Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Be Strong - Don't Be Distracted (2 Timothy 2)

Transcript

Be Strong - Don't Be Distracted (2 Timothy 2) · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

0:11
Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
0:14
Do you find yourself struggling to walk with
0:16
God amidst all the pressure that you're facing
0:19
today? Do you understand what it means to be
0:21
strong in the grace of God? Today we'll learn
0:24
what that looks like and why it's so important.
0:27
Stay with me. The culture tells us to hustle
0:33
harder, stay busier, and keep scrolling. But
0:36
Paul had a completely different word for Timothy
0:39
when he wrote 2 Timothy chapter 2, be strong
0:42
in grace. I'm Dave Drury, and this is Living
0:45
on the Edge. We're in a series called You Can
0:47
Make Disciples, personal coaching from the Apostle
0:50
Paul. And today, Chip Ingram clarifies what finding
0:53
strength in God's grace really means in a message
0:56
titled, Be Strong, Don't Be Distracted. And let
1:00
me remind you that all of these Bible teachings
1:02
can be found or shared online at livingontheedge
1:06
.org. Well, now here's Chip with today's message.
1:10
The big question, I think, as we open chapter
1:13
two, I put on the top of your notes, how can
1:16
a person remain true to their calling, to their
1:20
Lord and to his word in a hostile anti -Christian
1:23
culture while dealing with our own personal inadequacies
1:28
and problems? It's a long sentence, but I think
1:31
the parallels in our day are very similar, don't
1:34
you? I mean, in the world that we're living in,
1:38
all the chaos, all the uncertainty. I mean, you
1:42
can stick your head in the sand and, you know,
1:44
stay glued to Netflix or whatever your favorite
1:46
thing is and, you know, try and find a gated
1:49
community to separate from all what's happening.
1:51
But if you come up for air, you're living in
1:53
one of the most historic times in human history.
1:57
And we've been here before. And God has always
2:01
taken a portion of his church that's in tune,
2:03
that grasp what's going on, that don't get distracted,
2:08
that don't get pulled into secondary things.
2:11
And they step up and they do what followers of
2:13
Jesus has always done. They live the truth. They
2:16
share the truth. They love people that are like
2:19
them. They love people that aren't like them.
2:22
And their counterculture and their counterculture
2:24
usually, unfortunately, inside the church as
2:27
much as outside the church. Notice at the end
2:30
of chapter one, he gives a couple illustrations.
2:33
He names two people and he says, you know what?
2:35
Don't be like them. They drifted under pressure.
2:40
And then he says, you know that slave? When everyone
2:44
else was afraid, that converted slave, he searched
2:47
all over Rome and he found me. And he wasn't
2:51
concerned what the implications would be. And
2:54
so he's giving Timothy, he's giving him this
2:56
truth. And then he says, here's a negative example.
2:59
Here's a positive example. And look at your text.
3:02
What's the very first word of chapter two? He's
3:05
put you in the emphatic position. You, Timothy,
3:09
I've talked about these two. You, therefore,
3:12
my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ
3:16
Jesus. And the things which you've heard from
3:20
me in the presence of many witnesses. entrust
3:22
these to faithful people who be able to teach
3:25
others also. And then he comes back to his theme.
3:29
Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of
3:31
Christ Jesus. And then he gives, in your notes,
3:35
I talk about three metaphors and just for the
3:37
sake of all the English teachers, I understand
3:40
they're similes, right? When you use like or
3:44
as, it's a simile. There's a lot of us that didn't
3:47
know what a simile was, so I said metaphors.
3:50
No soldier in active service entangles himself
3:52
in the affairs of everyday life so that he may
3:55
please the one who enlisted him. And if someone
3:58
likewise competes as an athlete, he's not crowned
4:01
as a victor unless he competes according to the
4:03
rules. And the hardworking farmer ought to be
4:06
the first to receive his share of the crops.
4:10
Consider, ponder, reflect. That's the idea. What
4:14
I say, for the Lord will give you understanding
4:16
in everything. Remember Christ Jesus, risen from
4:21
the dead, descendant of David, according to my
4:24
gospel, for which I suffer hardship to imprisonment
4:29
as a criminal, but the word of God is not imprisoned.
4:32
For this reason, I endure all things for the
4:35
sake of those who are chosen so that they may
4:37
obtain the salvation for which is in Christ Jesus
4:40
and with it eternal glory. And then he goes and
4:43
talks about, this is a trustworthy statement.
4:46
Here's what I want to do. The first section here,
4:50
it's Paul talking to this young pastor about
4:54
his personal life. After he gets done with his
4:57
personal life, the second section, he's going
4:59
to shift and say, now, this is your responsibility
5:02
in terms of your teaching and what you do in
5:05
the church. And so when I went through and I
5:08
studied this, I thought, okay, you therefore,
5:11
I think we skip over the first line, be strong.
5:16
That's in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
5:20
Anybody remember where that, you know, be strong
5:21
in the Lord and the strength of his might, where
5:23
that comes up somewhere else? Yeah, Ephesians.
5:28
It's about spiritual warfare. See, what he's
5:32
saying is, Timothy, I just gave you a challenge.
5:34
I invited you to suffer with me, and the whole
5:37
world is falling apart around you. It's illegal
5:39
to be a Christian. I'm going to get killed, and
5:42
I'm asking you to follow in my footsteps. And
5:44
so the first thing isn't buck up, get more committed,
5:47
make it happen. You can do it. This isn't a pep
5:50
talk. This is, therefore, you be strong in the
5:55
grace, the favor of God. that provides supernatural
6:00
power, that allows you to do what he wants you
6:04
to do and become who he wants you to become that
6:07
is impossible out of your own self -effort. And
6:11
so I sort of outlined this with, if I was kind
6:15
of thinking of receiving this, Paul's action
6:19
plan for Timothy and for us to be strong in difficult
6:22
times. Number one, make abiding in Christ your
6:26
number one priority every day. Abiding in Christ,
6:31
the number one priority. Not what you do, not
6:33
what you accomplish. It's John 15, five. If you
6:38
abide in me, my words abide in you. You bear
6:44
much fruit. By this, my father is glorified that
6:48
you bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples.
6:51
A branch can't, right? Can't bear fruit of itself
6:54
unless it abides in the vine. So neither can
6:56
you unless you abide. All it means is staying
6:59
connected. Your personal relationship with Jesus,
7:04
your connection in saying, I need you today and
7:09
so I need fresh manna from your word. I need
7:12
you today so I'm going to ask and I'm gonna sit
7:15
quietly and listen to you before I rush in today.
7:20
I'm not gonna get up and find out how the stocks
7:22
are doing and how much I've lost in the Wall
7:25
Street Journal, and I'm not gonna see what's
7:27
said in Facebook, and I'm not gonna turn on the
7:30
TV while I'm getting ready. I'm gonna pause and
7:32
recognize there's so many distractions, and what
7:35
happens first in my morning and what happens
7:38
just before I go to bed are the things that shape
7:40
my day and shape my sleep. So first and foremost,
7:44
my number one priority is to abide in Christ.
7:48
It means time with God. It means renewing your
7:52
mind. It means probably having an exact time
7:57
when you turn this off. It means that it's not
8:00
in your bedroom. It means that every time it
8:04
buzzes that you actually turn off your notices.
8:07
It means when the kids come around or the grandkids
8:10
are around, you're with friends, you might even
8:12
have a fun little thing where there's a little
8:13
basket and you say, hey. It's great to have you
8:17
all here. I've put my phone in the basket. Could
8:18
you guys throw it here? Could we have genuine,
8:24
uninterrupted time with one another? I don't
8:29
know if you've gone to any restaurants lately
8:30
and seen a family sitting around a table in a
8:32
restaurant and all five people like this. Now,
8:36
you know what? All I know is... in God's infinite
8:40
wisdom and the creativity he gives human beings,
8:43
I cannot figure how in the world I can press
8:47
a button, I'm not going to now, and say, hey
8:53
Siri, who is Nero? And within less than a second,
8:57
I get Wikipedia's everything on Nero when he
8:59
was born and all the rest. Or hey, where's the
9:01
closest coffee shop? Or hey, that's an amazing
9:05
and wonderful thing. But there's, If the enemy
9:11
can't get you to just willfully sin and rebel,
9:16
he will distract you and occupy your mind with
9:20
such trivia that you will not abide in Christ.
9:25
And is it a bad thing? Of course not. But you're
9:30
going to learn those three similes or metaphors.
9:32
One of the key ones is discipline, self -control.
9:36
And so I think that the application, If there's
9:40
one verse for me, it's Proverbs 4 .23. It's the
9:43
core of your being. Watch over your heart with
9:45
all diligence, for from it flow the issues of
9:48
life. And your heart is always determined by
9:52
your diet. The good man out of the good treasure
9:55
of his heart brings forth what is good, and the
9:57
evil man out of the evil treasure. For that which...
10:00
The mouth speaks is that which comes out of the
10:02
heart. The mindset on the flesh is death. The
10:05
mindset on the spirit is life and peace. Set
10:08
your mind on the things that are above, not on
10:10
the things that are on earth, where your life
10:11
is, hidden with Christ in God. Just do a little
10:15
word study on the word mind. Your mental diet,
10:19
as a man or woman thinks, so you become. Your
10:23
mental diet. will determine who you are. Who
10:27
you are sitting in this seat today is the combination
10:30
of the things you've read, the things you've
10:32
watched, the conversations you've had, and where
10:34
you think. And so if you want to change, it's
10:38
not trying harder or bucking up. Romans 12 .2,
10:42
do not, or literally, grammatically, it's stop
10:44
allowing this world system to squeeze you into
10:47
its mold or conform you, but rather start allowing
10:51
passive voice your mind to be renewed so that
10:56
your life could demonstrate what the will of
10:59
God is, that it's good, acceptable, well -pleasing,
11:01
perfect. And so all I want to say is, I think
11:04
for Timothy, the first thing is, Timothy, you
11:07
need God's grace. So seek first the kingdom of
11:11
God and his righteousness. And all those things
11:14
that you're tempted to worry about, he's going
11:16
to take care of. Second is make personally investing
11:21
in fat people, your number two priority. And
11:26
some of you who maybe have been in a discipleship
11:29
background or familiar with the Navigators or
11:31
Dawson Trotman, that bricklayer who discipled
11:34
me was greatly influenced by the Navigators.
11:37
It's a parachurch ministry that focuses on discipleship.
11:41
And we learned early on, invest in fat people.
11:45
And that was not about size or weight. F was
11:50
for faithful, A was for available, and T was
11:54
for teachable. You don't spend your time equally.
11:59
You spend your time, you help everyone train
12:02
a few. Now, the ones that are inside your house,
12:06
if they're not fat, you help them become fat.
12:12
And what I would encourage you here is, is rather
12:16
than sometimes we hear about discipleship and
12:18
we get this idea that I'm going to start doing
12:20
all these things out there as opposed to ask,
12:23
what are the rhythms of your life? Who can you
12:27
take a walk with and share what's happening in
12:29
your life? Who becomes a workout partner? Who
12:31
are some people that you grab coffee with? I
12:34
was with a guy that I hadn't seen in about 15
12:36
years. And I pastored in a really interesting
12:40
community called Santa Cruz for 12. And it was
12:43
probably the second year and someone invited
12:45
him to church and he found out that I like basketball.
12:49
I think his wife told him that thinking maybe
12:51
he'll come to church. And I mean, I was a gym
12:53
rat. I mean, I'm like addicted to basketball.
12:56
And I played up until my early 60s until these
12:59
back operations happened. And he came up right
13:03
after the service. And, you know, I was a young
13:04
guy there, about 40. And he said, hey, I hear
13:07
you play basketball. I said, yeah. I said, do
13:10
you know? He said, yeah. Great. He said, do you
13:12
play? I said, yeah. He said, okay, I like to
13:15
play sometimes. I said, what are you doing at
13:16
2 o 'clock this afternoon? He said, nothing.
13:18
I said, I play every Sunday afternoon. It's how
13:21
I wind down. And here's my address. I've got
13:23
a great outdoor court. Dave and I started playing
13:26
basketball every Sunday afternoon with my sons
13:29
and a few other guys. And it was two on two,
13:31
three on three. We were soaking wet. And I look
13:34
back and I remember laying on the ground soaked
13:37
with sweat or when he or I, you know, broken
13:40
nose, broken ankle. We were very intense. We
13:43
had lots of fun, but there was always injuries.
13:46
And I look now 20 years, he's a businessman.
13:48
He's discipled his family. The rest of his family's
13:51
come to Christ. His whole life was changed, and
13:55
actually what I needed was a workout, and I needed
13:58
a friend, and he needed a friend. And I look
14:01
back, and it was in that very normal time of
14:04
doing that that he would share about a struggle
14:06
in his marriage, or he learned about spiritual
14:08
warfare, or he would say, you know something,
14:11
I've been listening to you, and I, you know,
14:13
I just, you know, I grew up going to church now
14:15
and then. You know, if you put a $5 bill in,
14:17
you're like doing okay, and like if I felt a
14:19
God moment, I'd maybe put in a 20. I started
14:23
this tithing stuff. He goes, man, I started looking
14:24
at the numbers. Like, that's a lot of money,
14:27
Chib. I said, yeah, it's not yours. Oh, yeah,
14:30
that's right. But all I can tell you is it was
14:37
a life -on -life journey. And that's what people
14:42
need. We've sort of created this thing where
14:45
it's just this little group where you take them
14:47
just through this study. And yes, all that is
14:50
a part of it. Timothy, what I want you to do,
14:54
yes, you have to preach. Yes, you have to visit
14:56
people in the hospital. Yes, there's administrative
14:58
duties, but no matter what, you have to make
15:01
disciples. You have to look for who are the faithful
15:04
people. There's always people near your world
15:07
that are spiritually hungry. There's some spiritually
15:10
hungry people that aren't even believers, but
15:12
they're looking, they're asking. So who are the
15:15
spiritually hungry people and how do you invite
15:18
them into your life? And here's the deal. It's
15:21
a huge commitment. Because when I said the danger
15:25
and deception of distractions, we all have a
15:28
rhythm. Some of your rhythm, and please don't
15:31
take this, stop doing this or start doing that.
15:33
You just have a rhythm like you watch the news
15:36
every night. Or you know what, on Saturdays you
15:39
watch this football game and that football game.
15:40
Or you're a lady and you always go and do these
15:43
things. And at some point you have to stop and
15:46
say, are those rhythms producing the outcome
15:48
of my life that I want? I was 28 years old and
15:54
my entire life changed when I had three kids,
15:58
was in school, in seminary, and I met with Prof.
16:01
Hendricks. And he rearranged my focus. And I
16:05
remember writing down the kind of person I wanted
16:07
to be, the kind of pastor, the kind of dad, the
16:09
kind of husband. And I literally wrote it down.
16:11
And he said, if it's not in your schedule, it'll
16:13
never be in your life. So I put it in my schedule.
16:15
And when I looked at it, I didn't have time to
16:16
do anything else. And I thought, that's impossible.
16:21
And I remember asking God for help. And we did
16:24
an experiment in our house. My kids were, you
16:26
know, younger. And we just decided for a couple
16:30
weeks, what would it be like to not turn on the
16:32
TV during the week? Well, it was great for my
16:35
kids, but it was killing me. I mean, you can't
16:39
go to bed until you've watched the news and heard
16:43
the monologue, right? When I grew up, my parents,
16:46
you watch the news, Johnny Carson, and then you
16:48
go to bed. So that means you go to bed at 11
16:50
or 11 .30, and then, you know, you get up at
16:52
6 .30, 7, whatever. Well, I mean, after like
16:55
four or five, six nights. You know, my kids are
16:59
young. Hey, we've sung, we've read, we've prayed,
17:01
we've shot basketball. It's 8 .30. You know,
17:05
my wife's in early to better. I mean, like really
17:10
early to better. It's nine o 'clock and I'm going,
17:12
I mean, you can only read so much, right? You
17:15
know, so, oh, what the heck, I guess I'll go
17:17
to bed. So I go to bed at nine or 9 .30. I'll
17:22
wake up at five or 5 .30. I just bought two hours.
17:28
It was like, oh. So I started to do all the things
17:33
that only I could do early. And then I applied
17:35
that to kind of my work and said, you know, before
17:38
I have meetings, like even now I have a green
17:41
zone, 5 a .m. to 10 a .m. I don't open my email.
17:44
I don't talk to people. If there's an emergency
17:46
and someone texts me, great. But from 5 to 10,
17:50
what I know is. That's when I'm going to accomplish
17:53
the most. I can have meetings and relationships
17:56
other times. Here's all I'm saying. If you're
17:59
going to invest in people and you're going to
18:01
abide in Christ, we feel like we don't have the
18:05
time. Just all I'm saying is, some of you will
18:10
go, oh, does that mean I can't watch football
18:12
games? No, no, no, no. What it means is, what
18:15
if you looked at where your time is going and
18:18
where your relationships were and said, My first
18:21
priority is abiding in Christ. And number two
18:24
is I'm going to personally invest. I'm going
18:27
to make my life one where I reproduce my life.
18:31
Face on face, person on person, life on life.
18:35
People's lives change when you're with people.
18:38
Notice then he goes on. He says, develop a never
18:42
give up attitude by actively meditating on three
18:45
specific metaphors. And we read them. The first
18:49
one, I believe, is the singular focus of a soldier.
18:51
Why would he use that term? Because soldiers
18:54
are in a battle. The number one thing, and this
18:58
is Chip. This isn't like Bible. This is just
19:00
my personal perspective. I believe the number
19:04
one thing that's done the most damage in Christianity
19:08
and especially in America is the subtle belief.
19:12
that Jesus came to make me happy and make my
19:15
life work out. And so what we've created in the
19:18
church is consumers. And so when people leave
19:22
church or whether they decide where to go to
19:24
church, it's about what did you do for me lately?
19:26
Is this program working? Am I happy? Is this
19:30
all that? And God, what have you done for me
19:32
lately? And the prosperity gospel has now gone
19:35
across the world where the whole idea is that
19:38
somehow you can manipulate God by breathing or
19:42
speaking something into existence. But the whole
19:44
goal is that God will make your life work out
19:47
instead of you are a creature and you follow
19:51
his agenda. And the goal is you make his agenda
19:54
work out. And by the way, when you do that, The
19:57
byproducts are often a richer and deeper marriage.
20:00
The byproducts are kids that by and large will
20:03
have a heart for God. The byproduct, he may well
20:06
bless your life with finances and some other
20:09
things, but they're never the goals. I mean,
20:11
most of us would say that the early apostles
20:13
were pretty successful in following Jesus, right?
20:17
Nod, nod, just, right? Okay, they obeyed him.
20:21
Can anybody remember like what happened to all
20:24
the apostles except John? How they ended their
20:26
life. In our theology today, they would have
20:31
been out of the will of God. I guess they weren't
20:33
walking with God. They got killed. Because God
20:36
wants you to be happy, healthy, wealthy, and
20:38
wise all the time. Here's the thing. It's easy
20:42
for some of us, and I'm guessing where you're
20:45
coming from, to look at that over there instead
20:47
of say, how much of that has creeped into me?
20:50
What in the world would God have us do in light
20:53
of all the needs and the hurts and the struggles
20:56
and the fears that everyone is going through?
20:58
First of all, the focus of a soldier, it's a
21:01
battleground. Guarding what goes into your mind.
21:06
Not getting distracted. Not getting distracted
21:10
by, we'll develop it a bit later, secondary things.
21:13
Important, but they're secondary. Second, the
21:16
continual discipline of a victorious athlete.
21:19
He uses the word for a crown. There's a couple
21:21
words in the New Testament for crown. One is
21:22
for like for a king, and the other was a wreath
21:24
if you were a victorious athlete. And he uses
21:27
that. It's running a race. It's discipline. When
21:32
you competed in the Olympic Games at that time,
21:35
you would often have to go for a year or two
21:37
years, and you would go into a closed training.
21:40
And if you didn't show up for that training,
21:42
you couldn't compete. And so what he's saying
21:45
is, We have to go into training. There's a certain
21:49
outline that God wants for us in terms of our
21:54
life where we have to discipline ourselves to
21:57
combat what we're all struggling with, right?
22:03
I'm lazy, left to myself. When I feel a little
22:08
bit blue, you know what? Some crackers. NFL game,
22:16
Diet Coke, some cheddar cheese, put my feet up.
22:23
And then at halftime, some popcorn. Third quarter,
22:28
piece of pizza. And then I find myself, you know,
22:33
like, well, you know, during the commercials,
22:34
I get bored, so I flip to something else. And
22:36
then during that, I flip to something else. And
22:38
then I flip to something else. And, you know,
22:40
why? Because, well, I got tired. When I'm tired,
22:42
I'm vulnerable. And so I just want some relief.
22:45
I'm the only one, right, who does any of this.
22:47
Just stop looking at me that way. And then I
22:51
find myself watching something that I'm kind
22:53
of numb. Then I stay up later than I wanted to.
22:57
Then I have a hard time getting up. And then
22:59
instead of feeling refreshed and invigorated
23:01
and focused, I feel lethargic. And it's not just
23:04
football, right? What's yours? He says, no. You
23:10
need to be like that athlete. We're all tempted.
23:14
But you have to be disciplined. What you do,
23:17
what you think, who you're with. And then I love
23:19
the last metaphor, simile, is the patient perspective
23:24
of the farmer to combat discouragement. What
23:27
a farmer knows is you never reap in the same
23:29
season that you sow, right? See, some of us are
23:32
gonna get really fired up and we're gonna say,
23:34
I'm gonna start really growing and discipling
23:37
at a new level. And you do it for about two weeks
23:39
and you're not gonna see a lot of change. And
23:41
you'll think, oh, what the heck? That's like
23:43
a farmer going and saying, boy, we need corn
23:46
this year. And he puts some corn seed and sticks
23:49
it in there and comes back in two weeks. I guess
23:52
it doesn't work. Or comes back in a month and
23:56
there's one little tiny sprig. Or comes back,
24:00
you know, like in two and a half months and it's
24:03
up to here and it looks good, but there's just
24:05
these little things on it. See, the hardworking
24:08
farmer understands perseverance. patience, endurance.
24:15
Christian life isn't for wimps. It's a hostile
24:18
culture. We're not on a cruise ship. Jesus is,
24:23
you know, it's a fallen world. The idea is not,
24:26
how's everything gonna work out for your life
24:28
or my life? The thing is, there's this incredible
24:31
joy and purpose and focus as you walk with God.
24:35
See, I think the pendulum is way over here. I'm
24:38
pushing over here. And my wife would say, Chip,
24:41
you know, I think you need to lighten up a little
24:42
bit and we need to enjoy ourselves and there's
24:45
refreshing things and there's wonderful gifts
24:47
from God and it's important to take vacations.
24:50
And I'm, yeah. I believe all that. And I do that.
24:55
But I'm in front of a group of people and a culture
24:57
that basically has so far over here that I feel
25:01
like we need to go back and say, in the world
25:04
that we're living in, We need the kind of Christians
25:07
that say, I'm in a battle and I'm going to be
25:09
a soldier who's focused and I'm not going to
25:11
get distracted with secondary things. I'm in
25:13
a race and I'm in a race that, you know, I've
25:15
got all eternity to enjoy a lot of stuff. But
25:18
in this little thing called time, I'm going to
25:20
discipline myself, my body, my emotions, my relationships
25:23
in a way that, as we'll learn a little bit later,
25:26
I'm a vessel of honor. I'm someone that God used.
25:30
And here's the thing, the byproduct of all of
25:33
that will be the kind of peace and the kind of
25:35
joy and the rich relationships and the satisfaction
25:38
that we thought pleasure or having more or going
25:43
to this place or that place would deliver. And
25:46
so he says, Timothy, I want you to ponder these.
25:51
It takes practice, it takes persistence, it takes
25:54
a partner. I don't think anyone can do this alone.
25:58
You need people in your life that say, I will
26:00
do life like that with you. And so the application
26:04
is this question, where do you struggle? And
26:08
how does verse one and two apply to you? How's
26:11
it apply to you? And all I want you to know is
26:15
we all struggle. We never arrive, but we make
26:17
great progress. And then he shifts and it's almost
26:21
like a battle cry. It's remember, remember, remember
26:23
who Jesus really is and what he's really done.
26:28
We read it. What's it say? Remember Christ risen
26:35
from the dead. Divinity. Son of David. Humanity.
26:42
According to my gospel. I was thinking about
26:46
this and, you know, sometimes I unconsciously
26:48
think of Jesus as, oh, like the author of this
26:51
book or the Jesus that lived back then and did
26:55
all these things. You know what he's saying is?
26:56
Stop it! He's alive right now, at this moment.
27:02
Remember Jesus resurrected from the dead, sitting
27:04
at the right hand of the Father. He's praying
27:06
for you. He's praying for me right now. He's
27:08
sovereignly orchestrating his plan in all of
27:11
history, and he loves you, and he's available,
27:13
and he's for you, and his spirit lives in you,
27:15
manifesting the personality and the presence
27:17
of Jesus with all the power that raised him from
27:19
the dead dwelling in you. Remember that. Remember
27:22
that. That's what he's saying. This isn't like
27:26
all the Jesus that used to live and I know he's
27:28
done these things and these doctrines and these
27:30
truths. Remember he's alive. And remember he
27:34
was human. He was tempted in all ways like you.
27:38
He understands when you blow it, when you're
27:41
not disciplined, when you're impatient, when
27:43
you struggle, when you log on to a site, when
27:46
you eat too much, when you have lustful thoughts.
27:48
He understands. And he's forgiven us and he loves
27:54
us. And we're apprentices. That's what a follower
27:58
is. We follow an apprenticeship to Jesus. And
28:01
every apprentice, when you're learning something,
28:03
what? You stumble. I love Psalm 37. It says,
28:08
if the Lord delights in a man, the Lord delights
28:12
in a woman when he stumbles. Or when she stumbles,
28:15
you will not fall. For the Lord will hold you
28:19
by his hand. And to remember it. That you're
28:23
not performing for a God whose arms are crossed,
28:26
whose toes tapping and saying, why don't you
28:28
get with the program? It's a risen savior who
28:33
says, I've given you all that you need. My arms
28:37
around you. Hey, together, let's walk together.
28:42
Let me show you what I've created you to do.
28:46
Don't compare yourself with anyone else. I've
28:50
gifted you. I put you in this family, in this
28:53
season of life, in this season of human history.
28:56
And I'm going to use, open this book. I just
28:59
use ordinary people. There are no superstars.
29:03
There really aren't. But what I want you to do
29:06
is I want you to remember that I'm alive and
29:10
I'm powerful and that I love you and that I'm
29:13
for you. Remember the person of Jesus, verse
29:17
eight. Remember the power of God's word. Verse
29:22
nine, for which I suffer hardship and imprisonment
29:27
as a criminal. He's picturing being chained,
29:29
but the word of God is not imprisoned. The same
29:33
power, the power's not in the messengers, the
29:36
power's in the message. When the weakest person
29:40
takes the message, there's power. For the gospel
29:43
is the power of God and salvation. So you remember
29:47
that. You remember the eternal implications of
29:50
those who taught you. He says, for this reason,
29:54
I endure things for the sake of those who are
29:56
chosen so that they may obtain salvation. In
30:00
other words, there's significance on the line.
30:04
I don't understand how it all works. I know that
30:07
we need to believe and trust God and I know God
30:09
chooses and I know he's sovereign. I know we're
30:11
responsible and how those things fit together.
30:14
This was written long before Calvin wrote his
30:16
Institutes or Jacob Arminius tried to say, hey,
30:19
I think you got a little off. Only Paul and Jesus
30:22
knew what he knew is God's chosen people and
30:25
the means by which he chooses them is they hear
30:28
the gospel and they put their faith in the gospel
30:30
and he's prepared people and he loves people
30:33
and whosoever believes can have eternal life.
30:35
If we don't suffer, if we don't endure, if we
30:38
don't go into battle and do what God's called
30:40
us to do. Then there's a big problem out there.
30:45
So he says there's a lot on the line. So remember,
30:48
remember what's at stake. And then I like this.
30:52
I just put verses 11 through 13. Remember to
30:55
keep preaching the gospel to yourself. It says,
31:01
for this is a trustworthy statement. If we died
31:04
with him, we'll also live with him. If we endure,
31:06
we'll also reign with him. If we deny him, he
31:08
will also deny us. If we are faithless, he remains
31:11
faithful, for he cannot deny himself. And most
31:15
think this to be a hymn of doctrine that's been
31:18
developed over time in the Christian church.
31:21
The first line is literally Paul's Romans chapter
31:25
six, right? We've died with him in baptism. When
31:29
we believed, we entered into his death. And if
31:33
you've entered into his death and you've trusted
31:34
Christ, you're gonna live with him. It's in the
31:36
present tense. That's not the future. Right now,
31:40
you live with him in his power. If we endure,
31:44
we'll also reign with him. You think of all those
31:46
passages in Revelation about perseverance and
31:49
endurance. He's talking about the rewards that
31:52
believers have for... doing what they're called
31:55
to do, giving an account for their life. Again,
31:59
another whole area I certainly don't understand,
32:01
but it's very clear in Scripture that heaven
32:04
isn't some place where you just float around,
32:06
drink iced tea, and go to an eternal worship
32:09
service. There's a new heaven and there's a new
32:12
earth that's as concrete as this one, except
32:14
it's perfect. And there's nations and there's
32:16
songs and there's poems and there's work and
32:19
there's responsibilities. And some big part of
32:22
the reward is what we do now in our faithfulness
32:25
to Christ has a direct proportion about part
32:28
of our eternal existence and the rewards that
32:30
God wants to give us. And as we know, if you've
32:33
ever been to a birthday party and you don't have
32:34
a gift to give, it's a really lousy feeling.
32:39
And there'll come a day when, remember that old
32:41
song, casting our crowns before the throne? There'll
32:46
come a day where the greatest moment I think
32:47
we'll ever have is whatever rewards by the grace
32:50
of God we've received by being faithful and enduring
32:52
and doing what he called us to do, we will have
32:54
an opportunity to put those at Jesus' feet and
32:57
recognize like never before, it was of his grace
33:00
and it's our gift back to him. Again, some of
33:05
these theological concepts are radically different
33:09
from the Christianity of be a good person, read
33:12
your Bible a little bit, go to church, try to
33:14
be nice, hope your kids turn out right. No, those
33:17
are nice desires. That's not the New Testament
33:19
Christianity. It was follow this person who's
33:23
risen from the dead and there's a world in desperate
33:26
need of hearing that forgiveness is available.
33:30
Follow Jesus. Be willing to suffer. Live out
33:34
your faith. Be a soldier. Be focused. Be an athlete.
33:39
Be disciplined. Be a farmer. Keep sowing even
33:42
when you don't see the results for a while. And
33:45
remember the risen Lord. And then you have this
33:48
interesting, he says, if we deny him, he will
33:50
deny us. And if we're faithless, he remains faithful
33:54
for he cannot deny himself. And you know, if
33:57
you want to read a lot of controversy, go to
34:00
that next verse and the whole issue of apostasy.
34:03
My best sense is that Peter denied him, didn't
34:07
he? And I think when we deny him as believers,
34:11
genuine believers, he denies us the peace, the
34:16
fruit, the direction. I don't know about you,
34:20
but I've lived as a believer, not willfully,
34:23
not walking in God's will. And I did not experience
34:26
the fruit of the Spirit. I didn't, right? And
34:30
now, are there some people who drift away who...
34:33
probably demonstrate that they never were believers,
34:35
but they disowned God. Peter actually said, I
34:40
don't know him. And when we do that by our behavior
34:46
or by our words, I think we forfeit the blessings
34:49
of God. But I think Paul's trying to encourage
34:52
Timothy and encourage these people to persevere.
34:55
He says, if we're faithless, when we really blow
34:57
it, he's faithful. He can't deny himself. And
35:02
so there's a real warning for people that are,
35:05
I think, playing around with the Christian life.
35:08
And I think there's a real comfort for those
35:10
of us that are believers to realize that if in
35:14
our behavior or our lifestyle we'll deny him,
35:16
then we're gonna reap the consequences of behaviors
35:19
that God never wants for us. But I think it's
35:24
also a word of great encouragement. I don't know
35:27
anyone that isn't faithless at times. I don't
35:30
know anyone that doesn't blow it. I don't know
35:32
anyone that doesn't feel like, I just don't know
35:35
if God could really help me now in light of,
35:37
and you fill it in, right? I think he's saying,
35:40
God will always be true to his word. The millisecond
35:45
that we repent, the moment we turn from whatever
35:47
it is and say, God, I am broken over this. He's
35:54
faithful. This entire section is written to a
35:57
young pastor. Don't give up. Don't give in. Don't
36:02
be ashamed of the gospel. Don't shrink back.
36:05
And then he shifts gears and he says, now Timothy,
36:08
let me tell you about what's happening in the
36:11
church and what you need to teach. He says, remind
36:15
them of these things and solemnly exhort them
36:17
in the presence of God not to dispute about words
36:19
which is useless and leads to the ruin of his
36:22
listeners. And then by contrast, be diligent
36:26
to present yourself approved to God as a workman
36:29
who does not need to be ashamed. accurately handling
36:32
the word of God, but avoid worldly and empty
36:35
chatter for it leads to further ungodliness.
36:38
And their talk will spread like gangrene. Among
36:41
them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have
36:44
gone astray from the truth, claiming, these are
36:46
false teachers, that the resurrection has already
36:49
taken place and they're jeopardizing the faith
36:51
of some. And so in this section, what he's doing,
36:56
he's saying, look, be diligent and study, Accurately
37:01
communicate God's word as your number three priority.
37:05
Abide in Christ, make disciples, and then make
37:09
sure, Timothy, you accurately communicate God's
37:11
word in a world where there's such false teaching
37:15
and such chatter. So many secondary things, so
37:19
many arguments. In verses 15, 18, and 24, I get
37:23
the idea. Dig deep into God's word, humbly teach
37:28
the truth boldly. Verse 15, 18, and 24, he used
37:33
this of the doctrine, the truth. Second, refuse
37:36
to get sucked into pointless debates. Picking
37:40
it up at verse 14, he says, notice, solemnly
37:46
exhort them not to dispute about words. 16, avoid
37:51
worldly and empty chatter. 19, nevertheless,
37:55
the firm foundation of God stands having this
37:58
seal. The Lord knows those who are his and everyone
38:01
who names the name of the Lord will turn away
38:04
from wickedness. He's really telling him, make
38:08
sure you stay focused on the things that are
38:11
important on God's word and God's truth. And
38:14
by way of application, I just think the secondary
38:17
things that we're facing, I think you should
38:21
do your research and have convictions and then
38:23
you should wisely vote and participate and be
38:26
a Christian citizen. But I don't think any of
38:30
that can become above our first priority of being
38:33
followers of Jesus and disciples of Jesus and
38:36
recognizing the people that disagree with us
38:39
about any of those areas inside or outside the
38:41
church are somehow the enemy. We've taken secondary
38:46
causes. And I think the enemy is laughing as
38:50
we actually attack one another. Jesus prayed
38:54
for our unity, but Paul says, once you're in
38:56
the body of Christ, can I tell you that someone
38:59
who is on the opposite side of whether you're
39:02
politically, if they're a believer, you're one
39:04
with them. If they're a follower of Jesus, Ephesians
39:07
4, we are one body. The command isn't to create
39:11
unity, it's to maintain the unity. So it's we
39:14
can agree to disagree, but how would you ever
39:17
talk to or treat a brother or sister in Christ?
39:20
With dignity, with respect, with gentleness,
39:25
with a first listening to understand. The challenge
39:30
in our world over and over, the truth, the truth,
39:32
the truth, the truth. This would be, if Paul
39:35
was alive today, I think the empty chatter, the
39:38
posting, the arguments about these secondary
39:41
things. Instead of, I did my own research. These
39:45
are my convictions. And I can understand that
39:47
other people could have different convictions.
39:49
My command is how I treat them is to love them,
39:53
honor them, respect them, and tastefully and
39:55
kindly disagree in conversation, not in condemnation.
40:00
We got to get back to there. And here's the thing.
40:03
Isn't it interesting? I guess there's nothing
40:05
new. They had the same problems there. And now
40:10
there's this interesting line, at least it was
40:14
new for me, in the midst of all of this, who's
40:17
right, who's wrong, there's all this chaos. He
40:19
says, now the firm foundation of God stands having
40:23
this seal. When they would build a building in
40:26
the ancient world, they would put an inscription.
40:28
And often it was, you know, here's this big building
40:31
and Claudius Augustus, blah, blah, blah, blah,
40:33
blah, right? You know, it's like, he did it during
40:35
this time. And he's using this metaphor. And
40:39
he says there's two inscriptions. He says one
40:41
inscription, the Lord knows whose are his. And
40:45
the second, everyone who names the name of the
40:47
Lord is to keep away from wickedness. And so
40:50
then he moves to his next sort of picture. And
40:56
what he wants to now talk about to Timothy is,
40:59
Timothy, in the church, there's always gonna
41:03
be chaos. There's always gonna be false teachers.
41:08
There's always gonna be people that drift. There's
41:10
always gonna be people that are faithful. And
41:13
so now he's gonna take this picture and he's
41:15
gonna say, you know, in a normal home, you have
41:17
certain vessels, you know, you have gold or silver
41:21
or a chalice, and then there's things that are
41:23
made out of wood or this or that. And basically
41:25
he's gonna say, you know, there's certain things
41:27
that are honorable and certain things that are,
41:29
you know, disposable, if you will. And then he,
41:33
right in the middle of his metaphor, he shifts
41:35
and basically says, Here's the deal, Timothy.
41:38
What you need to do is in the midst of all the
41:40
chatter and all the chaos and all the confusion
41:42
and all the pressure and all the persecution,
41:44
what you wanna be is a vessel of honor for God.
41:49
And to be a vessel of honor, what you need to
41:51
do is walk purely before him. And you wanna be
41:54
the kind of person that God can use, that the
41:59
master could really use for his eternal purposes.
42:02
And then he's gonna go on and talk about The
42:05
impact of that, not only for you, but for your
42:07
hearers. So we pick it up. Notice there's another
42:10
therefore. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself
42:13
from these things, he will be an implement for
42:16
honor, sanctified, useful to the master, prepared
42:20
for every good work. And then I love this. I
42:24
memorized this in the Living Bible as a young
42:26
man when I so struggled with lust and just didn't
42:29
feel like I could ever overcome it. Now flee
42:32
from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness,
42:35
faith, love, and peace with those who call upon
42:38
the Lord from a pure heart. And he's just saying
42:42
to him, you know what? There's internal temptations,
42:44
but refuse foolish and ignorant speculation,
42:47
knowing that they produce quarrels. And then
42:50
notice this admonition. The Lord's bondservant
42:55
must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to people
42:59
that agree with you. Oh, oh. Oh. I'm not sure.
43:07
I think I might have misread that one. Skillful
43:13
in teaching. Skillful. Skillful teachers don't
43:18
beat people over the head. Skillful people don't
43:22
shove stuff in front of their adult children
43:23
that say they don't really walk with God anymore
43:25
and you ought, you should, you ought, you should,
43:28
why don't you? This is going to happen to you.
43:32
They don't argue with them over politics at Thanksgiving.
43:37
Doesn't mean they agree with them. Doesn't mean
43:40
they condone their behavior. Notice, skillful
43:43
in teaching, patient when wronged. It's an interesting
43:48
word study on that word. It kind of has the idea
43:50
of something that has a long fuse. Something
43:53
that takes a long time to get to the point where
43:57
you blow up or you react. Anybody here been wronged
44:02
by someone that you really love? By the way,
44:06
no one can hurt you like your kids. They're your
44:09
source of greatest joy and greatest heartache
44:12
because they got your heart. Patient when wronged.
44:18
The Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome,
44:21
but kind. I mean, not neutral, kind. To everyone.
44:28
Chip, you mean I'm supposed to be kind to, and
44:30
you fill in the political figure or the person
44:35
who represents what makes you most angry? I'm
44:37
supposed to be kind to him? Yeah, that's how
44:39
the world got turned upside down. You mean I'm
44:43
supposed to love my enemies? I'm supposed to
44:45
pray for those who persecute me? Those people
44:48
that are trying to ruin our country? Take away
44:51
what I hold near and dear? See, one of the things
44:54
Christians in America have to ask is, do you
44:56
care more about America or the kingdom of God?
44:59
Do you care more about God's agenda or what you
45:01
feel like we're losing? Now, don't get me wrong.
45:05
It's a free country. We should be great Christian
45:08
citizens. But I think we've run wise to bring
45:11
Jesus into the fight. He doesn't take sides.
45:15
His agenda is way bigger than the future of America.
45:20
Christians have become a voting block instead
45:22
of a transformational people taking the gospel
45:25
and living out the kingdom of God to transform
45:27
a nation from the inside out. Half of the population
45:32
completely disagrees with your values. Is the
45:36
agenda to win a political war or to win their
45:40
souls? And is the agenda to act in such a way
45:44
that they would scratch their head and say, I
45:47
totally disagree with you. But your kindness
45:50
and your love and the impact in the community
45:53
and what you're doing for the poor and how you're
45:55
helping other people and the difference that
45:57
you're making, well, guess what? They ask about
46:00
the hope within us. They're not the enemy. They're
46:03
blinded by the enemy. God loves them. Our credibility
46:08
wasn't because we preach the gospel, we're right
46:10
and you're wrong. It was that we begin to do
46:14
the things that Jesus did without compromising
46:18
the truth. To which they would say, so this is
46:22
Christianity? Guess what? There are no them.
46:27
There's just people. You sit down and talk to
46:31
someone. Tell me, what was your family like?
46:35
Tell me a little bit about some of the struggles
46:37
you've gone through. Have you had that conversation?
46:41
These are people. Hurting people. People that
46:46
don't know Jesus. People that long for hope and
46:49
they deal with all. But you know what? Doesn't
46:52
Jesus love liars and adulterers and stealers
46:55
and fornicators and alcoholics and drug addicts?
46:59
And I was trying to describe this room. And I
47:06
think that's what he's saying to Timothy and
47:08
what he's saying to us. And he says, you have
47:12
to have a minister's servant's heart. You're
47:19
listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram
47:22
and a message titled Be Strong, Don't Be Distracted.
47:25
One of the final lessons from Chip's series called
47:28
You Can Make Disciples, Personal Coaching from
47:30
the Apostle Paul. There's more from Chip coming
47:33
up in just a moment. Every message in this series
47:36
is waiting for you anytime on the Living on the
47:39
Edge podcast. Subscribe so you never miss one.
47:42
And for the full uncut version of what Chip teaches,
47:45
search for the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. You
47:49
know, it's not always the loud temptations that
47:51
derail us. Sometimes it's just the accumulated
47:53
weight of secondary things. The noise, the arguments,
47:57
the endless pull on our attention. Paul's prescription
48:00
for Timothy wasn't try harder. It was remember.
48:04
Remember who Jesus is and what he's actually
48:07
done. If that's the kind of reset you need. Chip's
48:11
book, Yes, You Really Can Change, is the practical
48:14
companion for anyone who wants to stop running
48:16
in place and actually move forward. We encourage
48:19
you to get a copy. And because this series is
48:22
about discipleship, right now we're including
48:24
an extra copy with every purchase. Share it with
48:27
a friend, a family member, or someone who's ready
48:30
to grow but isn't sure how to take that next
48:32
step. Look for the book, Yes, You Really Can
48:35
Change at livingontheedge .org slash offers.
48:40
Living on the Edge is listener supported and
48:42
your gift makes a real difference. If this ministry
48:45
has been part of your walk with God, we invite
48:48
you to give back. Donate today online at livingontheedge
48:52
.org or by calling 888 -333 -6003. or send a
48:58
check by mail to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box
49:01
3007, Atlanta, Georgia 30024. Now let's go to
49:06
Chip Ingram for a final word. Thanks, Dave. As
49:10
we close today's program, I would like you to
49:12
do something. It'll take you about 60 to 90 seconds,
49:16
but it'll be very important. I want you to remember.
49:20
I want you to remember when you first received
49:23
Christ. I want you to remember. the most specific
49:27
answer to prayer you ever had. I want you to
49:31
remember what it felt like to be forgiven. I
49:34
want you to remember the power of God that you've
49:37
seen in the circumstance in your life. You see,
49:40
the way to not be distracted is to remember who
49:43
Jesus is, what really matters in life. Could
49:47
I get you, I mean right now, to find 60 to 90,
49:52
maybe even two minutes, and sit quietly. And
49:55
just say to the Holy Spirit, help me remember
49:58
the biggest moments I've ever had with you and
50:01
the Son and the Father. And then focus on what
50:05
really matters most. I'm Dave Drewy. In our next
50:08
lesson, Chip Ingram explains what the Bible really
50:10
means when it says that we're living in the last
50:13
days. That's next time on Living on the Edge.
50:19
Today's program is produced and sponsored by
50:22
Living on the Edge.