Date: Jul. 27, 2025
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2:1
The book of 2 Timothy starts out powerfully. Paul writes to Timothy: “fan into flame the gift of God,” and how the Spirit of God gives us “power, love and self-discipline.” With these words, there was a sense that Timothy may have been weakening spiritually under the pressures of the church and from the increasing persecution of Christians, and now, Paul’s last and final imprisonment in a cold, dark cell before his death. But Timothy had shown great potential in his faith, and so Paul wrote this letter to give Paul a charge, and a revival. This is one of the reasons we chose this book to study; to encourage us to a revival in our hearts for the gospel of Jesus Christ. After 18 years serving this ministry, do some of you feel a little weary, tired? But even for the young folks here – is it difficult, tough, and tiring to keep your faith and Christian identity? Timothy here may have been in his 30s when this letter was written, and Paul comes to his main admonition (meaning, gentle or friendly criticism or warning) to him in the beginning of today’s passage: “Be strong!” And that is what we all need to hear and take to heart as well: “Be strong!” Through today’s passage, we’ll see what it means to be strong, why we need to be, and how we can be so.
Look at v.1, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” This, “you then,” seems to come to a conclusion after the first chapter. And here is his admonition: “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” This tells you where our strength comes from. He did not say, “Be strong in yourself,” but to be strong in the grace; this is a strength that does not come from ourselves. It is not a strength that comes from within, and in fact, it is not a strength that we possess. The very word grace itself means an unmerited, undeserved free gift that is given. The source of this grace, as Paul says very clearly, is in Christ Jesus. So what Paul is saying here is to be strong by depending on the gifts given to you through Christ. It is by nature a spiritual strength, it is like power-ups for your soul, so to speak. When your spirit and your soul are strengthened with true power, it leads to strength physically, and mentally to endure hardships and do the work of God.
That is why Timothy needed strength. Look at v.2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” Here you can see clearly the line of succession from the teachings of Jesus, to the Apostles, to generations of faithful people. These teachings did not die with Jesus and his disciples, but are transmitted faithfully from generation to generation, so that the whole world can hear the good news. We are all beneficiaries of the faithful generations who have passed the gospel down. The main qualification for a teacher was that they would be faithful. They didn’t need to be the smartest people, the most skilled, the most eloquent, the richest, or the most good looking. More important than all of these things was that they had to have faith.
So Paul goes on to say in v.3, “Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” This again is why strength is needed. This suffering came about because of the gospel. Paul says in last week’s passage “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am.” For Timothy to pass on the teachings, he would face similar trials, and church tradition states that he was eventually martyred for opposing idolatry.
We likewise will face suffering for our faith. There is a spiritual war going on, and when we choose to follow Jesus, there will be opposition. In this country, we are not persecuted for our faith, but suffering and persecution can still come in many forms and at different levels. There was a homeless man that I used to give pizza to for many months. One day, after buying him a whole pizza, I wanted to share the gospel with him. He immediately got up, walked away, with the pizza, and said to me “You’re one of them, get away from me!” In high school, or among your non-Christian friends, you could be mocked for being Christian. These examples, though mild, are still examples of persecution.
We are also in a spiritual war. Sometimes Satan will try to destroy our faith by planting doubt or blame on God. When we or our loved ones get severely sick or dies, we might be tempted to blame God or accuse him. There are times I’ve noticed that when I have to do a message, there are times where I’ve had some of the most intense or difficult arguments with my wife. In these situations, I need grace. Sometimes because of our sin, we are caught up in lust, greed or pride, and the best way to diffuse or break free from these situations is with the strength that comes from grace. Again grace is the unmerited, undeserved gift from Jesus. Never feel that you have to earn grace, or you’re not good enough for grace. The truth is, you can’t earn it, and you’re probably not good enough – but the good news is, grace is free for all. Grace humbles us. Grace helps us. Grace can make us gentle. To the world, having grace may look weak, but to the faithful, grace is true strength. Grace is what enables us to endure through suffering and really take on the worst that the world can throw at us, and overcome.
You can really encourage and help someone with a good gift. My kids got in to this habit of asking for anything they want with “Can I have this for my birthday?” And if they know the promise is good they’ll be on their best behavior. The grace of God is as infinite as he is, and his gifts span from past to present to future; and all of this is available to us by asking and believing. It is this grace that can make us strong, for our labor is hard.
Let’s look at the next 3 vignettes, little slices of life, that will give us a good picture of the Christian life and grace. Look at v.4-7 “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” Here we have a picture of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. What they all have in common is that they are all focused and disciplined – the soldier does not get entangled with distractions from his mission. They do not get caught up in worldly desires and temptations. The athlete competes according to the rules. The Christian life is a narrow road – God has directed us how to worship him properly and acceptably; there is a clear line between good and evil practices. The picture of the farmer here is one who labors hard until exhaustion, in hopes of a having an abundant harvest.
Look at their rewards: the soldier gets an approval from his commander. The smile of God is a coveted prize. Num 6:25 says, “the Lord make his face shine on you,” and the Christian is eager to hear as Jesus says in Matt 25:21, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” The athletes looks for the crown, and later in Timothy we see that there is a crown of righteousness in store for all who long for Jesus’ appearing. The farmer receives fruits for his labor – and these fruits of the Spirit we can enjoy now, but there will also be treasure waiting for us in heaven. These mainly speak of future gifts, but what about present grace? Present grace is there also – because it is grace that is able to make us stand firm, and be blameless until he returns; and as the Lord once told Paul in 2 Cor 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s grace is enough to meet all our needs.
Paul then reminds Timothy of the gospel, which is the source, and heart of grace. It is grace from the past, that extends into the present and the future. Look at v.8-9, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal But God’s word is not chained.” This is the good news of great joy for all the people! Jesus Christ, raised from the dead. Death has been defeated, it can no longer hold people down like it used to. There is hope of rising from the dead, just as Jesus did. He was descended from David, which stresses the humanity of Jesus: that he was flesh and blood, a descendant of the historic King David. His resurrection from the dead proved that he is the Son of God, and his incarnation is a message of God’s love to us – it is the reality of God with us, and God living together again with us through a restored relationship.
Look at v.10, “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” Man it just gets better and better doesn’t it. The gospel means salvation. Salvation from sin, salvation from death, salvation into eternal life, with eternal glory. We will not just rise and live life like we do now, no, we will rise into an eternal blessedness that words cannot even begin to describe. And so now notice Paul’s maturity here: that he was not only looking for gifts and rewards for himself, but everyone who hears, and listens, and believes, to obtain salvation. This root of grace, the gospel, is how Paul could sit in a cold, dark dungeon in chains, treated like a criminal though he was innocent. The grace of God through Jesus Christ is how Paul could tell Timothy: be strong, entrust this teaching to others, and suffer with me – because the God’s word cannot be chained! His reward, his investment, his treasure in heaven is going to the moon, and he will be alive to savor all of it, because of the grace of God.
This is the healing effect of the grace that is in Jesus Christ, and the restoration that comes to us first through our souls, then through our minds and bodies. In Christ, we are forgiven, cleansed and made new on the inside, and our relationship is restored with God. The fruits of this are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control – this leads to healing of the mind and body. Then we have the Holy Spirit which gives us power, love and self-discipline. We begin to want to love God, to want to love others, and to want to see others saved, for God’s sake and God’s glory. All of it comes from the grace of God that is in Jesus Christ.
In this final section of the passage, Paul quotes a hymn that illustrates the gospel, describes our glory, and offers a warning and encouragement. Look at v.11-13 “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 remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” If we died with him, we will also live with him. This is the working out of the gospel. Jesus died for our sins, and he died to sin, and rose from the dead as a receipt that the debt has been paid. So metaphorically, we die to our old lives. We die to our former unbelief, and pursuit of sinful desires, and we live for God – to obey and serve him. In the future, this will literally come true, if we die in Christ, we will physically be resurrected just as he was, and live with him.
If we endure, we will also reign with him. This is a picture of our glory. Can you imagine? You, of all people, will be reigning in the new earth with Christ. I mean, some of you don’t even look like leadership material (I’m kidding) – but all of you, will reign with Christ. How that will happen, I don’t know: but remember: it is God who gives wisdom, and only by the grace of God, we are who we are. The Bible says even the least in the kingdom of heaven will be greater than John the Baptist, to whom Jesus said was the greatest person born of women (Matt 11:11). This is not to disparage John the Baptist, but to say our transformation will be glorious.
Now here’s a word of warning: if we disown him, he will also disown us. Paul’s emphasis here was to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We disown Jesus when we reject him, disobey him, or lose faith in him. Peter did disown Jesus, but he repented and was restored. So if you have faith, you can be restored. But be careful not to harden your hearts when you hear the gospel. Be careful not to deny Jesus under pressure, for some temporary benefit or safety. Be careful of the temptations of this world: lust, greed, pride, pleasure, do not deny Jesus for these worthless things, but repent, and believe.
And a final word of encouragement in v.13, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” This means that whatever God says he will do, he will do it. He has promised it, and he will not take back his promise. If we are faithless, we will be disowned. He’s faithful to that. But he’s also faithful to his word, and God does not lie. God cannot and does not lie. What does this mean? This means, if you trust him, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t – it means Jesus Christ will return someday, and the whole world will know it. It means that when Jesus comes, we will be taken into heaven; we will receive new bodies, new homes, and all of the treasures stored up for us in heaven. It means that salvation from death and eternal life are guaranteed by God. It means that if you stand strong in the grace, you will receive a smile from God, a victor’s crown, and a harvest multiple times of anything you lost here on earth for his sake.
Life itself is not easy and full of suffering, I can acknowledge that. Christian life is also full of hardship and suffering, but there is both help and a reward in all of it. Grace is powerful, but life isn’t easy, therefore, we are called to be strong, we are called to endure, we are called to persevere. It’s difficult, often when your at your wits end, you feel like you don’t want to go farther. After tough battles, or many years, maybe you feel like you want to give up, or feel weakened. Especially when you are at your darkest, loneliest, toughest, roughest, most miserable moments, look up to the grace of Jesus Christ, and seek to obtain it at all costs. Like Paul, endure all hardship, not only for your sake, but for the sake of others. Let’s all run this marathon and get to the finish line together. When you feel your faith is being challenged, when you feel that God is unjust, remind yourself of his grace, and ask that whatever the difficulty you are in, that he will show you how it is for his glory. And share the gospel, at all costs, and endure the hardships that come along with it, for it will produce a harvest of righteousness. Share it with your loved ones, your friends, your family, and with students here at IIT. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
