Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
FREE PRESBYTERIAN ISSUES -- GOSPEL ISSUES -- PROTESTANT ISSUES -- EVANGELISM ISSUES -- CALVINISM
ISSUES -- C.H. SPURGEON INDEX -- SERMON NOTES -- MAIN
READING: 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-13 TEXT: vs11-13 [series #8]
It is a faithful saying: For
if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we
suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny
us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny
himself.
These words are sure because they are found on the pages/Bible
They flow from the inspired pen of the great Apostle
This is generally enough for us
But often the Apostle prefaces some of his statements with these words: This is a faithful saying (v11)
In 1:1:15, and 1:4:19 he went even further and added the words: And worthy of all acceptation
These words of preface should not be used to denigrate those passages where they are omitted
Every line in the Bible is faithful and worthy of all acceptation
The words are attached to the few but applicable to all the rest
For convenience and especially comfort sake, they are not attached to
every sentence – imagine how grating it would be the read them
dozens of times on each/every page of your Bible
But they do appear to reassure us that God’s word is true
Our Saviour’s formula of assurance (at least in John’s Gospel) was to preface His remarks with the words “Verily, verily”
Again – the absence of such words before any particular sentence does not denigrate the words in any sense
All the Bible is true and faithful and worthy/all acceptation
In our passage (where they do appear) they come before a great and high statement which Paul makes (quote)
Paul attaches his formula as if he were underlining these words
In these words, we have Bible principles at work
When we come to difficult passages/bible, we will find ourselves falling back on passages like these to cast light upon them
There are 3 main thoughts/consider:
1) OUR CLOSE RELATIONSHIP TO THE LORD JESUS:
Based/words: If we be dead with him etc., (v11)
A/ Obviously, these words have a spiritual import
If you read them, then you are not physically dead
Sometimes folk put Bibles on coffins – never in them!
Every Christian (definition) is dead with Christ
Even when he is alive/well and walking about the earth
Because there was a major shift/our situation when we got saved
[i] Before we were converted – we were spiritually dead
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1)
We were dead to the things/God – little interest/Bible etc.,
Maybe you claim that pre-conversion that you had great interest
May be so – but it was not an inherent interest, but imparted
Things/God are definitely an acquired taste to the natural man
Any interest you had was because God gave it to you
But this interest stopped short of acquiring eternal life
Therefore, the unsaved are considered to be spiritually dead
Only when they believe/Christ do they pass from death unto life
[ii] Moment, we believe, we possess everlasting life
But at the same time, we also die!
Before conversion, we were alive to the world and dead to Christ
Just like the woman in 1:5:6 She being dead while she lives
But the new Christian dies to the world and lives to Christ
This is what is signalled by baptism:
Know ye not, that so many of us as
were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)
B/ This dying/world and living on to Christ is positional
It is because of our union with Him
We are not merely identified with Him – but in union with Him
That is must stronger again
Although we do not enter into these benefits until we believe
Yet positionally, we died with Christ when He died/Cross
Again (obviously) this is figurative talk – but it is real
Of course, we will not fully understand how – but Book says it
I’m/opinion that it is for our good whether fully understood/not
C/ Paul here is logical in his thinking/statements
If we spiritually/positionally died with Christ/Cross
What happened them at the tomb?
Where is the cut off point?
Paul kept going…We also rose with Him
Furthermore (v12) we also reign with Him
Why stop at the tomb?
We stand with Him on Mount Olives when He was taken up/glory
Again, spiritually/positionally we were taken up
Paul words it elsewhere (Ephesians 2:6) like this:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
D/ Maybe you don’t think very highly of yourself
Certainly, Paul had strong words to say about this:
For
I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to
think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith. (Romans 12:3)
Sober thinking induces to see where we are in Christ
The world may despise you and put you down
God has raised us up into Heavenly places in Christ
This is the blessed portion/lot of every last Christian
I wonder who is the weakest Christian alive on earth today?
(Or I should say: Who else is the weakest Christian?)
Our standing in Christ with God is the exact same as the strongest Christian who ever lived
In ourselves, we are most despicable
In Christ, we are dead/world and risen and alive/God
We are seated with Him in the heavenlies
Such/the teaching of the Book/God at large and here/particular
It is a faithful saying and worthy/all acceptation
2) THE COST OF THIS RELATIONSHIP:
If we suffer… (v12)
A/ We use the words “cost” very advisedly
What we have in Christ is according to grace alone
It cannot be bought or earned or gotten any other way
Positions of power in this world come this way
It's not what you know, but who you know
The right school tie or business/sporting connections etc.,
Sometimes bribes are the order of the day behind closed doors
What corruption abounds in this present evil world
B/ But that which comes to us free/purchased by Christ’s blood
Can also carry a cost or (word/better) it can have a dear effect
Perhaps more so in Paul’s day than ours (But watch this space!)
Yet being a Christian can bring suffering upon us
Everything was fine/acceptable when we were unsaved
Companions/sin - we were all comfortable/each other’s presence
Then we went and spoiled it!
We got converted and in our repentance we let go our sins
God spoke to us as He spoke to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:27)
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins…
Maybe we did little more than drift apart with no ill will
But OTOH: Some folk paid a heavy price
Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: (1 Peter 4:4)
Many a soul was turned out/home when they decided for Christ
In some Muslim countries, new converts are stoned/death
It is a capital crime to be an apostate (as it is seen) from Islam
Not that long ago here in Ireland that folk were shunned too
Present day openness should not be taken for granted
Yes, we rejoice in it and encourage it
But it is not written in concrete and things can change
C/ If it be that we suffer for our faith
There is a great reward waiting
You do not lose in whatever you give to God
By believing His son- you may lose your freedom/family/business
Perhaps even your life
Paul here was paying a high price for His faith
BTW: Isn’t it wonderful how the Holy Spirit guided the pens of those who were prepared to pay the price of discipleship?
All the apostles paid a heavy price
World might pooh pooh letters written on prison notepaper
Christians see it as a most noble thing
This prisoner wasn’t in prison as a thief/robber/killer
His charges were trumped up to silence him
A man living/preaching the righteous law/God is no criminal
By
employing Paul etc., Spirit/God silences any excuses that the wicked
flesh might make i.e. these writers lived in Ivory towers
But there is a great reward waiting
If we have suffered for him, we will reign with Him
The world casts us down to the deepest dungeon
God will raise us up to the highest throne
A bit like Joseph leaving the cell to become PM/Egypt
Got out of one bed/morning – lay in a softer one that very night
D/ I know that we have said that we are already in the heavenlies with Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3)
I did keep emphasizing that this is where we are spiritually
We are there because we are in union with Christ
It is all a positional thing
It is true, even if we were in a prison cell here on earth
There were Christians in the Gulags/Siberia – veritable hells on
earth – and yet seated at the same time in the Heavenlies
But here in v12 the language is different in two aspects
[i] It is in the future tense (Cp Ephesians 1:3 where/present)
Therefore [ii] It is not figurative, but literal
Where will we (if we are Christians) be 1,000 years from now?
ANS: Literally reigning with Him in glory with glorified bodies
OBJECT: Why does text limit this reign to suffering Christians?
ANS: Although language is limited here, yet it is not absolute
A Christian cannot go looking to suffer for Christ
Some fanatics who do that – they want to go to jail
Therefore they cease to be as wise/serpents and never quite reach being as harmless as doves
God never said that ego trips end up on heavenly thrones
It is not so much the suffering that brings the glory
It is the faithfulness of the suffering that brings the glory
Faithfulness does not need suffering to be faithful
Paul is assuming that the suffering here is faithful suffering
He brings therefore a great word of comfort
[i] To encourage himself as he was presently suffering
(Like David: He encouraged Himself in the Lord: 1 Samuel 30:6)
[ii] To encourage Timothy who might yet have had to face trials
It is something that we all must face the possibility of
These so called hate laws are menacing the basic freedom of free speech
– denouncing sin does not mean that we hate sinners
[iii] To encourage every believer since who has suffered
This letter has encouraged millions since it was originally written
That
Russian dissident who spent years/Gulags wrote of a Russian Baptist who
hid his pocket NT in a cleverly hidden crack in the wall which survived
every search
What comfort he would have taken from these words
3) THE ALTERNATIVE TO THIS CLOSE RELATIONSHIP:
If we deny Him, He will also deny us (v12-13)
A/ Commentators offer diverse/interpretations here
Many look kindlier at these words than others
Neither side argues that we should deny Christ
Neither side holds out hope for the apostates
Both Peter and Judas denied Christ – but with a difference
Peter was never at apostate – although he fell most foully indeed
Had Peter been an apostate, then he would never have wept bitterly or (at least) returned the Lord again in repentance
According to Hebrews 6, there is no repentance for apostates
How can a backsliding Christian tell that he is not an apostate?
Answer: Let him return to the Lord and the proof is undeniable
But Judas was an apostate
There was remorse but not Spirit wrought repentance
Remorse drove Him to a suicide’s grave
Repentance would have driven him to a Saviour’s grace
Peter’s foul deed (don’t minimize his sin) was a momentary lapse
Judas’ apostasy was the climax of months of deliberate sin
B/ Our views on who is intended here (i.e. Peter/Judas type people) will determine how we interpret v13
[i] If apostates are in mind … then v13 means that God will stand by His own declarations and damn them for their sin
An apostate is someone is someone who swore allegiance to God and His laws but deserted to the enemy
Well …. God has swore allegiance/own laws and will not lax them
Therefore there is only certain doom/apostates (Hebrews 10)
[ii] If backsliders are concerned and the unbelief is
temporary: v13 means that God’s faithfulness will sustain
the erring saint
He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us
Even though we flutter a fair bit – yet we are eternally safe
He has us engraved on the palms of His hands
C/ Which of the two interpretations are the true one?
Both teach important truths which are also seen elsewhere/Bible
I never get too upset about such divergences
Certainly would not burn/stake for the one as opposed/the other
Secret is to be determined never to deny Christ
Even when suffering for Him – keep the eye on the coming reign
If we should fall – hasten back to Him immediately
Be assured that He does not cast out His returning children
THE END