Okay, let’s have a prayer, and then we want to share some things together from the Word of God.
Lord, we thank You so much that You give us a life of freedom, childhood, and grace. And by Your mercy, through all those things, You reveal to us a calling that we have in our lives.
Lord, we thank You that You allow us to live in freedom, spread our wings, and try to figure out what You want us to be when we grow up, in all these kinds of decisions. But we want to yield ourselves to Your molding hand, to the Holy Spirit, Who trumpets a calling into our hearts when we least expect it and calls us higher into things more noble than we could ever expect.
We thank You that we can get together for this precious time. And now, Lord, redeeming the time by the presence of Your Spirit, we pray together in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Could you turn to 2 Timothy?
There is a theme that I’ve been given called “Receiving the Baton.” Receiving the baton—if you’re French. I don’t know; that probably was a translation from Chinese.
How many of you know what a baton is? Aha, just as I figured. How are you going to receive a baton if you don’t know what it means? All right, well, we’ll talk about that.
Let’s begin with 2 Timothy 2:1-2:
Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And the things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
Then, in 2 Timothy 4:1-2:
I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, Who shall judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Now let’s go to Acts 16:1-3:
And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess that believed; but his father was a Greek.
The same was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
And Paul would have this man to go forth with him; and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those parts: for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
And that’s good enough. How about that? At the beginning of Acts 16, a young guy named Timothy gets the headlines. It is like the Derbe Daily—and it was in Derbe, you see. The Derbe Daily does not have much circulation. Derbe was not a big town. But there was a headline:
Extra: Small-Town Boy Joins Famous Apostles on Worldwide Travels
How did Timothy come into this and make the news? Look—it is right at the beginning of Acts 16. It is like headlines; it is top banner on the front page.
Timothy had a calling on his life. Oh, by the grace of God. And Timothy grew by the grace of God in ways we cannot understand. What is it that makes somebody grow in grace, character, and ministry?
What had happened was that about four years earlier, Paul came for the first time with Barnabas through the town of Derbe, preaching the gospel. Some people were saved, and Timothy was in the bunch—just a young person. Who knew?
We do not know how many people were saved or how big the church in Derbe was. We get the feeling that this was one of the Galatian churches, by the way. But we get the feeling that Derbe was not a particularly big town. I mean, after all, how big are derby hats?
Paul went back to Antioch, and a whole lot of things started brewing. They had to go down to Jerusalem and handle some problems. About four years later, Paul headed out on his second journey, this time with Silas. When he got to Derbe, there was the kid—Timmy.
But the responsible brothers—the elders, whatever—in Derbe and Lystra said, “Paul, check this out. There’s this young guy here. We can’t explain it exactly, but he has developed a godly character in his life, and he ministers the Word so much that even the elders in Iconium, people who do not even know him, respect him for his ministry and for his life.”
That is an amazing thing.
Timothy did not go to any Bible school. He never heard Stephen Kaung or Lance Lambert, or he would have had an English accent. Yet somehow he grew by grace. Who can explain this thing?
As far as we know, there were no famous people from Derbe other than Timothy—well, there was one. Anybody know who the other guy from Derbe mentioned in the Bible was? Not Kentucky Derby.
Among the apostolic band, Paul mentions a fellow named Gaius. What a name to have. Anyway, that is probably why he went into the ministry. The Romans pronounced it “Gaius,” and he came from Derbe.
But other than Gaius and Timothy, Derbe was not a particularly well-known town. So there is a great mystery in how Timothy developed so much by grace. It is the grace of God that raises up somebody and gives them a desire to serve the Lord.
When Paul saw this young man, he said, “Come on with me.” Timothy began traveling, learning, and seeing things that were amazing to behold.
Fifteen years later, when 2 Timothy was written, we get a little backstory on Timothy. We see that there was some background to his life. I would just like to show you some aspects of his life, because in the end he was just a young person who loved the Lord and followed the Lord.
Notice what Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:5:
Having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee also.
Ah, there you go. One reason Timothy had growth by grace when he was saved was that he had a godly upbringing. You just cannot beat it.
He had a sincere faith. Now, what does that mean? Grandma and Mom used to pray about things. They used to read the Bible. They used to have devotions. Timothy was part of that from the time he was a little guy growing up in Derbe.
Somewhere along the line, later on when Paul came through Derbe, Lois and Eunice, as far as we know, were saved. It is possible that they were saved earlier by visiting Jerusalem or some other place, but in any case, these were godly women who knew how to pray, worship, and live devoted lives.
Do you know what Timothy got that was a real prize? A life of devotion.
Now, when it says “sincere faith,” it is contrasting skeptical faith. Unfortunately, I was not brought up in a Christian home like most of you. When I became a believer, I was saved by grace and everything, but I always had a skeptical faith. I tended not to believe until something was proven to me.
But Timothy appears to have had this kind of sincere faith, where he just accepted things. He trusted the Word of God. He trusted what his leaders said. This is indeed a precious qualification and part of his upbringing.
We also notice in 2 Timothy 1:13:
Hold the pattern of sound words which thou hast heard from me, in the faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Here is the second thing Timothy received that was a precious gift: he got to travel with Paul. Even when he was not traveling, he got to hear Paul’s sound teaching—balanced, sound, true teaching.
That teaching became a standard for Timothy. He heard it often enough that he understood sound words. So Paul exhorted him to retain those words. Do not lose that kind of understanding of sound doctrine.
Ladies and gentlemen, to grow up with people who preach the Word of God is a tremendous blessing. Timothy had that kind of blessing.
Look at 2 Timothy 1:6-7:
For which cause I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee through the laying on of my hands.
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.
One day Timothy was traveling with Paul, perhaps, and as they went from church to church, something in Timothy began to manifest—a gift began to show itself.
We do not know what it was. Some people think it was the gift of evangelism because Paul tells Timothy to do the work of an evangelist. It may have been prophecy, pastoring, teaching, or speaking in tongues. We do not really know.
But Paul and the others laid hands on Timothy and confirmed that gift within him. What a wonderful thing—to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to have a gift that God can use in His service.
Timothy had such a gift, and Paul reminded him to kindle it afresh—stir it back up. You can have a gift and not use it. Paul was telling Timothy not to go along that line.
Notice also 2 Timothy 1:8:
Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God.
Here is one of the things that happens when you travel with Paul. Inevitably, Paul gets a sore throat while he is preaching out in the city of Corinth on a soapbox.
After Paul gets through with his fifth message, he goes, “You got a Ricola?”
“Yeah, yeah, here you go, Paul.”
He says, “Hey, Tim, get up on the box. Go ahead and preach the gospel.”
“Me?”
He gets up and says, “Well, I’d like to talk about Christ.” Then he begins to preach the gospel.
Well, it turned out that Paul used Timothy to preach the gospel. They went from place to place, and Timothy had the experience of being a witness of the gospel.
Brothers and sisters, especially while you are young, there is no more valuable education than seeing the living God work in your life and on your behalf, and being an active witness of the gospel.
There are many Timothys who are chicken. But Timothy did not have a choice. Paul said, “Okay, Tim, up on the box.” But he did it.
May the Lord help you find some other people who really desire to preach the gospel—whether on a college campus or at school. It is a very brave thing, but you learn tremendous lessons in preaching the gospel. Timothy also had that in his background.
As a summary verse about Timothy’s upbringing, I love 2 Timothy 1:14:
That good thing which was committed unto thee guard through the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us.
Here we see that what had accumulated in Timothy’s life was like a treasure. I like the way Long John Silver always said “treasure.” Guard the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
If you live the Christian life by the grace of God, a treasure is found in your life. Here was young Timothy, and already there was a treasure in his life. I wonder what you think that treasure would be. It does not really say.
Maybe it was the accumulated experiences he had—the answers to prayer, Jesus’ faithfulness. Maybe the treasure was Jesus Himself dwelling in Timothy.
Paul says we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Yet Paul says, “Now guard that treasure by the Holy Spirit. Do not allow the enemy to steal that treasure in your life.”
The reason I spend some time going through all of this is that these privileges of grace sound an awful lot like most of your lives.
Most of you—not all, but most of you—have been very privileged to be brought up in the grace of God. That grace has planted treasure after treasure in your life: sound teaching, opportunities to trust God, and opportunities to exercise a sincere faith.
Timothy, I feel, is a great help to many of you. I did not grow up in the church as a child. I was saved at twenty years old. But many of you have known the Lord since you were little.
Some of you got saved—or said you trusted Jesus—when you were like six years old, and got baptized later when you were real old, maybe like nine.
You think that you are just enough and that you have got nothing. The fact of the matter is, you have got a treasure.
When I got saved at twenty, I did not have any treasure in me—no treasure in this pirate. I came to Jesus, and I did not know the Word of God. I did not know the Bible. I did not know how to exercise faith. I did not know how to pray. I had not heard people pray.
Every church has a couple of crazy women who are tremendous prayers. When I say crazy, you know what I mean—they are different than you and I. They wear four pairs of nylons, or whatever. But when it comes time to pray, man, you sit there and listen to them. You stop laughing about them a little bit and listen.
You hear people who really know God, really know Jesus, and really know how to pray. That is more valuable than taking a course at seminary on how to pray, because you were around praying crazy women.
All I know is that I am an old guy, and there are a couple of reasons I am still alive and kicking today. One of them is crazy praying women. Whenever I see them, I salute them. I try to give them money just to keep praying—not you.
It is very valuable. You have received the grace of God. You have a background something like Timothy’s because it is rich in all of that. You guys do not realize that.
I was just reading a book that Mac Grant gave me about a man named Groves, who was called something like the father of modern missions. He was a dentist, and by reading the Bible he came to his own conviction that anybody should be able to break bread and that believers should do it every Sunday.
He did this in England, and it caused such controversy because they did not do that there. You had to have an official priest to break bread. He caused great controversy, but all he was doing was following the Bible.
“We should break bread every Sunday, every time we meet. Anybody can break it. It does not have to be some holy priest.”
Now, most of you grew up in a church where you do that all the time, and you go, “La, la, la. Oh no, not one of those pieces of cracker. How long are we going to have to sing and pray before they break the cracker?”
But you grew up in something that people had to fight for, even get kicked out of church for. Can you believe that? People got kicked out of church because they believed that you should have communion every Sunday and anybody could serve it.
You guys just assume that is the way to do it. But there is a whole history of warfare behind all these precious treasures that you just exist in.
I would like to take all of you on a mission trip with me when I go to Siberia—with a one-way ticket. I would just throw you in there and let you be a Christian in Siberia.
Brothers, you would be amazed how much you know about Jesus.
One time I went to Siberia with three brothers. One guy was about thirty, and the other two were old guys—over fifty. We do not calculate after fifty; that is old.
These guys were businessmen. There was so much to do in Siberia. They hung out and listened to me preach the gospel for a week.
The second week, the coordinator said, “Okay, you go out here to the northern part. You go to the southern part.” They got interpreters, and they started going out.
One of the fellows said, “Wait, wait, wait, wait. We’ve never done it. What do we know?”
By the end of that week, they had seen a hundred people get saved.
They realized how much they knew about the gospel of Jesus, but they had never exercised their gospel chops. You know—chops. It is like if you play trumpet and do not play for a while, your chops are no good. It is hard to play.
They had gospel chops, and they did not even know it until they got out to Siberia.
That is why I would like to take you on a mission trip with a one-way ticket, so you can experience firsthand how much of Jesus—how much of the testimony of Jesus—has been entrusted to you. It is really quite a wonderful thing.
By grace you have been set free. Now what are you going to do with that grace? Are you just going to hoard it and be a do-nothing with a calling on your life? Do not forget that the grace of God involves a calling on our lives.
When we go back to 2 Timothy 2, we see that the time has come for a change—for a passing of the torch.
Let me explain why we use this phrase. I am going to use “torch” rather than “baton.” If you are on the track team and you are on the relay team, that little aluminum cylinder is called a baton. You have to pass it at the right time.
Have you ever seen a relay race in the Olympics where someone drops the baton? It is over. The race is over. You have to pass the baton between the runners. That is what the relay race is about.
That tradition comes from ancient Greece and the marathon games. In ancient Greece they did not use a little aluminum cylinder, because that had not been invented yet. What they used was an actual torch—a burning torch.
They ran the race, and they had to pass the torch.
When you see a picture of the way it was done in the Greek games, not only did they have a torch, but they also had a little shield. It was not a huge war shield, but they carried a shield in one hand and held the torch behind it in the other hand. They had to run with the torch and keep it lit.
So it was not merely a question of dropping it on the ground. It was a question of keeping the light lit as you ran your race until you passed it off to the next person. You needed both the torch and the shield.
Many Bible teachers believe that 2 Timothy 2:2 refers to such a marathon relay race. You can easily see that there are four people involved in this particular race.
“The things which you have heard from me”—the first runner is Paul. Paul has been carrying the torch.
“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men.” Timothy, you take what you have received from me. I am passing the torch to you. Now take this torch and pass it on to faithful men.
Then notice that it says, “who will be able to teach others also.” There is another handoff to be made further down the line.
There are four in all: Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others also. Paul carried the torch of the testimony of Jesus. But now there was a problem.
What was the problem? Paul was about to die. He was about to be martyred.
Notice 2 Timothy 4:6-7:
For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
He had finished the course of his race. He had run faithfully, holding the torch and keeping it lit. Now he says, “Timothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things that you have received from me—this wonderful testimony—take and pass on to faithful men, who will in turn be able to pass it on to others.”
Down through the centuries, there is continuity in this marathon race and a need to pass the torch.
The times had become more difficult. You can see this in 2 Timothy. The church had come into decline.
In the early days of the church, you might say that almost everybody carried the torch of the testimony. But now many people had fallen away from the Lord.
Notice what Paul says in 2 Timothy 3. Remember, he is talking about the church—not your church, necessarily, but the church as a whole. You have to include many groups and people whose hearts have grown cold and who do not really know Jesus.
Men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.
Do I need to go on with the rest of the list? It sounds like today.
The church is in a state where many Christians are not only not carrying the torch, but are not even living by grace. They are living completely for themselves. They are saved by grace, but now they live one hundred percent selfishly.
There used to be an old Negro spiritual, a Black hymn sung by slaves, which said, “I’m going to tell Paul, and Peter, and Moses too: God wants you one hundred percent. Ninety-nine and a half won’t do.”
A lot of people are not one hundred percent. Things have fallen on tough times.
But somehow, who is going to carry the torch in this time? When we see the situation and see that Paul is ready to pass away, we have to ask ourselves: Who will receive the torch?
God is always a few steps ahead. Thank God for that, because He is a sovereign God. When things decline and become difficult, God already knows about that.
There are four things that He has done to prepare for the passing of the torch.
Very sovereignly, God is always preparing a vessel to bear the testimony. That could be you. I hope it is you. You are certainly called to do that.
Even in the darkest hour of the church, God is preparing a vessel. God is preparing people who have a heart like Timothy’s.
Timothy was a young man. He did not realize God was preparing him, but God was. As you grow as a Christian wherever you assemble together, you may not always be aware that God is preparing you for something, but God is sovereignly preparing someone to carry the vessel of testimony.
The second thing God sovereignly does is connect those who will carry the testimony with those who have carried it in the past.
It was not an accident that Paul ran into Timothy and Timothy began to travel with Paul. The torch has to be handed on by someone who truly knows the testimony of Jesus.
Some of you are privileged and blessed because you actually go to church meetings where those who preach know the testimony of Jesus. They speak sound doctrine. They speak out of revelation. It is a wonderful thing.
One of the things that makes my heart heavy is seeing so many true Christians who have no idea what the testimony of Jesus is.
What you heard this morning from our brother Steve is something you are privileged to hear. There are so few people who have ever heard it.
I was a Baptist preacher. I got saved, went to a Baptist church, went to seminary, and became a Baptist preacher for almost ten years before I ever heard about the testimony of Jesus.
It rocked my life. I left the Baptist church and left being a pastor. I had to learn all over again what it was like to live not for myself, but for Jesus.
You have heard this already, and you are only sixteen or eighteen years old. This is a precious truth. God is brushing you against people who have already carried the torch of testimony.
Because of books, tapes, and other things, it is not necessary to have somebody physically near you, although that is wonderful. Sometimes simply reading books by people who know the testimony of Jesus can shape and change your life.
I do not know how many of you have heard of T. Austin-Sparks. Those books are heady, I know. But if you really love the Lord, you should pick up one of his books, such as The School of Christ, and read what this brother has to say.
He came from England, lived in the middle of the twentieth century, and has gone on to be with the Lord. But this man was a man of revelation and vision concerning the testimony of Jesus. His words can shape our lives.
Recently, a book came out on T. Austin-Sparks called Shaped by Vision, talking about his own life. He was a Baptist pastor. Then he saw God’s vision, left that, and it shaped his whole life.
That is the second sovereign thing: God connects us with those who have carried the testimony.
The third thing is the moment all of us hope never happens, but it always comes. It is the moment when circumstances sovereignly produce the exchange.
What does that mean? Here it is: Paul died. Timothy was ready, and he took the torch.
The exchange of testimony comes sovereignly by God. Paul told Timothy to take hold of it, but when Paul died, it was up to Timothy—not just Timothy, but others who were faithful apostles and servants carrying the testimony.
The church is to carry the testimony. But there was a sovereign circumstance that caused the exchange from one hand to the other.
The fourth thing is that when you receive this torch of testimony, there is always somebody beyond you whom the Lord has prepared for you to hand the torch to.
“The things you have heard from me, pass on to faithful men.” Of course, that includes faithful men and women who will carry the torch faithfully and pass it on to somebody else.
The torch of testimony is something God sovereignly cares for. He cares about the testimony of Jesus. It is missing in so much of the church. I will try to explain a little bit of that tomorrow, God willing.
It is so important to the Lord that He sovereignly makes sure it is passed from one generation to another, that the testimony of Jesus may always be sounded in the earth. What a wonderful thing.
There is much I could say about passing the torch, but I only want to talk about two things: first, the new level of grace that a servant of God must come to in order to carry the torch of testimony; and second, the solemn nature of bearing the testimony of Jesus.
In 2 Timothy 2:1, we see this statement:
Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
This is a new level of grace that we need to come to.
The first level of grace is this: “Mama, Mama.” The big mama bird comes and puts the little worms in your mouth. “Mama, I am a helpless Christian. I just receive my grace.”
God says, “Good. I will give you My grace. Freely receive. Receive your salvation, your forgiveness of sin, your entrance into prayer, your guidance. It is all one hundred percent free.”
You are just My little eaglet in the nest, and you are on welfare. Mama will keep you there. Everybody gets assistance. You are saved by grace, and it is receiving grace.
Listen: you need to receive all the grace of God. It is there for you, and it is free. It is a wonderful thing.
But then comes a moment when you move to a higher level of grace—from grace to grace—to a second level of grace. What is that? “Be strong.”
That sounds a little strange. You might think grace means, “Mama, mama.” But suddenly Paul says, “Be strong in grace.” What does that mean? “Mom, mom?” No, no.
There is a second stage necessary for grace. A literal translation of “be strong in the grace” is reflective. What it really says is, “Timothy, my son, strengthen yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Strengthen yourself.
The first stage of grace is completely receiving: “Ma, ma, ma.” At the second stage, God says, “I have laid the worm in the nest. Go over and get it. Strengthen yourself.”
Are you hungry? Do not just cry out, “Mama, mama.” There is the Word of God. There is My feeding. Read it. There is the Holy Spirit. Strengthen yourself.
Now there is some responsibility on our part. How do we go from grace to grace? At first, we just receive. But at the second, grown-up stage, God says, “Now, Timothy, I am about to die. My time is almost done. You cannot keep depending on me for everything. Every time there is a problem, you run to me.”
“Now, Timothy, it is time to strengthen yourself in the grace of Christ Jesus.”
“Timothy, do you hear the Lord speaking to you?”
“Well, yes, I do, but I would rather hear you speaking to me, Paul.”
“Timothy, I am going on to be with Jesus now. You are going to have to hear the voice of the Lord on your own. Strengthen yourself in the grace of Christ Jesus.”
You have to be strong to run with the torch. You cannot let the enemy attack you, make you feel condemned, or make you feel like you are not a Christian. You have to strengthen yourself in grace.
This still means that it is Christ’s strength you are taking. It is still the grace of God. But now you need to lay hold of it. It is no longer time to be passive.
How long have you been hearing messages about the testimony of Jesus? Have you ever made it your own? Have you ever sat down, written out what it means, studied the Word, and prayed until you understood?
It is one thing to hear our brother Steve stand up and say, “Revelation 19:10: ‘The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,’” and then explain it, and you are sitting there going, “Yes.”
But are you going to go home with that Scripture, lay it out before the Lord, and say, “Now, Lord, I want to lay hold of what this means”? Strengthen yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
The reason this is a challenge is that Timothy was not what you would call strong, as you would say Paul was strong. Paul was a very strong man. Timothy, however, was not so strong in one sense of the word.
To hear, “Be strong in grace,” sounded intimidating, I am sure.
What was Timothy like? He was young. There was still a certain insecurity in Timothy’s life.
Notice 1 Timothy 4:12:
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.
Why do people look down on someone’s youthfulness? Because they act like youth. Strengthen yourself. Grow up a little bit here. Do not let people look down on your youthfulness.
Notice also 2 Timothy 2:22:
But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Timothy still had to deal with youthful lusts—things that tempted, distracted, and perplexed him. How can you carry the torch of testimony when you feel young and are still dealing with these youthful issues?
Grow up. Strengthen yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Another thing about Timothy was that he was fearful by nature, a little timid, you might say. None of you are timid. You are all great extroverts. But Timothy was a little timid.
Notice again 2 Timothy 1:7:
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.
No timidity, Timothy. Timidity, Timothy. That is why he was afraid—his name was close to that.
Look also at 1 Corinthians 16:10:
Now if Timothy come, see that he be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.
Paul had to write to the Corinthians, “When Timothy comes, do not you scare him away.”
Paul could say, “Timothy, go over to Corinth and see those Greeks—those audacious, proud, tongue-speaking charismatics. Go over there and teach them the things of God.” So Paul had to write a little note: “When Timothy comes, do not scare him away.”
That is what my dear brother Benjamin goes through when he works with young people. He just wants to talk to young people, and young people want to do something else. Anybody who works with young people says, “What am I doing here? This is crazy.”
There is one other thing about Timothy: 1 Timothy 5:23.
Be no longer a drinker of water only, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
Timothy had frequent ailments. He was not the strongest guy physically.
Paul could preach with a spear in his side and a stone having hit him twenty minutes ago. Timothy says, “Paul, I feel a little sick.”
Maybe Timothy had allergies. In any case, he was not the strongest fellow.
But brothers and sisters, when you look down through church history, some of the leading people who carried the torch of testimony were not strong physically.
So Paul says, in effect, “Timothy, with your frequent ailments, strengthen yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
How do we grow from receiving grace to laying hold of grace? Of course, it is by way of the cross. That is the secret.
Timothy did not want to face all the problems, opposition, and suffering he would have to face. He did not feel qualified.
Imagine Timothy thinking, “How can I ever replace Paul?” Think about that. Paul the apostle, who wrote all those epistles. How could Timothy possibly follow in his footsteps?
But carrying the torch of the testimony of Jesus does not mean you have to imitate Paul. You simply have to carry the testimony of Jesus in the truth that is in your own life.
So, Timothy, deny yourself and all your fears. Lay hold of this calling. “I am giving you the torch.”
Paul went on to mention three other ways Timothy would grow by being strengthened in the grace of God.
The second thing Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 2 is: be a good soldier.
What does it mean to strengthen yourself? It means to do what a soldier does. He signs up. He goes through boot camp. He learns obedience to commanders. He learns how to use weapons appropriately. Be a good soldier.
Third, be a good athlete. You have to be self-disciplined, Timothy. You cannot run the marathon in the Olympics if you do not train.
There comes a place in a Christian’s life where we need to lay hold of the Scriptures, begin to learn, and write out notes concerning the things we are seeing.
It is no good just relying on other people to teach us all the time. There comes a point where we need to do it ourselves. Do you do that? Are you studying to show yourself approved unto God, as Timothy was exhorted by Paul?
There is a time to lay hold of self-discipline.
Fourth, you need to deny yourself like a farmer. Basically, a farmer denies himself immediate gratification in order to plant seed in the ground and have a harvest at the end of the year.
He could live on the seed right now. He could make flour for bread this year. But if he did not plant the seed, next year he would have nothing.
A farmer always defers gratification for the sake of his higher calling, which is to produce fruit. You have to strengthen yourself in the grace of Christ Jesus.
Otherwise, all you want is everything now, everything your way, all the latest games, all the latest things. That is not the way of a servant of God.
Let us look for a moment at 2 Timothy 4 and this solemn charge.
I charge thee in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, Who shall judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
preach the word.
My New American Standard says, “I solemnly charge you.” I like the way it says it.
This is about the last thing Paul ever said to Timothy before he died. Here is what he says: “Timothy, I am passing the torch of testimony on to you, and I am solemnly charging you to be faithful.”
When you take on this calling, it is the most important thing you can ever do.
That does not mean you have to go into full-time ministry. You may have a job, be married, live in a home, or go to school. But if you desire to be a vessel of testimony, it is a very solemn charge.
I want to explain the four phrases Paul uses.
First of all: “in the presence of God.”
The thing about the testimony of Jesus is that you are in the presence of God. Paul charged Timothy in the presence of God. In other words, Paul was not merely saying, “Timothy, I am commanding you.”
He was saying, “Timothy, in the presence of God, take the torch.”
You are in the presence of God, Timothy. He is watching your life. Take the torch.
Second: “and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead.”
This is another solemn matter concerning the testimony. Paul says, in effect, “I am telling you this before Christ, before Whom you will stand at the judgment seat.”
Your decision concerning whether you will take the cross, be obedient, be a bondservant, and carry the torch is made in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, before Whom you will one day stand at the judgment seat.
All Christians will stand at the judgment seat, but Paul was trying to make Timothy aware of it.
Think of that. When you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, what will you be able to say about your life? That will be the time when your life is truly evaluated according to spiritual standards.
The Lord does not mind if you have a job to make money—even good money. But what have you done with your time, your freedom, your money, and the gifts He gave you? All of that will be evaluated by the Lord.
Paul is saying to Timothy, “I want you to grow up and realize you are going to be evaluated by the Lord. It is not just that you live your life however you want, and there is no problem.”
Third: “by His appearing.”
Paul is saying that Timothy is charged to carry the testimony in light of Jesus’ soon appearing and return.
Our brothers have been sharing last night and today about the fact that Jesus is returning soon. Even if that may not seem very real to you at present, your calling is in light of His appearing.
It is as if Paul is saying, “Timothy, the Lord’s coming back has to do with your faithfulness.” I do not want to heap too much on poor old Timothy, but that is the force of it.
Fourth: “and His kingdom.”
Jesus is the King. He sits on the throne. Your carrying of the torch of testimony will be proof that you are a servant of the King and that His kingdom is here on earth.
Even before Jesus comes back, His kingdom is here on earth in the church. It is seen through those who faithfully bear the testimony of Jesus.
So it is a very solemn thing.
My dear brothers and sisters, I want to close in prayer and pray that you will realize the importance of your own consecration of life. May you give all for the Lord Jesus. He is a wonderful Lord.
We come before You, Lord, in this day, centuries after Timothy lived. We realize that the days continue to wax worse and worse, and You are coming sooner and sooner.
Lord, even though it seems like we have a lot of time and freedom by the grace of God, we hear Your call in our lives to rise up and be responsible, to lay hold, and to be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus in such a way that we are being prepared to bear the testimony of Jesus.
Thank You for these dear young ones who are here today. I pray that they may find it in their hearts to truly be consecrated as living sacrifices, in order that You might do Your work in their lives.
Your sovereign work is being done across the world today, even as You are preparing a people for Yourself. Oh, may You find servants of God right here in this room whose hearts say yes, who step up to the challenge, who are ready for the preparation, and ready for the day when the torch will be passed on to them.
Give us grace to understand these things. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.