OVERCOMING a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT-II—2Timothy 3:10-17
A—IMITATION of APOSTLES(3:10-14)
B—KNOWLEDGE of SCRIPTURES(3:15-17)
A—IMITATION of APOSTLES-II-(3:10-14)
Timothy’s imitation of Paul was pivotal/formative to his overcoming a hostile environment.
Imitation of godly people is pivotal to our overcoming a hostile environment.
Why is the imitation of godly people pivotal to our overcoming a hostile environment?
Pivotal to our overcoming a hostile environment is Adherence to Authority’s.....
Previously we found:
A hostile environment is overcome by Adherence to…
1—Authority’s TEACHING / Doctrine(:10a)
2—Authority’s PATTERN/Manner/Mentor(:10b)
3—Authority’s PURPOSE(:10c)
4—Authority’s TRUST(:10d)
5—A hostile environment is overcome by Adherence to…
Authority’s PATIENCE(:10e)
Explanation:(:10e) “Longsuffering”
:10e—“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,”
“Longsuffering/Patience”—makroyumia—Patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; Patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs. The self restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong.
Argumentation:
1Cor. 10:13—“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Js. 1:12—“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
1Pet. 2:19-25—“For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good & suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.”
Rom. 9:22-23—“What if God, wanting to show His wrath & to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, & that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,”
2Cor. 6:4-12 “But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand & on the left, by honor & dishonor, by evil report & good report; as deceivers, & yet true; as unknown, & yet well known; as dying, & behold we live; as chastened, & yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, & yet possessing all things. O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.”
Eph. 4:1-3—“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness & gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Gal. 5:22-25—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions & desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Illustration:
Mother-in-law gave us a cutting of her Yellow Bell(forsythia)/We planted it at the at corner of our lot/Watered & fertilized it/One day it was gone!/The neighbor had mowed it down on our own property!/We were wronged but did not retaliate/Authority’s PATIENCE
Application:
?You Adhere to Authority’s PATIENCE?
?You overcome the Hostile Environment created by ungodliness?
6—A hostile environment is overcome by Adherence to…
Authority’s LOVE(:10f)
Explanation:(:10f) “Love”
:10f—“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,”
“Love”—agaph—Brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; Love feasts.
Argumentation:
*Jn. 15:9-13—“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments & abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, & that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
1Cor. 13:1-8a—“Though I speak with the tongues of men & of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, & understand all mysteries & all knowledge, & though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, & though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long & is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails....”
1Cor. 16:20-24—“All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The salutation with my own hand--Paul’s. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”
Gal. 5:5-6—“For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
Eph. 6:23-24—“Peace to the brethren, & love with faith, from God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.”
Illustration:
Orphaned child/Accepted & adopted by parentsunrelated by blood, race or geography/LOVE completely changes, for good, the situation for all involved/Authority’s LOVE
Stray dog/Transforms wild animal to pet/How?/Authority’s LOVE
Application:
?You Adhere to Authority’s LOVE?
?You overcome the Hostile Environment created by ungodliness?
7—A hostile environment is overcome by Adherence to…
Authority’s CONTINUANCE(:10g)
Explanation:(:10g) “Perseverance”
:10f—“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,”
“Perseverance/Patience/Endurance”—upomonh—Steadfastness, constancy, endurance; A patient, steadfast waiting for; A patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance. The temper which does not easily succumb under suffering.
Argumentation:
Ex. 18:13-27—“And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; & the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, & all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. “When they have a difficulty, they come to me, & I judge between one & another; & I make known the statutes of God & His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. “Both you & these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. “Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, & God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. “And you shall teach them the statutes & the laws, & show them the way in which they must walk & the work they must do. “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; & place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. “And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. “If you do this thing, & God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, & all this people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law & did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, & made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, & rulers of tens. So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, & he went his way to his own land.”
—2 examples of endurance:
Illustration:
POW/Tortured/Suffers in horrific ways/Disfigured &/or dies but Never gives in/Authority’s CONTINUANCE
—You may be taken(oppressed) & tempted by the enemy/Maintain Authority’s CONTINUANCE by closeness to Christ.
Application:
?You Adhere to Authority’s CONTINUANCE?
?You overcome the Hostile Environment created by ungodliness?
8—A hostile environment is overcome by Adherence to…
Authority’s DANGER / Pain / Sufferage(:11a-b)
Explanation:(:11a-b) “Persecutions”
:11 “persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.”
@Antioch—Pisidian Antioch—1st spoke in the synagogue & were well received by “many of the Jews & devout proselytes”(Acts 13:15-43)—Next Sabbath, Paul & Barnabas turned their ministry to the Gentiles. & “The Jews....raised up persecution against Paul & Barnabas & expelled them from their region.”(Acts 13:44-50).
@Iconium—Same scenario—“The multitude of the city was divided” & “A violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles & Jews, with their rulers, to abuse & stone them...” & “fled to Lystra & Derbe...”
@Lystra—Paul brought healing to a man crippled from birth.—The people declared Barnabas, Zeus & Paul, Hermes—Preached truth of the Gospel—The Jews came from both Antioch & Iconium, persuaded the multitudes—Stoned Paul & dragged him out of town assuming he was dead.
“Persecutions”—diwgmov—Persecution
“Afflictions/Sufferings”—payhma—That which one suffers or has suffered; An enduring, undergoing, suffering.
Argumentation:
Acts 9:15-16—“But the Lord said to him[Ananias], “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, & the children of Israel. “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.””
1Cor. 4:9-13—“For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels & to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger & thirst, & we are poorly clothed, & beaten, & homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”
2Cor. 11:21-29—“To our shame, I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold--I speak foolishly--I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ?--I speak as a fool--I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night & a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness & toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger & thirst, in fastings often, in cold & nakedness-- besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, & I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, & I do not burn with indignation?”
Mat. 5:10-12—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. “Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
1Thes. 2:2—“But even after we had suffered before & were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.”
1Thes. 3:2-4—“& sent Timothy, our brother & minister of God, & our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you & encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, & you know.”
Illustration:
Pool/Always battling foreign objects—Leaves, sticks, seeds, pollen, earthworms, centipedes, spiders, crickets, frogs, frog eggs, snakes, birds, voles, etc./Pool store folks tell us these things must be dealt with properly/The chemical composition of the water will render it unusable/Authority’s DANGER
These are DANGERS my pool faces simply by its location. Likewise if you go where God wants you to go, you will also face DANGERS which must be managed according to God’s will!
Application:
?You Adhere to Authority’s DANGER?
?You overcome the Hostile Environment created by ungodliness?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A hostile environment is overcome by Adherence to…
5. Authority’s PATIENCE(:10e)
6. Authority’s LOVE(:10f)
7. Authority’s CONTINUANCE(:10g)
8. Authority’s DANGER / Pain / Sufferage(:11a-b)
Presented 04/11/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
