Call to Completion:
After salvation what’s next?
8-11-02
2 Timothy 2:1-26
Once we have accepted Jesus as our Christ, what then?
Now that we are in Christ…
What do we do next?
Turn we me to II Timothy, Chapter 2.
In these verses, we get a succinct picture of what we should be doing.
Here, the Apostle Paul describes Timothy seven different ways.
Seven, you know… is a biblical number of completion.
First, Paul calls Timothy “a son.”
Then Paul refers to him as a soldier… an athlete…a farmer … a workman… a vessel… and a servant.
Total up the discerning qualities of each of these descriptions… and we begin to understand how many ways we need to “grow up” in our faith.
And Jesus expects us to grow up—to mature in our faith… so that we will be worth something to him… and to us, ourselves.
This is especially true now that Islam has declared war on all non-Islamic people—and they have.
As a nation… we have taken casualties in this war.
· Islamic fundamentalists blew up nearly 300 Marines on peacekeeping duty in Lebanon several years ago.
· Islamic terrorists held U. S. citizens hostage in several airline highjackings during the past several years.
· Islamic terrorists shot an American Jew while in his wheel chair and dumped his body into the sea off a highjacked cruise ship.
· Employees and neighbors of U.S. Embassies were killed and maimed in two Islamic terrorist attacks in Africa.
· Islamic extremist brutalized and killed Army rangers, who were in Mogadishu in support of relief efforts. They dragged their bullet-riddled bodies through the streets.
· Then came the twin towers and the Pentagon.
· And, the Islamic highjackers who were overpowered… and crashed another airliner in a Pennsylvania woodland.
It is both timely and important… that we understand all seven of the labels… and how each of them contribute to the completion of our faith… and for service to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Every since the devil beguiled Eve in the Garden… God’s people have had to contend with those who are influenced … and empowered by Satan, himself.
Paul told the Ephesians in Chapter 6: Verse 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
When God put mankind on this earth… he put us in the midst of an ongoing angelic conflict.
Satan immediately targeted all of mankind… because we are created in God’s own image… to be the primary object of his love and blessing.
Lucifer—the anointed cherub…the angel second only to God, himself, in wisdom and power—rebelled and was cast out of heaven.
He has played havoc on earth ever since.
Once known as the “morning Star,” he became Satan… the deceiver.
Jesus called him the “father of lies,” because “the truth is not in him.”
Ours is a struggle in the Spirit… not in the flesh. It requires the fortitude of a completed faith… and not the mere wisdom of men to settle it.
The completion of our faith begins with our Spiritual birth.
Paul first calls Timothy… SON!
The Son
1 "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
This is why Paul called Timothy “my son.”
He referred both to his own relationship with Timothy… and to our sonship in Christ.
He referred to our Spiritual birth… that occurs when we accept Jesus as our Christ.
Remember… Jesus once told Nichodemus that we must be born again!
He said we must be born of the Spirit… just as we were once born in the flesh.
Timothy was Paul’s son in the faith.
Together, they…and we…became “Joint heirs with Jesus.”
We are Spiritual sons and daughters of whomever brought us to a saving knowledge of Jesus as our Christ.
And, in Christ, we are the family of God.
We are citizens of Heaven, FIRST… and then citizens of these United States.
What we know in Christ… we are to share with those who don’t know Jesus as their Christ.
Our first loyalty is to our Heavenly Father… through his Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Soldier
3 "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."
Not only a son… but also we are soldiers.
A soldier must be mature… grown up… disciplined to a higher authority.
4 "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer."
Paul is talking about loyalty and devotion here.
Our authority as a Christian… originates with God himself.
Jesus told us we “cannot serve two masters,” for we would love one and hate the other.
When Paul wrote these words, they were under a satanic dictatorship with few citizens … and many slaves.
To serve that government … was to oppose God… and renounce Jesus as your Lord.
Here, with freedom of choice… and a secret ballot… we can serve the Lord in the ballot box.
As his sons… He expects us to live his will every day.
He also expects us to vote his will on Election Day.
We vote… and politic as we live…guided by… and in… the Spirit of the Living God.
The Athlete
5 "Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules."
If we expect to get the greatest return on our investment of faith in Jesus as our Christ… we must be like the athlete.
And how is that?
First of all… what type of an athlete are you?
Are we a runner…swimmer… jumper… skater… or skier?
When we decide what we are… we are not good because we choose to be.
We improve… and get good
· When we practice…
· When we train…
· When we persevere…
· When we learn from mistakes and defeats.
· When we stay the course… to the finish.
And if we expect the crown… we play within accepted behavior—what is expected of all contenders.
Whether competing in athletics… or living our lives… or in conflict with “the powers of darkness” …
We do it “God’s Way.”
He writes the rules.
He crowns the winner.
The Farmer
6 "The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.
7 "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this."
This is a statement of faith… and grace.
The farmer prepares land created by God.
He plants seeds given by God.
He adds fertilizer and water… also from God.
He waits.
The re-creation of life… the multiplying of the seed… were all programmed by God.
The time cycle also is programmed by God.
The farmer… waits.
Working won’t accelerate the process.
The farmer RESTS!
It is the grace of God that does the work.
God gives the increase… that we take as a harvest.
In all of live… we… like the farmer… do our part… let God do his part… and then we share the harvest.
8 "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel,
9 "for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.
10 "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory."
The race we are running is the one to introduce as many people as possible to Jesus as their Christ.
The harvest that we seek to reap… are the hearts converted by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus as their Christ.
11 "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 "if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
To disown Jesus as your Christ is to admit that you never fully trusted him to the point of "new birth."
You may have professed faith, but you never fully invested yourself in Jesus as your Christ.
13 "if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself."
The Workman
14 "Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
The commitment of the athlete… and the faith of the farmer… are both essential in becoming a WORKMAN unashamed.
16 "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."
The Vessel
20 "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
21 "If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument—or a vessel—for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."
We each have our own capacity.
God made us that way.
What we fill ourselves with… is up to us.
God gave us a free will.
We can choose between heaven and hell.
We can choose between right and wrong.
We can fill our capacity with the good
· That comes from God—
· The eternal and everlasting that God wants us to have.
Or… we can fill our lives with
· The temporary…
· The vulgar…
· That with no lasting value…
· That which will not survive the cleansing of judgment.
God gave us this life.
But we can fill it either way.
The choice is ours!
We must choose wisely.
The Servant
23 "Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
24 "And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."
A good servant does the will of his master.
Employees are evaluated by management on their performance... and productivity.
Our Lord and master wants us with him... like him... and serving him.
The hope and prayer of our master is contained in his great prayer for us:
John 17:11, "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.
12 "While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled."
Our Lord and Master has asked God our Father to protect us…to keep us safe…so that we may be one as The Father and Son are one.
A faithful servant brings honor and glory to his master by his loyalty and devotion.
Encouragement
As Paul writes to encourage and urge Timothy to continued faithfulness … he, too, is urging us to…
· Invest ourselves fully into Jesus as our Christ…
· To yield our will to his…
· To become a loving son… a loyal soldier…a winning athlete… a faithful farmer… a workman worthy of our task... a vessel filled with God’s goodness... and a willing servant.
We must allow God to shape us… to mold us into a vessel that will contain all the good that God has for us.
And as a servant… our Lord and savior expects a friend who both loves and serves him…who will bring honor and glory to him.
The question today is: How grown up are we in Christ?
Have we allowed him to “complete” us… to make us into ALL that we can be for him?
I pray that we have.
