2 Timothy 2:1–14
Introduction: I love church history. One area of study that I’ve found particularly interesting is the history of Puritanism. I think one of the lessons we can glean from the study of the Puritans is that God advances his kingdom work through faithful discipleship from one generation to the next. Among the Puritans, one of my favorites is Richard Sibbes.
Richard Sibbes – “The Bruised Reed” and “The Glorious Feast of the Gospel”
John Cotton – “Christ the Fountain of Life” and “The Way of the Churches of Christ in New England”
Jonathan Edwards – Direct heir to the Puritan tradition and shaper of American evangelicalism.
Think about our own history.
Pastor Jaime Prieto
Pastor Kenneth Tan
Pastor Romy Manansala
Pastor Jeremiah Lepasana
What will the next Gen receive from us? “Multiply” means that by the grace of God, we intentionally form another generation who will know Christ, love Christ, proclaim Christ, and entrust His gospel to the next generation. How do we do this?
Be Grace-Empowered
“Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus…” (v.1)
Fatherly word and exhortation - I care about you and the work
How do we normally build strength?
Paul issues a passive command. The grammar is important. Timothy is not being told to make himself strong or “work harder.” He is to receive strength found “in Christ Jesus.”
Grace is power (not simply God’s disposition toward us; saving grace and sustaining grace) and Person
Ephesians 6:10 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
1 Corinthians 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Why do we need strength? Because we grow weak repeatedly and the ministry is demanding and difficult. I don’t need to tell you that life is tough. Ministry is tough. We need strength that is not self-generated but Spirit-wrought. The question is not whether we suffer, but how we suffer.
We need strength to remain devoted (like a soldier), disciplined (like an athlete), and diligent (like a farmer). This grace makes us strong and wise.
God never commands us to fulfill our ministry independently of the grace He supplies. The command for us is to know, trust and experience this grace that is in Christ Jesus. As a church we must resist the temptation of “arrogance” by saying, “Hey, look at what we have accomplished,” or “anxiety,” “Can the next generation carry this ministry?” Our confidence is not in them, or even in us. Our confidence is in “the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” The same Christ who strengthened Timothy’s church is able to strengthen BCI. So before we think of multiplying disciples, we must ourselves continually be strengthened by grace. Multiplication begins by grace and is sustained by grace and is accomplished by grace. All of grace!
Be Generationally-Minded
“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (v. 2)
“What you have heard from me?”
I’m sure Timothy heard a great deal from Paul. This reveals a close relationship between them. Timothy received Paul’s teachings “with attention and care.” Paul passed on to him a “sacred trust.” In the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy), Paul emphasizes his teachings as a “trustworthy saying” (1 Timothy 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11).
How did it all start?
From Jesus to Saul (Paul)
Galatians 1:11-12 - “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13 – “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
From Paul to Timothy - Communication of Gospel truths (apostolic teachings) from generation to generation (To steward carefully Paul’s teaching and not office).
From Timothy to Reliable Men - Don’t let this sacred trsut be lost or die out and don’t let generations arise without understanding it and stewarding it.
From Reliable Men to those who will teach others
Pay attention to what Paul says here, “entrust.” Paul did not say “keep everything I taught you.” There is a sense here that Timothy must guard the “sacred trust,” but the best way to preserve it is by proclaiming it. Paul in Acts 20 says, “I did not shrink from declaring to you ‘the whole counsel of God.” Paul wants Timothy to “entrust what he received to somebody else who will give it to somebody else.” The word “entrust” shows intentionality, consistency, and fidelity. Discipleship doesn’t just happen. It is not accidental. We cannot simply hope or presume that the next generation will inherit the faith and pass it on. We must labor in teaching them, praying for and with them, opening the Scripture and reading and thinking about all these spiritual things with them (not just open, read, and close; Paul says, “think over what I say.”). We must bring the next gen into ministry and help them discover and fan into flame the gifts given to them. We must encourage them, correct them, and model to them what a life under the lordship of Christ looks like.
Application: (Bro Gil, Bro Jun, Bro, Ric, and Bro Ramon) Who are we intentionally preparing to carry the gospel when we are gone?
Be Gospel-Centered
The most important command in this passage as we think of “intentional formation” is found in 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.”
What do we “multiply”? We multiply Christlike disciples. In our passage Paul talked about grace, ministry, suffering, endurance, formation and multiplication. Then he said, remember Jesus Christ. Why? Because discipleship separated from Christ will eventually become Christless-morality, human tradition and institutional preservation. We must keep Christ central to our gospel ministry. The center is Christ, “RISEN FROM THE DEAD.” The one we entrust to the next generation is the crucified, risen and ascended Christ.
Illustration: Robert Wodrow (English Merchant – traveling through Scotland). Attended churches.
David Dickson – “He showed me all my heart.”
Robert Blair – “A sweet, majestic-looking man”
Samuel Rutherford – “A little, fair man who showed me the loveliness of Christ.”
Christ is both our model and motivation
Application: Our goal is to make sure that people who will come and become members would say: “At BCI I came to know Christ…I met the Savior to whom those Scriptures point…By grace, I inherited the gospel, and now I want to give it to someone else.”
Conclusion: A healthy church reproduces.
Think
Turn
Trust
Discussion questions:
As we celebrate our church anniversary, how has God’s grace sustained and strengthened us through the years?
Who are we intentionally discipling so that the gospel is faithfully entrusted to the next generation?
According to the message, how do we remain faithful to Christ and His gospel?
Sources:
R. Kent Hughes and Bryann Chapell, Preaching the Word: 1-2 and Titus.
Daniel M. Doriani and Richard D. Philipps, 2 Timothy and Titus.
Philip Ryken, Entrusted with the Gospel.