Living with Endurance
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Turn to 2 Timothy 2. Last time we were together we looked at 2 Timothy 1, where we saw a warning by Paul to young Timothy not to allow fear to keep him from missing the purpose of God in his life, which we entitled, “Living without Fear: For the Christian is called to a purposeful life. Well in this next chapter, Paul continues this train of thought. In fact, part of his encouragement applies to this matter of fear.
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel, for which I endure hardship even to chains as a criminal. But the word of God has not been chained. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”
2 Tim 2:10-12 (LSB)
To think of whatever may have come into your life, as difficult as some things may be, must always be countered with the truth that Jesus “risen from the dead,” He is risen; Jesus is “of the seed of David,” He is King; and “according to my gospel,” that Jesus will be preached. And yet Paul adds another focus here in this chapter and that is the need for endurance. Verse 8, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel, for which I endure hardship.” In other words, Paul does not just say, do not fear, but he is very honest with Timothy and will let him know that the Christian life will require endurance. And this is where the rubber meets the road for us because endurance is over the long haul. It involves it all, coming to Christ, living for Christ, and persevering with Christ. Let’s pray. Father, again we have before us a wonderful passage of truth, the need for endurance, but we could also say the absolute necessity of endurance. As this exemplifies a life-long sold-out faith, through the highs and the lows, the joys and the great disappointments. So, may we not be side-tracked this morning. May all the troubles and distractions of life be set aside as we hear from Paul and as we hear from You. And we ask this in the name of Christ, amen.
Now we know that Paul is in prison, likely knowing he will not be released and that he will shortly die a martyr’s death. While Timothy is still free, the fear factor for him is obvious, as already many preachers of the gospel have been put in chains, and many have been killed, therefore Paul’s letter. So, I believe we can understand the fearful place of Timothy, knowing that a boldness for the gospel may cause him to be in the same predicament as his hero Paul in prison. And interesting as well, that Paul is not saying such things to Timothy, Timothy, you have a good ministry going, but be careful that you do not get too rambunctious so that you get shut down like I have. No, Paul just keeps pushing him. We also must understand that conditions in Israel were not good economically or socially. Any hope of Israel gaining back its former greatness is gone. Sure, there were groups of Jewish revolts at this time, but no one really expected them to succeed against Rome.
As you know I would describe myself as an eternal optimist. I mean I am on Team Black in our Elim 2-pitch league and we by far have the coolest team. And last week we played Team Purple, supposedly the top team. And if anyone could pull the greatest upset, it would be us. Now obviously it was not part of the Lord’s will, as we are out, as even great optimism could not pull us through. So, though everyone would really want to be on Team Black, there are times in our lives when we must accept the obvious. And in this case, the fate of Israel at this time in their history was rather obvious, as there was no returning to former times. And the signs of our times, in our generation are rather obvious, as our laws, values, and ways of life will not be the same as they were many years ago, unless God, of course, does some kind of revival. Yet so much of the Jewish thinking was that they would be part of a social reform. And this might be a temptation for us today, as we may think that our role individually or as the church is to declare social reform upon our culture. So much of the hope that the Jewish nation was looking for was to bring back the old Israel to re-establish the greatness of Israel and Judah, the kingship, the world rule.
Yet this does not seem to be Paul’s message at all. For if it was, he would have been asking Timothy to pray that he would be released from prison or that moral reform would sweep across Rome, that governments would govern fairly, that churches would have the freedom to declare Christ, and that we could all live in Arkona, Forest, Strathroy, Wyoming and be happy and enjoy our summer holidays. And those are all wonderful things, and that would be great and nice, but it is not in line with the text, because it is not what Paul is talking about. Look at what Paul is emphasizing. He tells Timothy to remember that Jesus Christ is risen. What significance would that have with the current situation? What world changes would that mean? Yet this is Paul’s rebuttal for what Timothy is going through, Christ has been risen. And then he says to Timothy, that Jesus is King. In other words, don’t worry about everything you see Timothy, or everything that you might fear for Jesus is sovereignly ruling. And how does that change things for us? That Christ is sovereign. How does that have anything to do with the moral decline we see around us or the family breakdown or marriage trouble or social issues? How does Christ’s sovereignty address those things?
Again, Paul’s solution to the difficulties of the day do not seem to clearly address the problems of the day. And then Paul claims that Christ is the center of the gospel which He preaches. Well the obvious question is, how does the gospel solve our issues today? For if you were an onlooker at that time your observation of the gospel may be that the gospel causes a lot of problems, it divides, it gets people thrown in prison, and it seems to make people such as Timothy live in fear. And our message this morning does not bring harmony to the situation we face today. In fact, it escalates the tensions between cultural thinking and biblical thinking and it doesn’t soften the tension between religions, but it heightens the tension. Yet Paul is one hundred percent committed to this. Verse 10, “for this reason I endure all things.”
So, what is Paul’s drive that enables him to think with this kind of focused mindset? Well, here it is at the end (vs 10), “so that they may obtain the salvation, which is in Christ Jesus.” Paul, more than anything else has something that he desires that others would have, salvation. And it is something that he eternally values, as it does not deliver us from present-day circumstances, it does not necessarily change the culture, it does not free a nation from its conquerors, and it does not necessarily promise to create moral reform in a society. Yet this is his passion. And this is a good measuring stick for churches and mission agencies which ultimately determine their actions and ministry is the central passion of God’s people in ministry to desire others to be saved. Because if it is not, it will be about social reform, it will be about addressing current concerns.
Do you see the adjustment that Paul is making in the mind of Timothy and in our minds and in the minds of all churches and Christian ministries? Timothy may be fearful because of pending persecution, completely understandable. Timothy may be fearful because of government conditions, obviously. Timothy may be fearful because of the school standards of the day, a legitimate concern. Timothy may be fearful because he may not get his summer holidays. And Paul does not teach that any of these things are bad, nor that current-day concerns are not important, as Paul himself admits that what he is facing (vs 9) is a hardship. He acknowledges the difficulty with current situations, he is not oblivious to it. But Paul’s purpose in writing to Timothy is that because of the power of the gospel, the gospel will not be stopped, and Paul wanted to be part of this mission, this eternal mission, this new hope for Israel and for the world.
Paul is certainly a get-on-board guy, isn’t he? And he is not content that he is alone in this, for his goal is to reach all he can with this same message. Paul presents something here (vs 10) that he is willing to endure everything for with this sort of “all in” mentality. And if Paul was here this morning, he would likely ask each of us “are you all in,” as he had no interest in any kind of half-way Christianity. Would you want to hang around with Paul? We might think it a little risky. I’m not sure if Timothy’s Mom and Dad would have wanted him to hang around with Paul. His Mom and Dad might say, be careful what you preach Timothy, be careful what you say. Try to be a little more diplomatic, don’t upset the apple cart. All the while Paul is saying to Timothy, keep moving ahead Timothy, don’t be afraid, be “all in.” Don’t give your calling as a pastor a half-hearted effort. Later in 2 Timothy 4, Paul says, Timothy preach in season and out of season. Whether it’s something the people want to hear or don’t want to hear, keep preaching the message anyway.
And on the other hand, let’s not dismiss Paul as some fanatic who was unwise, rude, or obnoxious. Paul was by no means some kind of reckless or uncontrolled believer, for Paul was very wise in his ministry. Paul taught to place oneself under authority, even under the authority of the Roman government and under the authority of parents. And Paul taught to submit to one another (Eph 5). He is not some radical, out-of-control character. Paul even said this when dealing with unbelievers later in 2 Timothy 2 to not be “quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,” to be gentle to the opposition. This was not someone who was passionately reckless. But Paul was someone who was passionately controlled by the Holy Spirit, there is a massive difference. And his love and passion for Jesus Christ caused him not to hate people, but it caused him to love people, with the hope that they too would give their lives to Jesus Christ. So, what Paul will do in this passage is to give four examples of “all-in” commitment or endurance, and the first one is found (vs 1-2):
“You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
2 Tim 2:1-2 (LSB)
- Teacher (vs 1-2)
Paul instructs Timothy. He says Timothy, don’t keep this message to yourself, but instruct other faithful men as well. The term “faithful men” does not mean men who are sinless, or in a sense are worthy in themselves. But men who have found the gospel worthy. Men who have been changed by the power of the gospel, like Paul was. William Mounce, in his commentary on 2 Timothy, notes that at some point there are no first-hand witnesses of the gospel, as it is a truth that becomes passed down from one generation to another through the teaching of the Scriptures. Therefore, there needs to be a real carefulness in the teaching of the Word of God. A carefulness that what I am teaching this morning is what I have read and learned from the Scriptures, though I have experienced the impact of the truth on my life, I was not there when Christ lived and died and rose again. Therefore, my understanding of the Bible must come from the Bible, as well as with the help of those who correctly divide the Word of Truth. In other words, Timothy, there are many who witnessed Christ and heard Him teach, and Paul openly preached the truth that many had heard and believed. And the other apostles were teaching the same gospel. This was not a cult but was the clear truth of the Scriptures. And the gospel is being taught from one faithful teacher to another faithful teacher.
And this is true at all ages, as we may see someone teaching children or young people or ladies or men. And you realize the great value in continuing the message of the gospel, as it passes from one generation to the next. So critical to be the teacher. And the emphasis here of being a teacher is to imagine being taught the truth and not teaching that same truth to others. The second example that Paul gives of endurance or all-in commitment, is that of being a:
- Soldier (vs 3-4)
Notice what Paul says about a soldier:
“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”
2 Tim 2:3-4 (LSB)
The main focus that Paul is explaining here is there is a shared ministry and there is a single-mindedness. As soldiers of Christ, these are such important issues. Important to know that the ministry is shared and that those in battle are focused on the same mission. And this is no small matter, as much of the ineffectiveness of the gospel is often due to the total abandonment of those who claimed at one time to be believers, as they have deserted the army. And many others who do not completely abandon the cause, but their helpfulness in the war is gone because of their focus on earthly affairs. They may not believe it has, but it has. Possibly there may be some here that would say that there was a time in my life when I was so passionate about my walk with Christ, but not so much today. This is exactly what Paul is warning Timothy about here.
What “affairs of everyday life” or some of your Bibles say “civilian pursuits” are keeping me from real spiritual battle? What is keeping me from becoming a better soldier? Is my commitment to the cause greater today than ever? Am I more skilled, am I more disciplined as a soldier today for Christ? And the emphasis here on being a soldier is to imagine being a soldier in the army but not having a clear focus of your responsibility as a soldier. Paul’s next example is that of an …
- Athlete (vs 5)
“And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
2 Tim 2:5 (LSB)
The discipline, the work, the sacrifice, the preparation of an athlete is obvious to achieve success. David Platt said this:
“Millions admire athletes, but few imitate them. Many enjoy their performances, but few watch and attempt their training.”
David Platt, 1 & 2 Timothy / Titus 165
Platt goes on to say that Paul is not talking about rule-keeping to earn salvation, but the desire of every true believer to walk in godliness. Again, we see Paul’s alluding to something that is not tangible. He says this to the Corinthians:
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Now everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.”
- Cor 9:24-25 (LSB)
There are countless gifted athletes. But often the difference between the successful athlete and the one who is only mediocre or the one who falls from the glory is the drive and commitment. The LeBron James’, the Connor McDavid’s, and the Patrick Mahomes’ out there are so incredibly driven to their cause to be successful, and their commitment to the cause influences every part of their lives, their training, their diet, their focus. Is this how I picture myself as an athlete for Jesus Christ? Does it consume every part of me? And the emphasis here on being an athlete who has teammates relying on them is to imagine being an athlete and not being fit or not striving to win. Paul’s final example is that of the:
- Farmer (vs 6)
“The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.”
2 Tim 2:6 (LSB)
The emphasis of course is on the words “hard-working.” Many farmers know the effort and sweat of having to work, often in small windows of time when they need to work around the clock and much of the farmer’s work is done alone. Yet the farmer is often able to see the direct rewards for his labour. As a teacher, soldier, or an athlete may never see fruit in a particular timeframe, the farmer is able to see the results of his labour as seasons come and go. And the emphasis here of being a farmer is to imagine being a farmer but not being willing to work hard. So, if we could summarize these four professions: I think we see the value in the training of others by the teacher; the single-mindedness of the soldier; the discipline and joy of the athlete; and the hard work of the farmer. And then Paul says:
“Understand what I say, for the Lord will give you insight in everything.”
2 Tim 2:7 (LSB)
Understanding in everything. That full inclusion of all of these aspects of the teacher, soldier, athlete, and the farmer in the ministry. To understand the joy in seeing those we have taught and directed, to then take up the teaching of the gospel themselves. When we might see a son or a daughter, or someone we have taught in a Sunday school class, or ministered in a youth group or a friend. Or another believer we have influenced through work or ministry and we see them taking up the cause of Christ. Or those who have fought as soldiers together, those who have suffered together, who have been instrumental in claiming victory for a people or nation. The joy of soldiers that are welcomed home by those who have supported them. There is probably little that could compare in this life with that kind of feeling of satisfaction, knowing that you have fought bravely for your country. And for the athlete, who has practised, trained, and disciplined his body, and competes according to the rules and wins the race, brings great joy and satisfaction. We have lived beside a farmer’s field both here and in Wyoming. And our favourite is when the farmer plants wheat, to watch that wheat that has grown over the winter. And then the next season as it sways and moves with the gentle summer breeze. Imagine the joy it gives to the one who planted such a crop, due to his long-continued hard work.
And through these illustrations, Paul presents a contrast, the contrast of his imprisonment (vs 9) in chains as a criminal, with this wonderful joy and glory of living the enduring Christian life. Here his life physically is tied to chains, and yet his life spiritually is free and joyful and glorious. And though his earthly body is not free to go and walk and run and battle; his spiritual body, his spirit is not in any sense confined by his physical limitations. In other words, what he is illustrating for us is that there is nothing physically that can hinder us from the freedom and joy of the gospel and our relationship with Christ, as the Bible’s effectiveness in our lives and in the lives of others is not bound to any extent to our personal physical limitations. In fact, after stating that he is chained physically, he says (vs 9), but the Word of God is not chained! Christ will continue to be preached. One of the present-day champions is Joni Eareckson Tata, who, since the age of seventeen has been confined to a wheelchair physically, but knows more than most of the freedom of the gospel. And then Paul closes this section with another contrast. The first is a positive statement.
“It is a trustworthy saying: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him.”
2 Tim 2:11-12a (LSB)
“If we have died with Him.” Some would conclude that this represents believers’ baptism, where the believer has symbolically been buried with Christ in baptism. Something which would have been so significant for these believers, where they have identified themselves publicly as followers of Christ by being baptized, placing their very lives in danger. And though many were martyred, dying for their faith, they had the promise that they would live with Him. And if they endured in their faith, proving their faith, they would also have the joy of reigning with Christ. But here is the contrast:
“If we will deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
2 Tim 2:12b-13 (LSB)
Some interpret this verse as a positive statement. That even if some are faithless, God will remain faithful to them. But that does not fit the context of the passage, teaching about the endurance of the faithful teacher, soldier, athlete, and farmer. And the flow of the text clearly indicates that if we endure, we will also live with Him. But if we do not endure as the teacher or the soldier or the athlete or the farmer, He will also deny us and will remain faithful to His Word, which speaks of the everlasting punishment of all those unfaithful to Him. For God has stated in His Word that those who have faith, those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ are eternally saved, and those who refuse, will be eternally condemned.
Endurance. One of the greatest stories of endurance in this life for me is not that well-known. Jesse Lumsden is the son of Neil Lumsden, and Neil Lumsden was a star in the CFL with Hamilton and Edmonton. And the son Jesse was signed for a short time with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL, but was eventually released and found his way to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, one of the teams his Dad played for. He was an instant star as a fullback in the CFL, becoming one of the league’s best offensive players. But because of a shoulder injury during his second year, he was sort of in and out of the lineup for a few years. And because of his injury, Hamilton eventually let him go. But Lumsden was an athlete of endurance, so, he had surgery on his shoulder and instead of risking further injury he took an entire season off for rehab until his shoulder was one hundred percent. And much was written of the rigours that Lumsden went through to get his body back to playing condition, so much dedication and commitment. So much so that at the beginning of the ‘2009 season he was signed by Edmonton. And there was quite the build-up to the opening game in Edmonton that season, as this was the other team his Dad had played for, and there was such a great anticipation for his comeback.
Edmonton received the ball after the opening kickoff and Lumsden came out with the offense. On the first play from scrimmage, the ball was handed off to Lumsden, who ran for about eight yards. He was hit on that same shoulder, and here was the test. And admittedly, it was hard to watch him walk off the field bent over holding that shoulder after all that work and endurance. In Colossians 3, Paul wrote this:
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.”
Col 3:23-24 (LSB)
Tim Schroeder, at a conference I attended, spoke about an all-out, all-of-life-encompassing passion for the call of the gospel, focusing on that phrase, “Serve the Lord Christ.” And choosing the analogy of an athlete in sports he said this:
“You can play with part of your heart if you want to, but you won’t leave much of a legacy for the kingdom.”
Tim Schroeder, AGC Conference ‘16
Neil Lumsden never played football again although he tried. But that is the kind of endurance that Paul is speaking about to Timothy. The Christian who is “all-in” in serving Christ, a willingness to continue to battle. Endurance is not what we used to call the 100-yard dash. Endurance is the long haul. It is the one who starts well and finishes even better. Will this be your legacy? Let’s pray. Father, may we be able to say with Paul, as he later tells Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” Lord, this is our desire as those who are in Christ Jesus, those who desire to share in the suffering, whatever that is that the Lord determines for each of us. And to stand with all those who have gone on before us and all those that we stand with here today. Give us the desire to be this type of Christ-follower, and give us the commitment and mindset of endurance. And all God’s people said, amen.