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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (2-3-1997 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
1 & 2 Timothy and Titus are known as the Pastoral Epistles. They contain a number of common features, e.g. they all have statements beginning “This is a faithful saying…” These “faithful sayings” may be hymns, or Christian proverbs, or inspired statements by the prophets, or bits of catechisms taught to young converts, or little phrases to help people witness to others. The most well known of these faithful sayings is 1 Timothy 1:15, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. Others in the same epistle are 1 Timothy 3:1, Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task, and 1 Timothy 4:8,9, For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.
One of the faithful sayings comes in Titus 3:8, This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. So far, then, these sayings have centred around crucial matters – Christ’s coming to save, service in the church, godliness, and the importance of good works. The fifth comes in 2 Timothy, and stresses the importance of faithfulness to the Lord. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
This may well be part of an early Christian hymn, to be sung in connection with a baptism. Certainly the most likely reference is not to dying as a martyr, but to the symbol of death in baptism. The Greek tense suggests a death which has taken place in the past. There is an echo here of Romans 6:8, Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Baptism symbolizes how the old man, the man we used to be, has come to an end. We are not the person we used to be. We now live a new life by Christ’s Resurrection. So we walk in newness of life. We shall also live with Him. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). That new life has begun now, and will continue into eternity. In Christ we have a life that never ends, a life lived in His presence, and in eternity that will come to its fullness.
Meanwhile we on earth are to remember that the old life is dead. We must not go back to it. But we are to remember we are living with Christ, under His authority and by His power. This is the secret of Christian living. He is the source of power, achievement and progress. George Muller said, “There was a day when I died – I utterly died” As he spoke, he bent lower and lower until he almost touched the floor. “I died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will, died to the world, its approval and censure, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends, and since then I have sought to show myself approved by God.”
Loyalty to Christ brings its
penalty. The Christian has to suffer, not only as a man but also as a believer.
“No cross, no crown; no thorn, no throne.” The New Testament is full of
warnings and teaching about this. Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me (Matthew
5:11). The early church suffered shame for His name, yet The apostles left
the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering
disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:41).
Down through the centuries there
have been Christian martyrs. Alexander Robertson, a Scottish covenanter, just
before his execution, said, “I bless Him that gave me a life to lose and a
body to lay down for Him. Though the price is too high to many, I reckon it low
and all I have or can do will be too little for Him who gave Himself for me and
to me.”
We all have to pay a price
living in a godless world. There is no encouragement for us if we suffer due to
our own stupidity or wrongdoing. But if we are suffering for Christ, and if we
endure in the spirit of Christ, then we will know God’s blessing. Suffering
for Christ can affect our pockets, reputations, family relationships, and
promotion prospects. We will face social pressures, the cold shoulder, our
motives will be questioned and we will be misrepresented. Christian service
itself will involve inconvenience and self-sacrifice, sometimes with little
thanks or appreciation.
Is it worth it? Why bother? We
have no option. We are indebted to Him. And when we take the long-term view,
there is glory yet to be revealed. I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of
Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed (1
Peter 5:1). Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matthew
5:12). His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have
been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come
and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:23). God is not unjust;
he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him (Hebrews 6:10).
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). We will reign forever and ever
(Revelation 22:5). For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Who would draw back then? Who would play coward when, at the end, is a reward so eternal and rich and more than we have any right to expect awaiting for us?
Now from comfort and encouragement to a stern warning,
from steadfast endurance to steadfast, continual and absolute denial. The tense
used is the future indicative, suggesting not a temporary lapse, but an utter
and final rejection, with hardness and permanence. Disowning Him in this sense
is the very opposite of confessing Him. It means resisting His truth and His
Gospel.
Be warned that is it possible to have a religious veneer, a form of godliness, but to deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). It can be all there in words, but with no reality or conviction behind it. There are dire consequences for denying Him – He will deny us.
Jesus speaks of a day when those who confess Him before men, He will confess before His father. And whoever denies Him before men, He will deny before His father. He will say, “They are not mine. They do not belong to me. They rejected me and turned their backs on me.” I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:23). Those words will be final and irrevocable. Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' (Matthew 25:11,12). There will be no appeal to a higher court from there. Where would you stand if you were ushered into His presence now?
If we fail to live up to our profession, if we sin, are unstable, let the Lord down, waver, fail and disappoint Him (i.e. not a total rejection as in the previous phrase), thank God that He does not treat us in the same way. He remains true to His side of the relationship. However we may let the Lord down, His love is unchanged and He remains true to His promises and His word. He cannot deny Himself.
“Could
we bear from one another
What
he daily bears from us?
Yet
this glorious Friend and Brother
Loves
us though we treat Him thus.”
(John Newton)
Paul’s aim in saying this is not to open the door to backsliding and falling away, but to provide a balm for troubled consciences. His aim is to strengthen us with assurance that when we feel ashamed of ourselves and are in despair of ourselves, God’s faithfulness is the rock on which we can plant our feet. God is not fickle, but totally dependable. His attitude to His people does not change. His promises do not alter. The mercy seat, the place of prayer, is always there. The truth of His Word stands forever.
When we look to men, even the best of men, we will be disappointed – politicians, statesmen, leaders, Christian workers and ministers – sooner or later they disappoint us. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man (Psalm 118:8). You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you (Isaiah 26:3). I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28).
Here is a word for us in this coming week, whatever it brings, whether we are in trouble, lonely, or opposed, with our backs against the wall. He will be faithful to us. We can cast our burdens on Him.
This is a trustworthy saying, and we ought to bear it mind at all times. As Christians we are alive with Christ, and one day we are going to reign with Him. He is always faithful to His people. Beware lest we deny Him.
