The Books of 2 Thessalonians and 1 & 2 Timothy

0:11 I hope you've been keeping up with the reading, but more than just doing the reading, I hope that every day as you're getting into the Word, you're really working hard to come into His presence, like to clear your mind of everything else. because I know there's days when I do it too, where you just want to get through the reading so you don't fall behind. But then there are those days, right, where you're able to just totally come into his presence and get into the word and you're just loving and soaking up every word of it. And I hope that's been happening. You know, sometimes I read the word of God and I just to go, gosh, have I ever read this before? Because maybe every time I come to this passage, I just read it through rather than really soaking it in and fellowshipping with God over it. This last week, I'll just jump into 2 Thessalonians. There were just things in there that I hadn't caught before, and I'll just kind of go through the readings of the week.

1:15 But starting in 2 Thessalonians 1, just that verse in verse 6 when it says,

2:07 you know that phrase in verse 6 and i and i know that's an intense passage i mean second thessalonians 1 it flies in the face of all the modern teaching of well you know god wouldn't do this god god wouldn't you know inflict vengeance on people just for not believing in him and there are so many opinions out there but that's why i love that phrase in verse 6 god considers it just A first. think about that phrase, God considers it just. So it doesn't matter what you think is fair. See, this is the definition of fairness, is whatever God thinks and considers as fair. And it says right there, God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you.

3:05 I have such a different view of justice than God I have such a different opinion a different feeling towards sin than he does and this whole picture of him being revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. I mean, these words just, it's not natural for us, especially us in America, to think about God and what He considers just and considering His thoughts above our own. But that's the whole point of reading the scriptures.

3:59 It's going, okay, here's my opinions. Here's what I feel. Here's what I would naturally come up with based upon my upbringing, based upon the movies I watch, based upon the voices I hear in my head, and based on whatever is coming from my own mind and heart. Great. But then I read the Word of God. And the whole point of us getting in the Word is to wash ourselves of our own thoughts, our own feelings, our own desires, and everything that's been thrown our way. That's why Jesus says, sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. And there in 2 Thessalonians, we learn a little bit about the justice of God and what God considers just. Because I will have a different opinion from every person listening to this as to what is fair. And at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. We're here to learn what does God consider just. I hope you're picking up on these little things, big things, but you know, a couple words here, a couple words there, and it's life-changing, and that's why I'm saying don't just rush through it. I know there'll be days, I get it, but for the most part as a general rule, let's really try to show some reverence when we come into the presence of God.

5:24 He goes on in, I love what he says in chapter 3, verse 1, Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored. That's our desire, right? That the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored. It's like, can we get this word out to people? And not only that, but God, my prayer is that people would honor your word, honor it above their own thinking, honor it above all the teaching that's out there. Like we said from Romans, you know, let God be true, though every man a liar. We want your word to go forward. And that's what this is all about is please, please, please get in the presence of God. read the word for yourself honor it as you sit there honor it as you read his word um interesting thing i mean he goes on in chapter three and and he just he talks about idleness which i think is is really key for our day and age as so many people sit around and i'm just gonna wait and hear from the lord and i get it i i understand i'm we wait we wait and it's about him But at the same time, it can very easily border on idleness and laziness.

6:50 And Paul explains in chapter 3, verse 6,

7:51 I mean, these words, he's just saying, come on, as believers, we're to work. Okay, don't over-spiritualize everything. Go, well, I'm not sure if God's called me to work just now. He's called you to work. Okay, and then maybe he hasn't called you to eat. because the Bible says if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. And look, I don't want us to be a bunch of people that just work and not think about it. But I also have this fear that there's a younger generation that's rising up, that's sitting around pretty idle and keep waiting to hear words from the Lord. And I don't know if God's called me to work just now. I don't know if he wants me to make it. Well, we can very easily become idle and arrogant and lazy, and that's not what God's called us to.

8:46 And so work with all of your heart. Work as unto the Lord. Let's be careful to not try to spiritualize our laziness. Then we get into 1 Timothy. Gosh, I don't even know what to cover here. There's so much. maybe chapter 1, verse 5, that jumped out. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. He just tells Timothy, hey, don't get caught up in a lot of these, you know, meaningless, endless genealogies and it promotes speculation. You know, sometimes we can teach in such a way that we get lost in details and start arguing about things that aren't the main thing. And yet Paul says, look, when I teach, the aim of our charge is love, that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

9:53 Chapter 6, verse 6. Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content.

10:17 This again is something that I want to be so true of my life. I hope you do also, that godliness with contentment is great gain. And that verse, if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. So it's this picture of God's believers just going, okay, I've got food on the table. I'm eating today. I've got clothes today. I'm going to be happy. I'm not going to be one that covets and go, well, yeah, but I don't know if I'll have food, you know, for the next 10 years. I don't know about my house. Is it big enough? Or, you know, my kids can be angry because our house was too small. You know, I mean, just ridiculous things like that. Rather than just saying, I am so content in you.

11:15 Gosh, I have all these spiritual blessings. Lord, I am blown away by my life. I was your enemy and you came and you saved me. He rescued me. And so Paul's telling Timothy, look, this is the way we are. We're not people that want. I mean, Psalm 23 that we read, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. It's like, are you kidding me? I've got God himself as my shepherd. He's going to take care of me. My cup is overflowing. And so here on earth, I'm always hoping for this future that I can't wait to inherit. And so if I've got food and clothes, man, that's all I need. And he tells Timothy, there's so many people who fall into this temptation because they want, they want to be rich. And that's a temptation.

12:11 And that's why in verse 11, he says, As for you, O man of God, flee these things. He says, you know, don't pursue stuff. I mean, look at your life right now. Are you marked by contentment? Are you just like, God, I am so content. I don't care about stuff. I am so happy where I am. Instead, the thing I'm pursuing is righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. God, this is what I don't have enough of. Stuff, I don't care. I'm happy with what I have.

13:04 I'm so content. But where I'm not content is, Lord, I want to grow in my godliness, in my faith. I want to pursue righteousness. And then he has that great word for the rich in verse 17, which I'm sure everyone who's listening is saying, well, I'm not rich, because you can think of people who are richer than you, but you're probably doing just fine. And in verse 17, he says, As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. He just tells those who do have a lot, not to get arrogant, and not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of that, but to set their hopes on God, to be rich in good works, generous, ready to share, so that you store up treasure in the future.

14:16 And he says, and this isn't to ruin your life. He says, it's so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. Why does Paul want Timothy and all those who have possessions to let go? It's not to destroy our lives, but that we would take hold of that which is truly life. And he goes on in 2 Timothy and you know, the things that, uh, that really, you know how you're going to read things and it'll jump out to you and then I'll read things and, and it'll be different. Uh, different things jump out to me, minister to me, and it'll be different next year when I read through second Timothy. Um, but as I was reading through second Timothy and Titus, um, there's this timidity that I see in Timothy and in Titus.

15:16 And Paul is trying to stir them up. And for some of us, we struggle with this. We're fearful of pride, but sometimes we just lack confidence in the word that God's given us. And so we don't speak it with boldness. And these are some of the things that God's been convicting me of. You know, I can very easily get insecure and go, well, I'm not as smart as this guy. And what if they ask me questions about this? And what if I'm wrong? What if this, this, this? I've been wrong before. And it creates almost like a weakness and insecurity where you just don't want to speak up even during those times when you know you should. And that's why Paul is telling Timothy, it's, you know, those verses that many of you know in 2 Timothy 1 verse 6, For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.

16:22 And you've got to remember, Paul is writing this to Timothy from prison. This is shortly before his death, and he's telling Timothy, Come on, don't be afraid. I know you see me out here, but everything's going to be okay. You know, I'm good. I'm good. Don't be timid. Don't be afraid. Fan into flame this gift that was given to you, because God didn't give you the spirit of fear. That's not from God. We are not to be cowards. That doesn't come from God. We have a God who's sitting on his throne, and he is not afraid of anything right now, and he puts that spirit in us. Okay? He tells Timothy that, and he's telling you that, he's telling me that, that God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

17:18 and he's saying this to Timothy because he's explaining look at the end times later in chapter 8 he explains what starts happening in the church and how people are going to be lovers of self lovers of money proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient he just lists this list and he says and avoid such people and he goes in chapter 4 he goes a time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they'll accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. So he's warning Timothy, he goes, it's going to get worse. The church is going to be about self-centered people lifting themselves up. They're going to love money. They're going to be arrogant, proud. He goes, and there's going to be a time when people aren't going to put up with sound doctrine. But Timothy, you don't back up.

18:53 He tells Timothy, look, so much of what you say will be rejected. But God didn't give you that spirit of fear. So say everything you need to say. The church is going to get weak. People are going to be arrogant. They're going to love themselves. They're going to be lovers of pleasure, not lovers of God. And they're not going to put up with sound doctrine. but you, as for you, I love when he says words like, it doesn't matter what everyone else is doing. You, you say what you need to say. It's like what he, the phrase in Titus that jumped out to me in chapter 2, verse 15, he says, Declare these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. See, phrases like that are tough for me to hear because I don't want to step up like that.

19:49 But Paul's saying, look, declare these things. Titus, declare these things. Exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. And he's telling Timothy, look, people aren't going to put up with it, but you preach it. You do the work of an evangelist. And you put up, you endure the suffering. And the whole point is that beautiful passage that I just read in 2 Timothy. He goes, why? Because I'm being poured out as a drinker. The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I finished the race. He's saying, Timothy, look, I'm not afraid to die. This is my time. I'm about to die. I'm about to be killed. This is amazing. He goes, I finished. It's time for me to leave the earth. And I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I kept the faith.

20:42 And he goes, so there's this laid up for me, this crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day. You think, Timothy, look at me. It's the end of my life, but I did it. I fought the good fight. I finished the race. And now it's your turn. don't back off. It's going to get ugly. People are going to be lovers of themselves. But you know what the Word of God says. And people aren't going to like it. And they're going to flee from you and find teachers that will tell them what they want to hear. But you, Timothy, hold on. Because just like me, right now, I'm just waiting. I'm like a guy that just won the Olympics.

21:35 because I'm just waiting to go onto that judge's stand and receive my award. And he says, this is true for all of us. It's not only me, but also all who have loved his appearing. For those of us who are waiting for Jesus Christ to return, we have to keep waiting, keep fighting, keep running, no matter how difficult it gets, because it's all going to be worth it. Because the goal is that one day we can all say the words of Paul. I finished the race. I did it. And now I'm just waiting for my...