Brother Gary Sunday Evening 8/9/15

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 8/9/15

Second Timothy was written by Paul to Timothy.  He dearly loved him and called him his son.  It is perhaps the last book that Paul wrote.  It is written by an older man to a younger man.

2Ti 2:1  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti 2:2  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

That which we have been taught that is valuable to our spiritual life and training: don’t fail to teach it and encourage others in the good things that you have been taught.  There will be very difficult seasons in life.  The storms come to all.  Difficulties and sickness come to all.  Paul left the thought, “Endure it as a good soldier.” 

There are difficult times in life that we feel, “I have to get through this some way somehow, that is true but it is better to get through it with peace in our heart, joy in our heart, and a good testimony.

It is vital that we know how to draw the boundaries so that we can do our best for God.  If we spread ourselves too thin we will not be able to grasp the good things of God.  We will have difficulty in our prayer life, in studying the Word of God, and in giving the time that is needed to whomever crosses our pathway that is needy.

Don’t let technology consume you so that you go there before you have your devotions, so that you go there before you hear from God.  “This is what God wants for me not only this day but this week.”  There are times that the workload gets heavy.  We need to live our life so that we are not so engaged in the affairs of this life so that our prayer life, our preparation, our soul is hindered. 

The Gospel covers all our life, not just Sunday.  When I was a child I remember the saints singing, “I want to be more than a Sunday go to meeting Christian.”  Every day we want to be letting God prepare us for His work and for His service.  This is vital especially today when there is such a burden upon God’s people’s heart to become laborers. 

Having visited with Brother Figeroa for a week and being in the revival, it became real to me that not only do we need a revival, but we need individuals that are ready to teach instruct, counsel, and pray. When you have a new baby there is a lot of feeding, bathing, and washing clothes.  There is a lot of work going in for someone to get saved, to get established, and to be ready to go forward for God. 

We are happy for those that sought help during the revival and we want to be good helpers and workers.  We don’t want to be too busy to help.

For the prayer requests that come in, remember when a soul gets saved they need the church as a mother ready and prepared.  When a wife gets ready to have a baby, they start looking at baby clothes and getting things ready. 

When someone gets saved, they need the church as a mother not to spoil them but to help them know, “These are the boundaries, and these are the rules of the house.”  They need to be able to bounce things off of someone to know, “Am I hearing the voice of God?”

2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

2Ti 2:5  And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

The way up is down: To learn to walk humbly before God, to present ourselves a living sacrifice.  “I want to do it God’s way.  I am not looking for a position.  I want to be a laborer that God can flow through.”

2Ti 2:6  The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.

Before we can preach, teach, or share, we must be first partakers.

2Ti 2:7  Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

2Ti 2:8  Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

2Ti 2:9  Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

2Ti 2:10  Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

There will be times when it would be easier to not endure all things.  Paul had the thought, “I am going to go through this so that my testimony is right before God and man so that I can be a help to my brothers and sisters in Christ.”

How we live at home is the testimony that we really have.  If I am nice away from home and a grizzly at home, then I am a grizzly and nothing else but a public fake.

2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:

After I got saved, I read the same two chapters in the bible if not every day then every week.  “If you be dead in Christ, seek those things that are above.”

I have been saved a while and it is so wonderful when God speaks to me “And you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Don’t get too concerned about things in this life, they will all pass.  We must stay spiritually alive.

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

2Ti 2:14  Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Paul left the thought with Timothy, “Don’t get entangled making a lot of to do about things that are of no profit.  Things that will cause men and women to jump on a bandwagon and not produce anything spiritually.

Shun profane and vain babblings.  It is vital that we know the check of God to know when to talk and when to not talk.  We want to talk about things that will be profitable and not stir up strife. 

Hymenaeus and Philetus had gotten carried away with a heresy that there was no resurrection.  As long as time stands there will be those that get a wild idea outside the bible.  It could be a personal agenda, it could be the thought, “I am so spiritual I know more than others.  I am going to toss this idea around.”  The bible says to not do that.

As servants of the Lord we desire and press to be vessels of honor meet for the master’s use.  When someone tosses heresy or a false report it causes your mind to go in t twirl and confusion.  Paul told Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God.”

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

There are many false doctrines that say that you cannot live above sin but this scripture is clear, “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

2Ti 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

We are living in a great house, in a great house there are many vessels, some of gold, some of earth, some to honor and some to dishonor. 

Profane and vain babblings:  If a man purge himself from these…  I don’t know when you were exposed to heresy.  Way back when I was a child I was exposed to tongues being a sign of possessing the Holy Spirit.  I found out that was wrong. 

Those that confess their sins to the priest, they find that is wrong.  And those that repeat, “Forgive us of our many sins.”  But don’t get their sins removed from them. 

There is a way to get your sins forgiven, it is to cry out to God in humility, “I am a sinner.  Please forgive me.”  You will know when you receive forgiveness of sin.  If you receive a witness from man the witness of God is greater.

When I confessed, I went from death to life, I went from rebellion to obedience, I went from not reading the bible to loving the bible.  I went from not sleeping from being under conviction to a good night’s rest.

If a man purge himself of these…  The bible doesn’t teach joining church; it tells us that God added to the church daily such as should be saved.

You don’t get your sins washed away by being baptized.  It is an outward expression of an inward work.  The scripture says, “Repent and be baptized.”

Purge yourself from these, there are a lot of things that people just drop into your mind.  Sometimes it is false doctrine.  Sometimes people decide to pick on someone, “We know some things.”  They leave the thought that the one they are speaking of is not a man of God. 

Some people don’t have enough character to be angleworms.  They don’t follow the scripture, “If a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

This is an old story.  It will happen again.  May God help us to live so straight that we have God in our life so that when the liars come we go right on serving God.

If a man therefore purge himself of these, he shall be a vessel to honor. 

I have a hard time taking the scissors to the tomatoes.  I think they are a pretty plant.  Brother Chuck asked if he could prune our tomatoes one time.  When he got done, it looked like the plant had a crewcut.  All you could see was tomatoes.  They began to get bigger and bigger and riper and riper. 

There are times that God says, “Son or daughter, there are things that I would like to purge in your life.”  Sometimes it is your attitude.  Have you ever had a bad attitude and God come along and said, “Hey son, change your attitude?”  Change your attitude now.  “God I am sorry.  Help me to have the right attitude.” 

If the situation is wrong, it takes a right attitude, prayer, grace, and faith in God to help the situation.  It takes prayer and faith in God to have a right attitude.

Sanctification means cleansed of that nature to sin.  It means set apart; this one is mine.  When God looks down in Montana it thrills my heart that He can see vessels of honor.  “This one is mine, I can give them a job and they will do that job.”

Prepared to every good work:  Don’t you love to feel that you are prepared for a good work?  Timothy was about 35 years old and Paul wrote:

2Ti 2:22  Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2Ti 2:23  But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

2Ti 2:24  And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

In order to teach school you need patience.  To the Sunday school, teachers of this season, it is vital that you have patience.  If we are going to help a soul we must have patience. 

You say, “Patience is not a characteristic of my life.”

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Longsuffering and gentleness is close to patience. 

I still remember Mr. McCoy throwing chalk at a boy that was sleeping in class.  Mrs. Hermes threw a few books.  If we are going to teach someone we must have patience. 

Emmerson Wilson taught us that in order for someone to learn something they must hear it seven times.  There is a lot of repetition.  If you want to help a soul have patience.  Bring them right to the scripture that God gave over and over again.

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.