First Baptist Church Wiggins, FBC, 39577
Today you will learn to thank God for the belief He’s wrought in you.
2 Timothy 1:8-12 ESV
Recap of the blessing and gift of ears to hear and eyes to see:
- The gift assures us- Our names are written in heaven.
- The gift assures us- The Father has been revealed
- The gift assures us- We are reaching greater heights.
Today I want us to think about and give thanks for a third fundamental element of our salvation… that is the mind that God has given us to know.
- To know in general.
- To Believe Him.
- To know His faithfulness.
The passage I want to exposit this morning is verse 12, but verse 12 contains the conclusion of a long run-on sentence that began all the way back in verse 8.
Paul is writing to Timothy from a prison cell.
- This would be his last letter because he would soon be martyred.
Timothy needed encouragement. He was often timid and had sort of lived off of Paul’s boldness.
- Paul wants Timothy to go on in the might of the Lord and finish the work he had begun at Ephesus.
We get an insight into the source and foundation of Paul’s boldness for the Lord.
Paul says,
- “this is what I was appointed to preach and teach and testify of…”
- “this is why I suffer as I do.”
- “For this I am not ashamed.”
Paul was thankful.
He was proud to say that He knew Jesus, that he was a through and through believer, and he was so convinced that he was ready to die a martyr’s death while believing that God was going to keep him both in life and in death.
This mind to know is not natural… it is a gift from God. It is one that we should give thanks for and just like eyes that see and ears that hear… it is a gift to be exercised to the fullest.
I. Give thanks for the mind we have to KNOW.
You may ask...Why did he stop at “I know?”
- Get ready for a couple of Greek lessons...
- Our language is just not friendly with the thought Paul is communicating here.
Here is the word for word translation of the verse: (The RRV version)
“For which reason also these I suffer but not ashamed, I know because whom I have believed, and I am convinced that able He is my deposit to guard until that day.”
The phrase "I know" is a stand alone phrase.
- Paul is saying, “I am not ashamed. On the contrary I KNOW."
All these verbs are in the perfect tense.
- It is my favorite Greek tense because we don’t have anything like it in English.
- The perfect tense communicates an action that was completed in the past, and when it was completed, it produced a state of being that has persisted to this day and will continue forever.
The closest we can get in English is the Present Perfect Continuous, “I have been knowing.”
Knowing, is where he is now… and knowing is where he will always be.
Knowing what?
- Knowing the truth of Jesus’ testimony.
- Knowing the truth of Jesus’ Gospel.
Knowing, is where he is now… and knowing is where he will always be.
Knowing what? Knowing the truth of Jesus’ testimony. Knowing the truth of Jesus’ Gospel.
Many of you probably didn’t enjoy that little exercise in English and Greek grammar, but you should.
God gave you that big ole super-computing brain atop your shoulders
- He gave you a powerful and sound mind that you might KNOW.
- That you might KNOW His word and the truth of it.
He gave you your mind so that
- you could learn and be convinced that He is Lord.
- you could preach and teach with authority of one who has no doubts because he or she has been transformed into a state of being that is 100 percent convinced of the truth of the gospel.
Every follower of Jesus needs to apply themselves to LEARNING so that you along with Paul could say with conviction that when it comes to Christ’s testimony, when it comes to His gospel… I KNOW.
II. Give thanks for the mind we have to BELIEVE Him. "I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed."
(The RRV) “For which reason also these I suffer but not ashamed, I know because whom I have believed”
Paul is saying that he is of a mind that BELIEVES JESUS.
Jesus says “I am the Lord…”
Paul says “I believe.”
Jesus says “I am the way the truth and the life.”
Paul says “I believe.”
Jesus says “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Paul says “I believe.”
The conjunction “because” is in there to tells us that Paul’s knowing is directly related to the nature of the one he has believed.
- He is saying “I suffer without shame because I know, and I know because of whom I have believed.”
The confident firmness with which he goes about his life stems from the nature and authority of Christ.
“believed” is also in the perfect tense.
- It is an action that was completed in the past that produced a state of being that has persisted and will continue to persist.
When Paul met Jesus, is Sonship, His Lordship and His authority was made manifest... and Paul BELIEVED.
- He now lives in the world of believing Jesus.
Have you believed Jesus?
If you have not then it is my prayer that He would reveal himself so clearly to you that you cannot help but to believe Him.
- That is what happened to Paul.
If you have believed Him then you should be thrilled in your soul today.
- The belief that has been wrought in you through the revelation of Christ has put you on a higher plain.
III. Give thanks for the mind we have that is CONVINCED of His faithfulness. "and am convinced that He is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me."
(The RRV) “For which reason also these I suffer but not ashamed, I know because whom I have believed and I am convinced that able He is my deposit to guard until that day.”
“Convinced” is in the perfect tense, but what makes it different from “know” and “believe” is that it is written in the passive verse.
- It was an action done TO him rather than an action that he did.
God revealed Himself to Paul and this revealing moved his mind to become convinced that He is able to be trusted.
He is convinced that God is able to guard his deposit.
- My deposit is one word. He could be talking about the faith that God deposited in him… or he could be talking about the deposit that he has made in offering his life up as a sacrifice to God.
- Either way this phrase speaks to the faithfulness of God.
EVEN NOW AS HE FACES EXECUTION for it… He remains convinced and persuaded.
- This is a work that God did in Him. And what God has done cannot be undone.
No one is ever going to convince me to stop trusting in Jesus. I would love for them to try. In fact that is my favorite way to share my faith with someone of a different faith.
- I love to ask the Muslims “Tell me about Allah. Convert me.”
- I am not being disingenuous in asking them that. Why? Because I if I don’t ask questions of my faith, how am I going to know if I really have it.
A faith that is too fragile for questions is not a faith worth having.
This is not to say that you can never have doubts. I have sure had mine… but yet here I am. Up here talking like a fool about a man who was born of a virgin, died, and came back to life.
- My faith assails my doubts, not the other way around.
This faith is a gift from God and you can expect Him to keep it safe until the day of His return... when time will cease to exist and we will enter into a whole new dimension known as eternity.
- We can trust Him to keep it until that day… and then for all eternity.
You are smart people.
You are capable of much more than you think because God has given you a mind to KNOW… a mind to BELIEVE… a mind CONVINCED of His faithfulness.
- Give Him glory!
Use that mind He has given you to KNOW even more… BELIEVE even more…
Ask questions of your faith… go ahead it won’t hurt.
Ask the hard ones. I have.
- I can tell you from experience, if you do then you are only going to grow more convinced.
To anyone whom Jesus might be calling...answer Him.
- You too can KNOW.
- You too can BELIEVE Him.
- You too can be CONVINCED of his faithfulness and trust Him.