Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20260422 - Endure Hardship As A Good Soldier Of Jesus Christ

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#20260422 - Endure Hardship As A Good Soldier Of Jesus Christ · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word recorded live at Calvary
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Church in Aurora, Co. To learn more about the many
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resources available through Abounding Grace Media or to tune
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into our live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co
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dot Church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now let's open our Bibles and study God's Word.
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Amen. Second Timothy chapter 2.
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Last week we covered chapter 1 and the heading of that teaching
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was Stir up the gift of God, which is in you.
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We talked about the the great need to have the Holy Spirit
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just saturating our lives, being filled with the Holy Spirit,
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stirring up the gift of God that he gives to us as believers.
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Some difficult things. This is Paul's last letter to
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Timothy. He is in the Mamertine prison
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there in the city of Rome, in the lower part of the prison.
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And he knows that his time is short and that he will end up
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being executed, taken outside the city and beheaded.
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So what would you say if you this was your last letter?
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What, what kinds of things would you tell someone if it's your
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last letter? But when you read through Second
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Timothy in these 4 chapters, you don't hear him moaning.
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You don't hear him saying, this is such a bummer.
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You know, I'm so miserable. What's these crummy Romans?
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I mean, he doesn't go into that, at least not in the Greek, but
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he's focused because he wants to lay out to Timothy these last
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important 27 commands. Last week we talked about the
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1st 5 commands that were in Chapter 1 and then as we go
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through Chapter 2, I want you to see if you can pick out the
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commands that Paul gives Timothy.
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I've entitled chapter 2, Endure hardship as a good soldier of
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Jesus Christ. It's hard for us to really
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picture what it was like living in the Roman Empire at this time
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as a believer. Paul is now incarcerated for his
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faith, and there are others that are have been incarcerated for
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their faith and they become Public Enemy number one, you
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might say. And so with that pressure,
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knowing that there's a target on your back and yet you're still
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trying to share Christ with people and things are very
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dangerous, it's easy to want to pull back and hide and just not
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put yourself out there. But Timothy's in a place of
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leadership. He's in a place as a Bishop, you
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might say, over these house churches there in the city of
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Ephesus. And so Paul is strongly
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encouraging Timothy to endure hardship.
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It's yes, I know it's going to be hard.
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It's hard for me right now and in prison, because he talks
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about it even as at the end of Chapter 1, he says everybody
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took off, everybody forsook me. Only Luke is with me.
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You read at the end of the book, and yet he's going to finish
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well. He's going to press on, finish
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well. He says.
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My life is like being poured out, like a drink offering.
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But I know where I'm going, and I know who saved me, and I know
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what he's done for me. And as long as Paul kept that in
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front of him, it was all worth it.
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And I tell you, once you lose sight of the great sacrifice
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that Jesus made for us to bring us reconciled back to the
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Father, you start losing sight of that.
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And all of a sudden you go, why am I doing this?
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What's this all about anyway? Pretty soon you start
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questioning the whole rules of the Kingdom because you've lost
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the plot. Jesus is the main thing and you
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see him going back to that as you as we cover these chapters.
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So I'm going to take chapter 2 tonight and I want to split it
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up into two parts. Those of you that are taking
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notes, you can just heading number one is called endure
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hardship. Very simple.
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And that's the first 13 verses Endure hardship.
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The second section I call erring believers must be stopped.
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Erring believers must be stopped.
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That's verse 14 to verse 26. And there's so much going on in
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chapter 2. Rather than reading all 13
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verses in the first part, I'm going to break it down a little
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better. And so the first thing I want to
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talk about is Paul coming to Timothy in verses one and two
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and saying to him be strong in the grace that's in Christ
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Jesus. A couple of years ago I did an
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in depth study on this section and you can go on to the church
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website and find that study to go and do a deep dive into it.
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But I just want to reiterate some things here that are super
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important, super important for us today.
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He says in verses one and two, you therefore, my Son, be strong
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in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things that you
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have heard from me among many witnesses commit these to
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faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
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So as you're reading through the word and you as when we always
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talk about this, as you come to the Word, therefore you've got
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to think about what's the foundation for what he's about
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to say and that's the previous verses.
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So therefore, based on these principles, based on the fact
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that you're not to be ashamed of the gospel, you're to share with
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me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of
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God, Paul says I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed
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and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep what I've committed to
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him until that day. So Timothy, you therefore, my
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son Paul didn't have any physical children, but he had a
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couple of really strong spiritual sons.
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Titus was one. Timothy was even closer than
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Titus. You therefore, my son, be strong
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in the grace that's in Christ Jesus.
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And you know that word be strong is, is in the present imperative
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in the Greek and and that Greek form is a command to do
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something in the future which involves continuous or repeated
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action. It's not a one time be strong
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once. No, it's continually be strong
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in the grace that's in Christ Jesus.
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Grace is the favor of God. Continually go back to God for
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that grace because that's where you get your strength to endure
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because you just can't do. You can't do it on your own.
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You need the grace from heaven to get through this.
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Timothy, these are rough days. These are difficult days.
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These are dangerous days. Be strong, be continuously
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strong in the grace that's in Christ Jesus or you're not going
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to make it. It's going to be difficult.
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I think verse one out of chapter 2 is the key for the whole
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chapter because if you're not going to go to the Lord for your
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strength to draw upon His grace, you're on your own.
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You can do what you want, and you're going to experience
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failure after failure, hopelessness after hopelessness
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in the world in which we live. And then you come to His first
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command here after being strong. He says the things that you've
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heard from me among many witnesses, 15 years worth.
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Commit these to faithful man who will be able to teach others.
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This is discipleship. It's where you pass it along.
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And since being here, I mean, we moved from England 6 1/2 years
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ago and you know, I've learned so much being here under Pastor
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Ed. And one of the things he taught
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me is, is just this five point of discipleship.
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And maybe you've heard it, maybe the business world might use it,
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but it sure resonates with me as I look back on my years of
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ministry. The first step I do, you watch,
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we talk. The second step I do, you help,
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we talk. The third step, you do, I help.
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We talk. The 4th step you do, I watch, we
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talk. And the 5th step you do, someone
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else watches, you talk with them.
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Now there's a lot of time in between these and when I look
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back on my 29 years of pastoring in North Phoenix, I was so eager
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to delegate and to to take risks and to trust that I didn't spend
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enough time talking afterwards. Because when it said, I do you
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watch, we talk. Well, the whole purpose of
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talking is to explain how come I did what I did, how I did it.
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There's a reason behind it. And, and to just to talk that
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out and to get an understanding that's all about mentoring
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discipleship. And I look back and I go, you
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know, I didn't talk enough. And some people say you talk too
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much already. But in that discipleship time, I
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didn't spend enough time really going through why I do what I
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do. And, you know, and as the church
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here, Calvary Church, there are decisions that are made that are
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changes that go on. There are always reasons behind
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them and rather than saying, well, I don't like that when why
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did they didn't ask me about this?
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Well, how about just going to someone in in the leadership,
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one of the pastors and say, what was the mindset going on that
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led up to this change? And I think you will find 100%
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of the time that there's a very good reason why that change was
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made the way it was. And sure, you could do it a
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million different times or different ways, but it but
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there's a reason behind it, not just arbitrary, arbitrary
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discipleship process. And then he says faithful men.
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And let me tell you, it's hard to find faithful men when
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there's a target on your back by the government.
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Everybody wants to hide. Everybody wants to just like get
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out of the way and and be secret and not be seen.
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Faithful men. What's that mean?
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Those who have proven over time to be trustworthy, solid in
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faith, servant hearted, more concerned about others than
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their own comforts and conveniences.
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Let me just say that again. Faithful men, and women for that
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matter. But here Paul talks about
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faithful men, those who have proven over time to be
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trustworthy, solid in faith, servant hearted, more concerned
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about others than their own comforts and conveniences.
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Who can find a faithful man? The Lord knows where they are.
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And this is a a good exhortation to us to say, you know, my world
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isn't the most important thing. His Kingdom is the most
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important thing, and when I say not my will but yours be done,
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do I really mean it or do I say as long as I can have veto
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power? No, that's not in there.
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Your will, not mine, because you believe that His will is better
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than even your great plan. That makes so much sense.
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Verses 3 through 7 You therefore must endure hardship as a good
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soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare and
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tangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please
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him who enlisted him as a soldier.
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And also, if anyone competes in athletics, he's not crowned
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unless he competes according to the rules.
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The hard working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
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Consider what I say and may the Lord give you understanding and
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all things. Here's that word.
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Therefore again, verse 3. Therefore, OK, be strong in the
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grace, Tim. Now understand things are going
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to get hard, endure hardship. This is fascinating.
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What? When I was studying this, I went
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back to chapter one, verse 8, where Paul says share with me in
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the sufferings, Timothy share with me in the sufferings.
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Timothy wasn't in prison. Paul was in prison.
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So what's he talking about? I have to go into prison with
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Paul. No, he says absolutely identify
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with my sufferings and join with me, identify with me.
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And it's one Greek word. It's a compound word, sue
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cacopatheo. So I mean, if you learn that
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word SU cacopatheo, you can say that if you smash your thumb
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with a hammer, oh, SU cathopatheo, you know, it's
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better than swearing. OK, So just say a Greek word.
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Share with me in the sufferings. But now Paul is saying here,
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Timothy, you have to endure your own hardship.
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Yes, I want you to share with me and my sufferings, but Tim,
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you're going to have to endure your own hardship.
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And that Greek word is the core of that first word, cacopatheo.
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It means to basically endure evil sufferings in the context
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of what Paul is writing about. It's the Roman world, it's the
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dangers, it's the difficulties. OK, That's the context.
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What about our world? Our world?
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Sometimes it's our families, sometimes it's our job,
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sometimes it's our health, sometimes it's our finances.
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And we're going through such hardship.
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I remember when I was doing Calvary Live, one guy called in
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and said I've been living in my car for five months and I'm so
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afraid the car is going to break down.
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I don't know what to do. So we prayed together and, and
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the first thing we prayed for is for the Lord to calm the storm
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in his heart because how can he hear the next step if there's
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all this static going on based on fear?
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I mean, life can be so challenging and difficult and
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you hear the stories in it and it, it just blows my mind.
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I'm going God, how, how, how can we help?
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How can you help? Well, because God knows he
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starts on the inside to calm the storm on the inside.
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Yes, you're going through hardship, But Paul said to
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Timothy, you therefore must endure hardship.
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And the underline, the word must.
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There's going to be difficulties.
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I mean, Jesus tipped off his disciples, didn't he?
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He says, if anyone follow me, come after me, let him deny
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himself, take up his instrument of death daily, the cross, and
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follow me. Just know that that's a
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possibility. Own it.
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It's yours because they're going to do it with me.
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Consider verse 7. Consider what I say and may the
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Lord give you understanding in all things.
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And you know when, when you look at these three illustrations of
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the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer, I want you to know
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that there are there's a need here in these three
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illustrations for Timothy to have endurance, focus, that's
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the soldier, obedience and discipline.
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That's the athlete and labor, and the word labor means
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laboring to the point of exhaustion.
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Timothy, take a look at these three normal aspects of life
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around you. Look what they go through just
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in the natural that they're able to do those things because they
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have a goal in mind and that goal keeps them pressing on.
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Timothy, you have a greater goal than they have, but you're going
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to need the same endurance, focus, obedience, discipline,
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and labor. It's not for sissies.
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You can do this, Timothy, if they can do it, you can do it
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according to the power of God, because he points that out in
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verse 8 in chapter 1, according to the power of God.
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And so shifting gears a little bit to your life, what you're
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going through your hardship right now, or maybe somebody you
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love that's going through hardship, you must endure
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hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
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That's God's calling for you. Not to run, but to endure
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because God is working in the waiting.
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Like Pastor Sean taught us over the weekend, God is working in
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the waiting. And yes, it's so hard and God
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knows it's difficult, but He wants to give you the power to
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endure because in the enduring your faith muscles strengthen.
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Who goes to the gym and just, you know, month after month, all
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they do is pick up a bar and just kind of like do this, toss
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it around for like 10 minutes and then put it down and go
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home. What are you doing?
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You're not building up muscle. You got to put weights on.
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The silly thing. Well, I don't want to put
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weights on. It's heavy.
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Well, that's the point because when it, when that bar gets
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heavy and you got to lift, you're starting to stretch and
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tear certain fibers and, and you're, you're building up
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muscle and then you get used to it and you got to put a little
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more on to keep building up the muscle.
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It's the same way with faith in the hardship.
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God wants to grow you and strengthen your faith.
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I think it's in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 27 where Paul says I
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hate these thin pages. You can't turn the pages fast.
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But solid food, verse 14, belongs to those who are of full
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age, that is, those who by reason of use, have their senses
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exercised to discern both good and evil.
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When you're in the middle of that hardship and you're
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enduring hardship and you're looking to the Lord, you're
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having your spiritual senses exercise to discern good and
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evil. You're growing in strength.
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And we say God take the weights off, take the weights off.
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Well, he says, well, I'm not done.
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We're not done. But he's a great personal
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trainer. You know, we're not done with
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that. You can do this, Nemo.
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You know, you can do this just a little more, a few more reps.
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No, please, I'm with you. Hang in there.
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This is my strength. Here's a power bar.
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You know, that's God's word to Timothy.
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So so important to us as well. Consider what I say and may the
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Lord give you understanding in all things.
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Verse 8 verse 8 to 13 Paul says I want to put myself out there
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as an example Tim on how you can endure.
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Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised
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from the dead. According to my gospel, for
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which I suffer trouble as an evil doer, even to the point of
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chains, but the word of God is not chained.
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Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that
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they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
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Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying.
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If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
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If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
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If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
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If we are faithless, He remains faithful.
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He cannot deny Himself to help with this enduring of the
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hardship. The thought life must be founded
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upon the realities of what Jesus has done on our behalf.
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Because why would Timothy be ashamed?
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Why would he have a tendency to want to pull back?
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Well, because he could. They could kill him.
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And so Paul says, well remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of
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David was raised from the dead. Death isn't the end.
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Death is just the process. Jesus said he that believes in
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me shall never die. That's because he knows the real
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us is inside this body looking out these windows.
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Because the real you is inside there.
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You're looking out these windows.
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You live in this house and you know, the shingles fall off up
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here, the plumbing backs up, you know, in the house.
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You know what I'm talking about. But the real essence inside
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here, God knows who you are deep down He knows who you are.
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Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David, God fulfilled
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that prophecy, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,
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for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer.
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Therefore, verse 10, I endure all things for the sake of the
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elect. I mean, your parents, we're
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praying about parents and children today.
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When your kids are very, very sick and they're lying in bed
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and you're sitting on the bed stroking their head.
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Have you ever prayed? God, would you just put this
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sickness on me and let them go? I all handle it.
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They don't know what's going on. Paul says here, I endure all
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things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain
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salvation, which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
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Did you ever consider that your kids are in your life according
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to God's plan and you lost your job and you're going, Oh no, the
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kids aren't going to be able to have this or that and Christmas
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is going to look terrible and they're going to hate us?
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Come on, wait a minute. Maybe God is using you to train
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them on how to make it through lean times.
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So how do you pull together during a lean time?
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That's a that's a discipleship with your kids.
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No, I can't have my special $200 trainers.
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OK, well, OK, let's talk about that.
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I endure all things for the sake of the elect.
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And as a father, I would say I will endure whatever else to
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protect my kids. The gospel is worth it.
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Verse 11, this a faithful saying.
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And verse 1112 and 13 are like one of the first hymns in the
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Christian community where they would say this.
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This is one of the faithful sayings that we see in the New
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Testament. If we died with him, what's to
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what's Paul talking about? Difficulty.
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And he's going to die. If we died with him, we shall
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also reign with him. Excuse me.
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If we died with him, we shall live with him.
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If we endure, we shall reign with him.
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And then he says if we deny him, he also will deny us.
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And you go, what? Well, Jesus said that, but he
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was talking about those who would hear the gospel and say, I
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want nothing to do with it. I want nothing to do with this
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Jesus. Wow, I've talked to people that
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actually say that and it's like, really?
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Are you kidding? No, that's all.
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It's it's just all a well-intentioned scam.
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My relatives. If we deny him, he will also
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deny us before the Father. That's how serious that is.
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And this is part of the faithful saying, because it's true, it's
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not everybody gets to heaven. It's not God is an old dot
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doting grandfather saying, aw shucks, come on in anyway.
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You know it's not how it is. There was a line drawn.
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You hear the gospel, you either accept it, you're rejected.
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If you deny Jesus, he will deny you before the Father.
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That's true. And there are times when we are
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faithless, but it doesn't change God.
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It says here he remains faithful even though I become unfaithful,
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He remains faithful. My activity doesn't change God.
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He cannot deny Himself. These four truths became a kind
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of rallying hymn among the believers during those difficult
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times. It's good to summarize things
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like this. Well, let's go on to the second
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part of the chapter. Erring believers must be stopped
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because Paul is shifting gears here in verse 14 and verses 14
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and 19. He says he writes this.
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Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord
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not to strive about words, to no prophet, to the ruin of the
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hearers. Be diligent to present yourself
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from prove to God a worker who does not need to be ashamed,
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rightly dividing the word of truth.
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But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will
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increase to more ungodliness, and their message will spread
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like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of
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this sort who have strayed concerning the truth, saying
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that the resurrection has already passed and they
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overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the solid
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foundation of God stands having this seal.
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The Lord knows those who are His, and let everyone who names
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the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
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Let's talk about this section straying from the gospel, Paul
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says in verse 14. Remind them of these things,
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just the things that he said here so far in this chapter.
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Keep the main thing, the main thing.
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Don't get distracted. Don't get caught up in arguments
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over words because you missed. It's like you get so locked in
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on the tree, you miss the forest.
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And these are difficult times. You, I mean, we live in
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difficult times and it's so easy to get distracted.
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Oh, why did they do that? They shouldn't have done that.
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And you know that that person is this kind of political party and
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I'm not going to even visit them anymore because that's
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ridiculous. And all of a sudden we build up
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these non essentials with the gospel from Yeah, and we and we
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put the gospel aside. That's that's not when you do
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that you don't get the power of God.
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You just get your own opinion. Don't strive about words.
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It's easy to get sidetracked on non essentials that pull focus
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away from all that Jesus has done for us.
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And it's easy to want to defend the gospel, to start getting
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into arguments, to try to prove the point.
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But you forget you're missing that it's the Holy Spirit that
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has to bring conviction, not you.
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I can't bring some, if I can talk somebody into accepting
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Jesus, they could be talked out of it.
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If the Holy Spirit's not involved.
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Come on, it's a whole don't play Holy Spirit.
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He's, he's unique, he's separate, he's powerful.
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Yes, present the truth, but the Holy Spirit has to bring them to
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repentance, to open their eyes. And we'll talk about that a
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little later on in the chapter. Sometimes there's so much focus
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on a word in Christian circles that ends up contradicting the
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text and they redefine what it means.
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For instance, you ever heard the verse in Philippians 4?
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I can do all things to Christ who strengthens me.
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Well, that means whatever I want to do, I can do because Christ
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will give me the strength to do it.
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Well, I think you before you pull that promise out of the
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bread box, I think you need to look at the context because the
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context says this. Philippians 4 verse 12 and 13.
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I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere
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and in all things. I have learned both to be full
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and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
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I can do all things to Christ who strengthens me.
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You know what that means? I can endure whatever life
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throws at me. I can endure because Christ
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gives me the strength to make it through.
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That's the context. It's not like say it and it
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happens. And there's also Ashley, Paul
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says to the ruin of the hearers. And man, I tell you, I have in
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my years of pastoring, I've ran across situations with people,
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they are destroyed in their faith because of of false
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doctrine that they had been taught.
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And they weren't able to meet up to the standard that they were
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told they had to meet. And they felt like they were
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failing Christians and maybe their salvation was in jeopardy.
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And I mean, I remember one family coming up to me on a
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Wednesday night and and saying, we, we really like it here, but
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we're we're not supposed to be here because our pastor told us
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that if we go to any other church, we'll lose our
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salvation. This what I'm going well, let me
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give you a prophecy. Thus saith the Lord, Leave that
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church at all. My gosh, how can you?
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What says that? Let every man abide in the
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calling wherein he is called out of First Corinthians 7.
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That's totally not the context. I mean, they were so broken.
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They were so ripped apart, and you know, they're still at the
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church today. That was back in the 80s.
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Praise the Lord, but it makes you upset.
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Ruin of the hearers. That's a real thing that
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happens. Timothy is exhorted here.
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Make sure the gospel that you preach is sound by being a
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worker who rightly divides the word of truth.
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And then verses 16 to 19, these babblings from others, he calls
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them, will increase to more ungodliness and even overthrow
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the faith of son. But I like verse 19.
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The solid foundation of God stands.
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These are so important. These are like tensions.
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These are like things that create balance. 1 pulls against
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the other #1 the Lord knows those who are his.
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But #2 the life should show it. Let everyone who names the name
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of Christ depart from iniquity. And so there's that tension
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there. Or maybe you can call it 2 rails
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on which the train rides. Both are important.
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Yes, the Lord knows who those who are his, but their life
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better show it long term. He's not talking about a trial
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you have today or or tomorrow, but he's talking about a long
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term practice. And then in verses 20 to 22,
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Paul brings this other illustration.
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He says here, But in a great house there are not only vessels
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of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor
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and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses
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himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor,
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sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good
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work. Flee also youthful lust, but
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pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call
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on the Lord out of a pure heart. Here's another illustration Paul
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puts in here of a great massive mansion.
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And in a great house you've got vessels of gold and silver and
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some wood and clay, and they're used for different things, some
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for honor, some for dishonor. And then he shifts it and he
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says, here's what I'm talking about.
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You're a vessel in our master's house.
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Don't be a vessel of dishonor at some for use.
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I mean, I remember down in Mexico doing some outreach in
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Mexico when we were at this hotel, just a small hotel, small
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little village, really. I'm not even sure how they even
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had a hotel. But the plumbing, the pipes were
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so small that when you had to go #2 you had to take the paper and
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put it in the trash can right next to the toilet.
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And, and there were other people that had been there.
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And so I'm, I'm sorry that, I mean, you can't Unsee this.
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This is this is my picture of a vessel of dishonor, OK.
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I'm sorry, And Paul is talking about Christians not being a
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vessel of dishonor. Fellas, if you're dabbling with
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pornography, you're being a vessel of dishonor because
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you're defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit.
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Ladies, when you are depressed and you start going to stores to
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buy, buy, buy to try to bring comfort and you end up getting
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yourself in worse financial trouble, it's a vessel of
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dishonor. It's not how God wants you to
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live. He'll provide, but he's got to
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calm the storm in your heart first.
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So that's why he says in verse 21, therefore, if anyone
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cleanses himself from the latter, being a vessel of
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dishonor, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified, which
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means cleansed and set aside for holy use, useful for the master,
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prepared for every good work. And then he says to Timothy,
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flee youthful lusts. What are youthful lusts?
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Well, they're lusts that come that are pretty common during
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our teen youthful years when the hormones are raging.
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Those behaviors and patterns which are especially prevalent
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in heightened hormonal youths. But here's the thing, even the
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thoughts God calls sin, the thoughts of doing those things
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are sin in God's eyes. Jesus said it Matthew 5 verse
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28. But I say to you that whoever
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looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery
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with her in his heart. And the point Jesus was making
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is when God sees sin, it's not just the outward behavior that's
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happened. It's what goes on inside even
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before it happens. To flee youthful lust means
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you're not only choosing not to partake, but you're making every
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effort to run. Flee the other way.
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Don't dabble with it. Well, you know, nobody knows.
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Just come on, stop it. It says flee.
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And actually no matter what your age, you can find these lusts
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and desires rising up which are typified by our younger years.
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So it's not just stop it, it's run to something and that's
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important. Run to righteousness, what's
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right in the sight of God, Faith, love, peace, purity of
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heart. And I know abuse has
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illustration before, but I call it the royal flesh.
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Sorry, it's another toilet thing, but the royal flesh, when
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your thought life starts going down a wrong exit, you
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acknowledge it before the Lord and you say, God, would you have
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the Holy Spirit flush out my thought life and cleanse me and
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put your truth and your way in my mind and bring a song to my
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mind. Flush out my mind, Lord.
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And I want to tell you he's faithful to do it, but you've
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got to be intentional to do it. And then closing here, verses 23
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to 26, stay away from quarrels because sometimes we just want
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to say I love you enough. I'm trying to get you to see
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that Jesus is the way and you can get into quarrels with
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people, it tells Timothy. But avoid foolish and ignorant
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disputes, knowing they generate strife.
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And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to
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all, able to teach, patient in humility, correcting those who
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are in opposition. If God will haps grant, will
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perhaps grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
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and that they may come to their senses and escape.
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The snare of the devil haven't been taken captive by him to do
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his will. Powerful Section.
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In the midst of holding the line on biblical truth, one must be
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careful not to enter into foolish and ignorant disputes
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and strivings. So very important.
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God has to grant repentance. The Holy Spirit has to do the
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work. I remember before I got saved,
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when these Christians moved into the house that we were living in
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and they started presenting the gospel, I mocked them.
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I said get out of here. I I want nothing to do.
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It hadn't happened yet. God hadn't granted repentance
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yet. But I like the persevering
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nature of God never giving up. He never gives up.
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I want to close with this thought.
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In 2nd Corinthians 4, verses 3 through 6.
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Paul writes here. But even if our gospel is
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veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the
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God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light
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of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,
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should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves,
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but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your bondservants for
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Jesus sake. For it is the God who commanded
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light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to
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give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
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of Jesus Christ. Verse 6 there brings us back to
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Genesis where God said let there be light and there was light.
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And in the Hebrew it's much more abrupt.
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God said light be light was and if you're a believer here
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tonight, God has spoken that light into you.
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He spoke it. It was a Fiat from God that
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opened your eyes to the Oh my goodness, it's true.
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And that's what the Lord has to do, the work in bringing others
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around. Endure hardship as a good
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soldier of Jesus Christ. So much in this chapter.
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We've just kind of skipped rocks, you know, on the surface,
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there's so much here. Take your hardship to the Lord,
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lay it before the cross and say to him, I will endure until
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you're done. By the power of God have mercy.
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Let's pray. Father God, thank you for your
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word tonight. So many things.
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Please help us Lord. I just know of so many life
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situations even here represented those online listening just so
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challenging, so heartbreaking with children separated from
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parents so many things hardship. And we ask God that you would
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help us take these words to heart and Lord that you would be
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glorified as we endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus
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Christ. So do your work Lord in US,
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through US, around us. And tonight as we close here, if
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if you haven't ever surrendered your life to Christ, it's time
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to do it now before it's too late.
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And if this is the conviction on your heart.
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I want you to come up after the service and talk to the pastors
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and say I need to turn my life over to Jesus and they'll lead
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you in that process in Jesus name, Amen.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study,
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delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
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For prayer, call us at 87730 Grace that's 877-304-7223.
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50:14
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50:19
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Be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.