A Faithful Saying
Text: 2 Timothy 2:11-13
There is an encouraging Bible passage found in 2 Timothy 2:11-13l, beginning with the sentence, 'This is a faithful saying.' Reading the verse, you will notice that this passage is indented. It is similar to the verses that we read in the book of Psalms. Some writers think that this passage was a hymn sung by the early Christians during their fellowship and worship.
A saying is any spoken expression of wisdom. A common saying comes from the wisdom of the world, spoken by the wise with a practical application on how one can find success in the pursuit of happiness.
On the other hand, a faithful saying (as used in this passage) is an expression of godly wisdom. It reveals much about our life with Christ in his kingdom. It is common knowledge for Christians during the first century of Christianity until now.
It is a faithful saying because it deserves strict attention and consideration. It contains comforting, encouraging, and edifying reminders to help us in our Christian walk on the narrow path to eternal Glory, a journey full of trials, persecutions, burdens, and hardships.
Today, I hope to encourage you with the wisdom of God imparted in this passage by considering the following meaningful themes:
How we began our life with Christ.
How do we continue our life with Christ?
Warning against those who deny him and become faithless.
I – HOW WE BEGAN OUR LIFE WITH CHRIST.
A. "FOR IF WE DIED WITH HIM..." (v 11a)\
This portion of the verse has reference to our obedience to the Gospel, in which we were crucified with Christ. (Romans 6:4)
It was a common conversation in the Bible to speak of converts having died with Christ.
1. We were dead in Christ. (Colossians. 2:20)
2. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ. (Colossians 3:3)
3. We have been crucified with Christ, who now lives in us. (Galatians 2:20)
B. "WE SHALL ALSO LIVE WITH HIM..." (v. 11b)
We are living with Christ now, in the newness of life.
1. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
2. We were made alive in Christ, having been forgiven of our sins. (Colossians 2:12-13)
3. We shall also live with him in the age to come. (Colossians 3:4)
II. HOW DO WE CONTINUE OUR LIFE WITH CHRIST?
A. WE NEED TO ENDURE. (v12a )
We all suffer hardships and difficulties whether we are Christians or not, but we can overcome them. We can endure trials, persecutions, and burdens because God gives us the strength by His grace in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:1)
I personally think that as teachers, we fall short in encouraging the flock to endure when we instruct them to bear difficulties and hardships as though these are commands that they need to obey with a hundred percent of their own strength. We fall short in laying out the principle, encouragement, and comfort of the Scriptures.
The commands of Jesus were written in our hearts to be obeyed with love. (John 14:15).
We will endure because we live with Jesus Christ.
1. We have a way of escape in our hour of temptations.
a) God gives us a way of escape. (1 Corinthians 10:13-14)
b) The Holy Spirit helps us. (Galatians 5:16)
c) Jesus will always be there for us as long as we live with him.
2. In our period of Trials
a) Count it joy, James said. (James 1:2-4)
b) The end-result of our trials is a transformation to maturity. These comforting words help us to endure.
3. In our times of Persecution
a) Godly living leads to persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)
b) No servant is greater than his master. (John 15:20)
c) Blessed are those who are persecuted in the name of Jesus. (Matthew 5:11)
d) Blessed are those who suffer in his name. (Acts 5:41)
If you do not want to be persecuted by unbelievers, be one with them, blend with them, do what they do. But of course, this is not a good thing to do. It would be a blessing to display our godliness. By our good example, we may influence them to the Glory of our God!
4. We need peace in our times of anxiety.
a) Paul said: "Be anxious for nothing ." (Philippians 4:6-7)
b) Cast all your anxieties to Him. ( 1 Peter 5:7)
There is an opportunity to pray and be thankful.
He cares for you! Isn't that encouraging!
5. We can cast our burdens and troubles to God.
a) Cast all your burdens to God. (Psalm 55:22)
b) Jesus said: "my burden is light." ( Matthew 11:28-30)
c) Meditate on this passage, and you will feel the comfort and compassion of our Lord.
6. When we fail short in our work of spreading the Gospel.
a) Paul tried to encourage Timothy because he has shown signs of:
timidity,
being intimidated and,
being ashamed of the Gospel.
b) We experience this shortcoming also when we fail short in our duty to share the Gospel.
c) Are you ashamed of the Gospel? (Romans 1:16)
The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of men!
Jesus will be with us till the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)
You can test the truth in this verse when you start sharing the Gospel.
When you pray for your loved ones, your friends, or for those who seek your guidance to the Gospel, God may respond by providing a situation where you may have the opportunity to open their hearts.
B. "WE SHALL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM..." (v 12 b)
1. What a wonderful promise by Jesus himself! (Revelation 3:21)
2. We will share in his Glory. (Romans 8:17)
3. Our enduring faith culminates in our Glory in the eternal state. (Rev 22:5)
III – WARNING AGAINST THOSE WHO DENY HIM AND BECOME FAITHLESS. (2 Timothy 12c, 13)
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
The last verse (v 13) is a favorite scripture for those who continue to live in sin and believe that God will save them in the end because He is faithful even when they are faithless. This belief is "nothing farther from the truth." The faithfulness of God simply means that He keeps His promises.
First of all,
To the faithful: there is a reward of eternal life in heaven.
To the faithless, there is dreadful punishment waiting for them in hell.
The passage tells us that IF WE DENY HIM, HE WILL ALSO DENY US.
Secondly,
One person's faithlessness will not nullify the faithfulness of God. 3
One person's faithlessness will not diminish His faithfulness.
When we renounce our faith and stop living with Jesus for any reason, we lose our faith and become faithless.
The suffix "less" means "without." Therefore faithless means: "without faith."
It reminds us of Demas, mentioned by Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:10, who has forsaken the faith because he loved the world.
We will follow the sad example of Demas if we are again enticed to the pleasures of the world and revert to our old nature of sinfulness.
When we turn our back against Jesus and sever or cut our relationship with him, we renounce our faith.
Here are some scriptures warning us against forsaking the faith:
1. They will be cut off. (Romans 11:22)
Paul compares those who leave the faith as being cut off like the Israelites who have fallen.
2. He will deny them before the Father in heaven (Matt 10:33)
A question may arise: how about the denial of Peter?
Peter denied Jesus not once, not twice, but thrice.
It should be noted that Peter denied Jesus, but he did not renounce his faith. He denied Jesus due to fear of persecution. He failed in this regard, but he did not fall. Peter repented with tears. He was forgiven. (1 John 1:9)
3. Peter warns those who leave the faith. The end is worse for them than the beginning (2 Peter2: 20-22)
a) This is a harsh warning. One who leaves the faith is worse than an unbeliever, comparing them to a dog that returns to its vomit and to a pig that, having been washed, goes back to wallow in the mire!
When they are "again entangled and are overcome," their spiritual condition will be worse than in the beginning.
If it was difficult for them to repent when they were yet unbelievers, how much more difficult it would be for them to repent, having believed, and again be enslaved by sins that were once nailed to the cross.
4. The words of Peter harmonizes with the verse found in Hebrews 6:4-6.
a) If they become faithless, can they sincerely repent? The writer of Hebrews says: "It is impossible (difficult) to renew them again to repentance.”
b) To sincerely repent, they need to obtain faith all over again and, to do this, they need to crucify Jesus all over again, putting him to open shame.
c) Those who become faithless and love the world make a mockery of the Spirit of Grace. (Hebrews 10:26-29)
d) When we "willfully sin," meaning when we continually sin without remorse, we reject Jesus Christ and sever our relationship with him.
e) There is a fearful expectation of a severe judgment to the faithless just as an unbeliever.
CONCLUSION.
1. We live with Jesus because we died with him.
2. With the grace of God, who gives us strength, we can endure hardships and difficulties in life for as long as we continue to LIVE with Jesus.
3. If we ENDURE till the end, we will reign with him in Glory
4. God is faithful.
To us who are faithful, we will receive the promise of eternal life.
To those who are FAITHLESS, there is eternal punishment in hell.
INVITATION.
If you are reading this message today and you are not a Christian, I hope that the message will remind you that there is a merciful God who can help you with your anxieties, burdens, and other crisis in life, but first of all, you need to come to Jesus LIVE with him. However, before you can live with Jesus, you need to die with him.
Jesus said:
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
If you have questions about the Gospel, please contact me at:
first1gospel@gmail.com
You may also want to visit the website found at www.tobechristian.org. This is a Seeker's Guide to the Scriptures focusing on the Gospel and God's plan for your salvation.
