Good morning, friends. This passage that we're going to look at today is about contrasts. It's about contrasts. I know that that's a common thing in the Scriptures. You know, those who are blessed and those who are not. Those who are godly and those who are not. Those who are false and those who are true. We've been looking at that some the last few weeks. And today is about contrast as well. So I'm going to jump in and then I'm going to give you a bit of an outline. And the outline is actually straight from the scriptures. And so I'd ask you to keep your scriptures open and to follow along. Verses 10 to 12 or 13 is going to be about the example that Paul gave to Timothy and his encouragement to do that, to follow that. And then verses 14 and 15 are about the words that have been left to Timothy. And then we'll wrap up. In the midst of that, we will hear a little bit about persecutions and sufferings. And so if you'll just follow down through the scriptures, it will actually give us the breakdown itself. Now, before I pray, I wanna ask you, do you remember having been with certain people, having met them or gotten to know them for a little while and thinking, wow, they're different? I was thinking about this yesterday and recalling just kind of how old I feel. Dan, I was actually thinking about you as well and thinking about, Not for that reason. Wait, you got to let me finish. Dan and Deb probably remember the names of all the youth over the last 30 years or at least their faces and probably remember what they look like and who their parents were and some of their characteristics. Yesterday, I was thinking of a little guy who really made an impression on me named Evan Parker. Remember him, Dan? Yeah, Evan once told me, he said, don't worry, Pastor Jake, I'll protect you. I don't know what that meant as I just came to the church, but it was kind of funny that he made that comment. He said, don't worry, Pastor Jake, I'll protect you. And he probably had a new pocket knife or something, but I still remember what Evan Parker said. But in the summer of 1993, I started my first job at Glasgow Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bexar, Delaware. The summer of 1993, I was a youth intern at GRPC in Bexar, Delaware, just outside of Wilmington. And I met a group of young people at that church, and they left a lasting impression on me, and probably the reason that I wanted to continue. in ministry because of that experience with them. They were so shapeable and moldable, and they were willing to kind of follow what I said. For the most part, they weren't overly mean or rebellious kids. They got along well with one another. And I still remember their names even to this day. That's why I mentioned Dan. You'd remember a lot of the names of the young people who've come through our own church here. I remember Alice and June Schaefer. I remember Ian Bittler. I remember Rhett and Robbie Walls. I remember Matt. I remember Andrea Bradley. Becca, AJ, and so many more. A great group of young people who are just faithful followers of Jesus. And now think about this. If they were about 15, 30 years ago, that makes them 45 or 46. My youth group kids. That's crazy. Because now when I look on Facebook, They are sending their kids to college, right? And you know, one of the things that encourages me the most is they have kept on. They have continued in the faith. They are bringing up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And they are staying in the Lord, in the word. different and made such an impression on me and I, um, when I connect with them, I usually just do a couple of quick lines and I say this, I say, stay encouraged, keep going, stay encouraged, keep going. That's usually the way that I kind of leave off an email or a post with them. Stay encouraged, keep going. Let me pray. And I want you to think about that. Let's pray. Father, bless this morning and our time in your word, and particularly in this passage in 2 Timothy. Father, be kind to us to help us to understand through the grace of your Holy Spirit that shines a spotlight on your word and into our hearts, even into the crevices of our hearts that has evil. and wrong. Father, forgive us. I pray that You would truly give us eyes to see the Lord Jesus and to walk towards His light in repentance. and humility. And I pray that from my own heart and everyone in this room. And it's in Jesus' name we pray, Amen. This passage in many ways is about contrasts and about continuing on and persevering. That was my title that I put. Continuing and persevering well. So I want you to think about that tagline that I mentioned. Stay encouraged. Keep going. Have you ever had the opportunity to hear the last words of a loved one? You know, I was in kind of studying this week, I came across some contrasts of last words of different people. I want you to hear some of this. David Henry Thoreau, writer, this is what he said when his Aunt asked him if he had made peace with God. He said, well, I didn't know we were in Nicaragua. He didn't have a heart for God. He didn't want to have a relationship with God. And he answered sarcastically, those were his last words to her. On the contrast, D.L. Moody, the great D.L. Moody, said this as he turned to his boys, if God be your partner, make your plans large. Isn't that interesting? Let me read a couple other ones. This is what Voltaire said, his last words. I am abandoned by God and man. I shall go to hell. Oh, Jesus Christ. That's supposedly his last words. Martin Luther's was, our God is the God from whom cometh salvation. God is the Lord by whom we escape death. And listen to this, Winston Churchill, man whose vision in battle cry was to never give up, said on his deathbed, I am convinced that there is no hope. Isn't that interesting? And John Knox, father of Presbyterianism, Scotland, uttered these piercing words, live in Christ, die in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death. live in Christ, die in Christ, and the flesh need not fear death. You know, six, no, not six, more years than that, 2016 November, my mom passed away at Baylor Hospital in Plano on the eighth floor. And as I was saying goodbye to her and holding her hands, I could really tell that her breathing was getting labored and she was kind of nearing. I could tell that it was really coming close. And you know what she said to me? She said, don't let your dad be alone. She said, don't let him go back to New York and live alone. I can't forget that, because it was from her mouth, it was from her heart, and I'm trying to honor those words even today. These are the last words of the last letter from the Apostle Paul. By the time we get to 2 Timothy 3, we're kind of hearing the last of the last. That's what we have here. Paul knows he's going to die. It could be days, it could be weeks. It could be ours. He knows it's coming. And these are the last words of the last bit of things He is saying to Timothy. The final goodbyes and the final words are so important here. They're full of weight and meaning. And this, what Paul says in these chapters, these last sections, from 3.10 to the end of chapter 4, you have to recognize as weighty words, because he knows these are the last things he's going to say to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. And it's kind of a summary statement of the life of the person speaking them. So what you're hearing is kind of a summary statement of what he really believed and of his life as he says it to Timothy. Paul's very careful and thoughtful as he says the last section of this final letter. And in a sense, he wants Timothy not to miss it. And just like us, just like I hung on my mom's words, I think we, for the next sections, until we finish, you need to recognize that this is a man who is very precisely and carefully and full of heart, saying exactly what he wants to say, not a word. is missed or accidental. This is his heart going out. And you know what it is? It's actually a call to discipleship, this whole section. And that's a good word for us, because we're gonna be talking about divine project and what that means for us as a church. You've been hearing that. You'll hear more about it from Pastor Jeff in the weeks ahead. But this is really a call to discipleship, not just Paul to Timothy and the church at Ephesus, but to all of us, to every believer. And we're being called to live lives as a disciple. Do you know what that word means? You do. I'm sure many of you do. But even for the young people, I'm going to say it again. The word disciple means follower. Follower of whatever it is, whoever it is, the teachings, the principles. And to be a disciple of Jesus Christ means to follow His words, His teachings, and all those who follow His words and His teachings. And Paul's reminding Timothy from the last sections, false teachers will continually be around us in God's church. So beware. Trying to confuse people from the truths of scripture. And so Paul here is encouraging us to be people who know God's word and live by the scripture. So it's about following, right? Verses 10 to 12 is about following. And he's encouraging Timothy to continue to be one that followed Paul's words and ways. So think about this. Timothy is his son in the faith. And we're gonna come in a moment to where they probably met. In this passage, we actually get to think about that for a moment. But Paul, when he's saying these things to Timothy, he's telling, Timothy, a pattern of life to continue on with, a way of life. And there's at least nine little things that Paul says here that I'd like to go through very quickly so you can hear it, think about it. But really, it's those words that I said in the tagline, keep going, Timothy. You've done well, good job, but now keep going. emulate me, follow my example, follow in my footsteps as I follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ. By the way, here's a reference that I'd like you to keep. Maybe you can write it down or highlight it. 1 Corinthians 11.1. 1 Corinthians 11.1. You know what Paul says? He says an audacious, bold thing. Follow me. Would you ever do that? Would you ever say, do what I do? I'm scared to do that even as a pastor. "'cause you should see me drive." My son, Jesse, the other day actually said in front of somebody here at the church, you're a reckless driver, dad. And I said, well, I'm from New York. That's not an excuse, but here's my point. Rarely do we say, do what I do, right? Rarely do we say, follow me. But here's what Paul's saying. He says, follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. In another translation, he says, be imitators of me as I am of Christ. And so our goal as a church, people, listen, our goal as a church is not just conversions. Our goal as a church is not just to have salvations or people coming to know the Lord or come to church or carry their Bibles. It's actually to become real, genuine, true disciples and followers of Jesus and the Lord's ways. Matthew 28, 19, and 20, right? The Great Commission, very, very well-known verses that we're gonna hear more and more and more about as we think intentionally about discipleship. It's being worked out here in this section in the words of the Apostle Paul. He's spelling out what it means to be a disciple, because he's saying to Timothy, be a disciple, keep being a disciple, and all of us keep being a disciple. Okay. This is to us. So don't think this is just Paul writing to Timothy. Now here are the nine ways that Paul tells Timothy, good job, now keep going. The first is, he says, follow my teaching. Do you notice that? You have followed my teaching, Timothy. Now keep following my teaching, Timothy. In contrast to the false teachers and their ways, Timothy, you followed in my ways. So think again about that word contrast. Paul is contrasting himself, harping on the gospel and the truth of the Scriptures and the false teachers, who are not doing that. And then he's contrasting Timothy, who has heard Paul's teaching and the rest of the church or others who are hearing the teachers and doing something else, being led astray. And so there's this strong contrast going on here. And he says, follow my teaching. Here's a question for you as you think about this. You know what Paul is saying? He's saying, stay in the word. Be serious about the Word. You know how I taught. You know I didn't deviate from God's Word. Now, brothers and sisters who are here and young people who are still getting to know God's Word, this is what it means to be a Christian, okay? Are you with me so far? It means being so dead serious about God's Word. It means, as one author put it, being high-level octane with God's Word. So into God's Word, so enamored with God's Word, so in love with God's Word, so passionate about God's Word. Not like, well, yeah, this is my day to do my reading, so I'm gonna do it. So different. That is so different than what Paul's saying here. You followed my teaching. You followed the gospel. You heard the teachings of the scriptures from the Old Testament and those of the apostles. Brothers and sisters, listen, are you that serious about God's word? Are you that high level octane about God's word? Memorizing it hearing it again and again Listen, this is true of me and it's probably true of you We care more about our textbooks and our workbooks and our instruction books and the things that help us with work Then we care about God's word and you know what God says you've given you've got one word You've got one book master that book Secondly Paul says, you followed my conduct. You know what he's saying here? My behavior, the way I live. A disciple is someone who emulates the life of his master. He lives like his master. And Timothy, you have lived out your life like I have. Now keep going. Our lives matter, friends. How we live compromises our witness in front of the watching world. In other words, don't just say stuff. Don't just talk about Christ. Don't just say things about the Bible like you know something. Live it out. Let it be apparent. Let people into your lives to see that you actually love and believe this thing and are trying your darndest to follow it in your family, for yourselves. Timothy, you've lived out your life like I have. Now keep going. Oh, hold on one second. Let me just go back here. We have so many men and women here of good godly character that we can follow in their conduct as well. Look, look around you. There's people who are in a stage of life past yours, who are older than you, who have gone through parenting, who have gone through many trials and hardships and illnesses and job losses and things. You can follow in their footsteps as they have followed in the Lord's footsteps. So, take advantage. We talked about this at the men's gathering the other morning. Are you available enough for someone to follow your conduct as you follow the Lord's conduct? Listen, do you open up your homes enough for people to actually see what you do? That's what being a disciple means. It's saying, I'm not perfect, but follow me as I follow Christ. Thirdly, Timothy, you followed my purpose. Now keep going. Acts 14, 12. Let me see if I can find this. Acts 14, 12. By the way, good verse to keep in mind and memorize as well and keep in your references to study. Acts 14, verse 12. This is what it says. Let me see if I can find it here. I may have gotten that wrong. I may have gotten the reference wrong, but hear this. This is what Paul's saying here. Paul's actually stating his purpose. He's saying, Timothy, you followed after my purpose to see the gospel extended as far and as near as possible to reach the lost. You know what Paul's heart and passion was? To go to the extensions of the earth, to bring the gospel. He loved the Jews, And he wanted every Jew to come to know the Lord, all his fellow brethren, but he also had a passion for the world. And his heart's passion and purpose, what drove him was that missionary zeal. Timothy, my son, have that same missionary zeal to see people reached with the life-giving gospel of Jesus and to grow into maturity in him and to see God glorified in our zeal to see the lost reached. It's all for God's ultimate glory, not ours. Listen, what's your purpose? When people come around you, what do they see as your Real heart. What makes you tick? What's your purpose? Timothy knew what it was for Paul. And Paul says, you followed my purpose, now keep going. Fourthly, you followed my faith, Timothy, now keep going. Hebrews 11, 6 says this. Hebrews 11, 6. You know this verse maybe? And without faith, it is impossible to please God. And without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Paul was a man who trusted in God's power and not on his own strength. Think of all the things he went through. He was a man of great faith and says now in the book of Philippians we hear these words, right? I can do All things through Him who strengthens me. Paul doesn't say, I think I've got it now after 20 years. I think I'm able to handle this. I think I can lead the church. I think I can do this missionary journey. He says, it's by faith. in Christ, in this message, that I can do all things by his empowerment. And Timothy, I've seen that kind of dependence and trust in you as well, is what Paul is saying. Fifthly, the Apostle Paul says this, he says, patience. The fifth thing, you followed my patience, Timothy. Now, you know, as I was studying this passage and kind of looking at Paul's life again, it's hard not to look at his life because he's dying, right? He's a dying man. And you're thinking about all that Paul is and his words and his character. You know, some people say that he was short, like me. And he said that he had a unibrow. Who knows how they get all these things? He was probably not the most handsome looking man, but he was... A well-taught godly man, right? But here's things that you can tell from the scriptures. Are you listening? He was so driven and focused like a laser beam. Once he met the Lord Jesus on the road, his life changed and he said, that's it. I'm no longer who I am anymore. We see that, right? In Corinthians, I no longer live. It's Christ who lives in me. I'm crucified with Christ, right? But Paul was so driven and focused. And do you know what you often get when you have a focused, driven person? A lack of patience. When you have people who you really admire, who are driven and focused, they often don't have the patience to deal with sluggish people or slow people or people who hinder their progress, maybe even just persecutors, people who oppose them, right? They want to bulldoze right through that because they're focused. But notice here, He is a balance now in his personality of both a driven heart and a personality type missionary, if you will, and patience for others. Listen, I want to share something with you real quickly. This is a testament to the work of the gospel. Because I bet Paul didn't start out that way and it was many, many years of sanctification and the Lord's work in his life to say, Paul, slow down. Look at that guy in the eye. Put your arm around that man. Go pray for that woman. Slow down. Love people. I really think it's the great work of the Holy Spirit in him, and it came over time in his long and varied ministry settings, a true work of transformation and sanctification as he learned to love better and minister better to people. But he did. He learned patience, both with struggling Christians and also those who opposed him. And so, let me... I ask you, is the Lord still working on you? Maybe you need some patience. Or maybe you're not driven enough. You know, when I was a little kid in the First Baptist Church of New Milford, I've mentioned that little Sunday school in New Milford, New Jersey, right? They taught us this song, probably not so great theologically, but it was called, He's Still Working on Me. Do you remember that, Jaya? He's still working on me. It took him just a week to make the moon and stars, but he's still working on me. God's sanctifying us. And he did with Paul because Paul learned patience. Sixthly, you followed me in love, Timothy. Now keep doing it. Genuine disciples have a true concern for others. And even an empathetic and sympathetic side to their lives towards people as we meet people. Do you really care about other people? Or are they just a project in your way? You know, something to do? Another thing to accomplish? What I mean by that is, you actually care about what concerns them. And you're sympathetic to the things that are hurting them. and bothering them and weighing them down. Genuine disciples have a true concern for the best interests of others and a deep sympathy for people who have suffered losses even through persecutions. One of the things that gives deep joy to the Apostle Paul and should for all of us is when you see a combination of love for the Lord and a genuine passion for the Lord and his people. It's rare to see a balance like that, of a passion like that. And so I want to encourage you, don't forget, love is the most important thing. Let me keep going. Seventh, there is steadfastness, endurance, steadfast perseverance in difficult situations. You know how we can describe this? It's holding fast when things aren't going okay. during trials of life and trying circumstances, pressing on without quitting. You see that in Paul, right? Man, after that first shipwreck, I would have been done. I've been ready to go home. But he doesn't quit, he perseveres even through difficult things because of God's help and the grace to enable him to continue. Verses, I'm sorry, eight and nine, the eighth and ninth thing, which we see in verses 11 and 12, have to do with persecutions and sufferings. And this is where I was gonna go back to that moment where I think maybe Timothy met Paul. So here's Timothy growing up in a godly home because his mother, and his grandmother loved God and knew His Word and probably brought him up in the Word of God and taught him about the Holy Scriptures and the sacred writings, as the passage says. But here's a situation that happened. Here's a man named Paul who's trying to bring the gospel to different places, and he happens to come to Lystra, Timothy's hometown. And here's what happened. In trying to bring the gospel to Timothy's hometown, Paul's beaten up to the point of being left to die. Lystra is Timothy's hometown, and he's probably remembering when this happened. He's probably remembering the images of a bruised and beaten up Apostle Paul. Maybe they brought him to Lois and Eunice's house. Timothy's grandmother and mother. Maybe they took care of him. Maybe Timothy has vivid images of this man that was almost left for dead, being beaten up, to bring the gospel to his own home city of Lystra. And Timothy, Paul is saying to Timothy, you saw. You saw my sufferings. You saw my persecutions. And Timothy, This could happen to you, too. You know, a couple of quick things here I want to mention as we kind of wrap up. That's the backstory. And the Lord actually says, but you know, providentially, He rescued me from all of those things. Providentially, all that stuff that happened, the shipwrecks, the getting beaten up and left for dead, the Lord actually preserved me somehow. He kept my life. He allowed me to keep going. He providentially rescued me from them all. And then a second thing, he says, but beware or aware that you might be called to this kind of suffering as well as a disciple. So just two quick things. One is, by the way, don't be afraid, brothers and sisters. You're not going to die any sooner than God has appointed the time for. And secondly, you're not going to die in any other way than the way that God has appointed for you to die. If you are appointed to die through illness, you are not going to get hanged. You're not going to drown. God knows exactly when and how. You know what the scripture says in Psalm 139, 16? All the days ordained for me were written in your book before even one of them came to be. God knows every last day, brothers, sisters. Don't be afraid of the sufferings and persecutions, because providentially, if God wants to use you more, you will persevere. You will be providentially rescued from all those things. But then there will be a time where he says, enough. Good job, well done, good and faithful servant, time to come home. But for many of us, that time is not yet. Paul knew that previously that time was not yet. But here's the second part. Paul is really kind of setting the expectations high for Timothy by saying this, if you are a follower of Jesus, you're gonna suffer. You're gonna find persecution, you're going to suffer. These things can happen to you too. That's what a disciple gets in this life. That's what a disciple gets in this life. Listen, I'm gonna go a couple minutes over, but you need to hear this. This is John's gospel, okay? Write these scripture references down so you can read it again at home with your families. John chapter 15 verses 18 to 21. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own, but because you are not of the world, that I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent Me." Don't be surprised if you get opposition or persecution or people making faces at you. In fact, my son Jude, the other day, he talked to me about a conversation he had at his Christian school, and they were talking about Christmas. And Jude said, but isn't Christmas about Jesus's birth? And the kid just looked at him and started laughing and said, no, what are you talking about? The world will look at us like we're crazy when we're talking about the truths of God's word. That's not what the world is about. But I want to give you a word of encouragement from John's gospel again. John 16, verse 33, I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world. In this world you will have mockery, scorning, problems, tribulations, all kinds of things, but take heart, I have Overcome the world. I don't have time to share this but my dad and mom have known personally many missionaries who were taken out of their homes and beaten and left to die and If you ask them Because we've known some of them if you've asked them. Well, do you want to keep going? Don't you know this will happen again? And you know what their answer would be. Yeah, so what I? Know Who I believe I know what I'm following and Okay, I have to finish. In the last part, verses 14 and 15, this is what Paul is telling Timothy. Continue on in what you have learned. Timothy, good job! You have followed in my footsteps. You have followed me so far. You have understood all these things. You love God's Word. You even understand about persecutions and sufferings. You're patient, you're loving. Continue on in what you have learned. In the sacred writings. So I'm guessing Paul is actually making a reference to Eunice and Lois again, who have taught him the sacred writings since he was young, since he was a little boy. But he's also probably making a reference to himself. You know, some commentaries say Timothy probably was with Paul from like 10 to 15 years of discipleship. Maybe 10 to 15 years of being with this man's roller coaster of a life. And yet the Lord providentially brings him through all of those sufferings to keep on and to have faith and to endure for the prize that is awaiting him. And Paul says to Timothy, continue on in what you have learned. Okay, last bit so you can hear this. You know what he's really saying? My days are done. I will be no more. But God's Word will be forever, Timothy. Stay in the word. Love the word. Memorize the word. Hear it again and again and again. Be high octane about God's word. Because it is wise to lead you to your salvation. Friends, if you are not hearing enough, let me say it even clearer. People are dying in their sins because they don't think they need to be saved from anything. But they are dying, they're shriveling up. Members of our own families, members of our communities, members of our neighborhoods, they're shriveling and dying up because they don't know that they are dying on the inside. And Paul is saying to Timothy, stay in the Word. Hear the truth. Let the Holy Spirit convict you, because it will lead you to salvation. The last words of a dying man mean a lot. I wonder what it would have felt like when Timothy opened this letter. Can you imagine tears coming down his face? Maybe it was after the death. But he's probably saying, thank you, God. Thank you, God, for his life, and thank you for your holy word. This is ours. Let's pray together. Father, I pray that you would enable us also to follow the example of the many godly men and women who have gone before us. But we ultimately thank you for your holy word, your precious word, Lord, that we can find truth and salvation for our souls in the person of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that every church around the world would be harping on the truth of the gospel and sticking to the word of God. And I pray that every preacher around the world would talk about your son and these scriptures. Thank you for Paul. in what He has meant for us. And we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.