How To Align Your Life Series

How to Align Your Life

Series: Fan the Flame (2 Timothy)

Brad Bailey – February 11, 2024

Intro

We are continuing is a series… allowing God to speak to us from the Biblical Book called 2 Timothy… chapter 3… verses 10-17.

As we begin…I’m reminded of a particular type of scenario that has been a part of a few movies… there is a group of lives that find themselves in the midst of a dangerous wild terrain…often a mountainous jungle…something treacherous or dangerous …whether animal or enemies of some type…and they have to find their way to safety.

And there will be one leader who tends to dominate… who insists they must follow a particular path…such as the river…. But then another…perhaps the one local among them…who says that’s a mistake… they must go north…and the only way is to go over the mountain pass.

The majority choose…albeit passively…to follow the domineering authority…but a small few… believe that the local is saying the hard truth …that the mountain is the due north course which is the direction they must go.

And what follows … begins to unfold the tragic fate of the larger group…. While the smaller group faces hardships… but finally reach safety.

> Akin to what the Apostles Paul writes to Timothy and for all to hear. Paul sees how lost and disoriented the world is…as was describes in the previous section we engaged last week.

2 Timothy 3:1-4

Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

In the last days… the whole of the time between God’s revealing his power to defeat death and provide a means for his love to win… and the culmination… this is what will flow from our human hearts apart from God’s working…

Now he continues…. And speaks to HOW TO ALIGN YOUR LIFE amidst such a disorienting world.

2 Timothy 3:10-13

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

He begins…” You, however, know…”“You”… he is addressing him personally. We each have a choice to make.

You know all about what is true and good…

You have what you need… to choose well…

know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings

He begins by saying…

1. Follow those you know… who reflect what God has said is true and good… not corrupted and vain.

I have seen how people can come influence the masses…but you have known better… you have known what is truly right and good.

They had met when Paul was on his second missionary journey. Timothy became his successor in leading the church in Ephesus and joined him on his travels….

my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings

Paul’s teaching … something Paul had been encouraging Timothy to pass on throughout this letter. [1]

but continues…

His way of life…that is…how I actually live… make decisions… and relate to people

His manner of living was so unlike the false teachers he warned Timothy about (vv1-9). Paul didn’t have a love of self, as many of the false teachers had. Instead, he always shared that his only purpose was to make Christ known… Paul didn’t have a love of money, as many of the false teachers had. Instead, he showed he would live in whatever circumstances he faced.

His purpose… By this, Paul is referring to his goal in life. Was it notoriety… attention… financial gain? Paul’s life spoke so clearly of a man with one purpose… to make Christ known.

His faith – He was able to give himself to a greater purpose …because he lived so rooted in eternal reality… of things greater than this world held. Paul didn’t seek trouble…he wasn’t trying to test God…but he would trust God when that purpose required risk.

His patience and love – Paul had compassion… grace…he not quick to be triggered by selfish anger.

Nowhere is your patience tested more than when you are wronged. And Paul was wronged on many occasions. Even though Paul was the bearer of good news… he was ridiculed… beaten… persecuted….and now once again imprisoned him…yet he endured with patience… and was driven by love not hate.