman of God versus all to be people of 1061 01:10:19,800 --> 01:10:23,960 God, to walk the path that has been laid out for us in 1062 01:10:23,960 --> 01:10:29,400 Scripture, to live up to these things that Paul passed on to 1063 01:10:29,400 --> 01:10:32,400 Timothy. You desire that in your life. 1064 01:10:33,560 --> 01:10:38,160 You desire to be a man of God, a woman of God. 1065 01:10:41,840 --> 01:10:45,080 We've seen what it takes to the unbeliever. 1066 01:10:47,160 --> 01:10:51,480 You can't be a man of God. You can't be a woman of God. 1067 01:10:52,600 --> 01:10:56,840 You're not a child of God, you're dead in your sin, you 1068 01:10:56,840 --> 01:10:59,480 were dead in your transgressions according to the word of God. 1069 01:10:59,480 --> 01:11:02,920 And unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of 1070 01:11:02,920 --> 01:11:06,920 God. My prayer for you today is this, 1071 01:11:08,720 --> 01:11:15,000 that a merciful God by His grace would regenerate you from death 1072 01:11:15,040 --> 01:11:18,400 unto life today, giving you the faith to believe and to trust in 1073 01:11:18,480 --> 01:11:22,280 Jesus Christ. That faith would be exercised by 1074 01:11:22,280 --> 01:11:26,320 you crying out calling on the name of Jesus, because for 1075 01:11:26,320 --> 01:11:31,240 whosoever shall call on the name of Jesus shall be saved. 1076 01:11:32,400 --> 01:11:35,600 You say well. Kirk, how do you reconcile the 1077 01:11:35,600 --> 01:11:40,960 whosoever's of that verse with God's sovereign grace? 1078 01:11:42,640 --> 01:11:46,480 Whoever God graciously and sovereignly allows by 1079 01:11:46,480 --> 01:11:49,480 regenerating them to life because they are spiritually 1080 01:11:49,480 --> 01:11:52,240 dead. Whoever He allows to call upon 1081 01:11:52,240 --> 01:11:55,000 the name of the Lord, they are the whosoever. 1082 01:11:56,440 --> 01:11:59,880 And the whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord. 1083 01:11:59,880 --> 01:12:04,240 I pray today that God would open your eyes and make known to you 1084 01:12:05,680 --> 01:12:11,040 that you are a whosoever, that he sent his only begotten Son to 1085 01:12:11,040 --> 01:12:14,480 this earth to die on your behalf, that he may forgive you 1086 01:12:14,520 --> 01:12:16,440 and wash you and cleanse you today. 1087 01:12:16,680 --> 01:12:21,680 That you, a whosoever, would call upon Jesus today through 1088 01:12:21,680 --> 01:12:25,680 the power of God, by the gift of the of faith that God has given 1089 01:12:25,680 --> 01:12:29,480 you today you would trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior 1090 01:12:29,480 --> 01:12:30,720 and be saved. Let's pray together. 1091 01:12:30,720 --> 01:12:32,880 Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your word. 1092 01:12:34,120 --> 01:12:38,120 We thank you for giving us the time to look at all of this, to 1093 01:12:38,120 --> 01:12:42,560 ponder these things. God, I pray as your word has 1094 01:12:42,560 --> 01:12:45,760 gone forth, that it would accomplish not Kirk Hall's will, 1095 01:12:48,480 --> 01:12:50,720 but it would accomplish the will of God. 1096 01:12:52,360 --> 01:12:57,960 Lord, I pray that you would through it draw centers unto 1097 01:12:57,960 --> 01:13:01,320 repentance and eternal life today and faith in Jesus Christ. 1098 01:13:02,840 --> 01:13:06,920 God, I pray through it that you would convict the heart of the 1099 01:13:06,920 --> 01:13:11,280 believer here who perhaps they're not striving to be a man 1100 01:13:11,280 --> 01:13:15,560 of God or a woman of God. God, I pray that the convicting 1101 01:13:15,560 --> 01:13:18,080 power of the Spirit would bring them to their knees and 1102 01:13:18,080 --> 01:13:22,120 confession and repentance today. That we would all leave here 1103 01:13:23,240 --> 01:13:27,520 changed and transformed by the power of your word and the power 1104 01:13:27,520 --> 01:13:30,040 of your Spirit working through your work. 1105 01:13:31,040 --> 01:13:33,400 And we pray and we ask all these things in the mighty name of 1106 01:13:33,520 --> 01:13:35,200 Jesus. Amen. 1107 01:13:37,680 --> 01:13:40,720 You've been listening to Key Life Fellowships pulpit ministry 1108 01:13:40,720 --> 01:13:43,520 podcast. Join us each week for more 1109 01:13:43,520 --> 01:13:45,120 teaching from God's Word.