Greetings, radio friends, in the ever-precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. We welcome you again to another Bible study, and from the Word of God, we shall look at the second epistle of Timothy, which we commenced yesterday, and spoke of its important place in relation to the last days of Christianity. We gave a brief outline of this epistle, which I would like to repeat. In chapter one, in relation to the truth of God, we are encouraged to hold to the truth of God. In chapter two, we are also admonished and encouraged to teach the truth of God. In chapter three, we were admonished to abide, continuing that truth to the very end. And then in chapter four, to preach the precious truth of God. until the Lord Jesus comes. We commence the detailed reading and study of the epistle, and I would like to read the first five verses of the second epistle, chapter one. Paul writing to say, Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. To Timothy, my dearly beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy. when I call to remembrance the unsaying faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. May God bless the reading of these five verses from Second Timothy chapter one. Now may I repeat, that if we approach the study of this epistle, we must acknowledge that we have already seen in First Timothy the ecclesiastical proper order of the Church in its godly conduct and behavior, which of course was the emphatic teaching of that letter. The individual, the domestic, the civil, and the ecclesiastical relationships were surely in question, and they were ordered according to the mind and the sovereign desire of God. But when we come to the second epistle of Timothy, we have a letter that was written at the close of the Apostle's life. It is the last inspired epistle from the pen of the Apostle Paul. And we find in the context of even chapter one that the truth of God was becoming unpopular and nominal Christians were ashamed and afraid to identify themselves with the Apostle and with the testimony of the Lord. Now, my beloved friends, I'd like to make a very practical and timely application of the statement just given. The truth today is very much unpopular. To thus teach the Word of God, and particularly to carry out the teachings of the Word of God, one is today an unpopular person when associating himself and herself to maintain the truth of the Word of God from the beginning to the end. But unfortunately, there is not alone unpopularity toward the truth, but is already stated there are nominal Christians. Christians who profess the name of Christ, and some may be genuine believers, who seem to be ashamed and seem to be afraid to identify themselves with the Apostle Paul and the teachings of the Apostle concerning the Church and the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ which is upon the earth. To the dear Son in the faith, Timothy, Paul beseeches that he should not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, nor of me his prisoner. Now, beloved, living in such days when the truth of God is unpopular, when nominal Christians become disobedient and even ashamed to identify themselves with the truth, God challenges his people in such days. Now, in these first five verses, Paul's prayers are revealed in contrast to Timothy's tears. For Paul writes, and I would like you to note the opening words of the chapter, for as he writes, it's not a discouraged Paul, it's not a disheartened servant of God. He writes as an apostle of Jesus Christ, knowing of his divine commission from above, from the head of the church, that it was by the will of God. And he also writes according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. I'd like you to understand the circumstances of the beloved apostle when he wrote this letter. This is the last inspired letter from the beloved apostle's pen. And he writes it from the prison cell in Rome. And he writes it under the promise of death. For very shortly after it he was executed by Nero, the wicked Roman emperor. But when he writes the epistle, he mentions nothing of the promise of death in the opening words. But he writes according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. What a joy to recognize, to acknowledge that even though he faced death at the hands of wicked men, He had within his bosom and within his heart and within his soul the promise of eternal life. You know, friends, I'm glad that I'm saved. I'm glad that I can say I know that I have eternal life. And with the Lord Jesus, I can say, though men destroy this body, they can never destroy the soul. For the promise of eternal life is the promise of everyone who has trusted Jesus Christ as his or her own personal Savior. I'd like to ask you, my radio friend, do you have this promise? I cannot assure you of happiness ahead in this present scene of life. I cannot assure you of prosperity. I can assure you there's plenty of trouble ahead for this poor, sin-sick and sin-driven world under Satan. But I can assure everyone that has taken Jesus Christ as his and her Savior, they have the promise of eternal life. Praise God. And so Paul begins his writing in that vein. And he writes to one whom he calls Timothy, my dearly beloved son. He was a true son in the faith. And he writes for grace and mercy and peace to be his portion from God the Father and from Christ Jesus. the Lord. Oh, beloved, what a salutation. How much we need grace from the Father and from the Lord. How much we need the mercy of the Father and the mercy of our Lord. How much we need the enjoyment of that peace, which alone can be found in the Father and in his Son. But then Paul, as usual, gives thanksgiving, and particularly he gives thanksgiving, for his son in the faith, Timothy. Verse three declares, I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience. Now may I point out something very specific as it is revealed in the statement of these words. Paul declares that he has served God even from his ancestors. Now even in the unsaved days before Paul knew Christ as his Savior. He was a Pharisee, he was of the strictest sect of Judaism, and sought to fulfill in detail and in letter, meticulously, the law of God. And when the persecution of the early Christians began, he was the great leader of that persecution. But in sincerity of heart with pure conscience, his conscience was his guide. But it was an untrue guide in such circumstances. But with a pure conscience he persecuted the Church of God, seeking to bring these Christians to prison, or to put them to death. But thinking, confidently, this was the service of God, until God met him on the Damascus Road, and the Lord Jesus revealed himself to Paul. And then from that moment he was the servant of Christ. But all through he had sought to serve God with a pure conscience. But in relation to Timothy, to whom he writes, he distanks that without ceasing, I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day. And he had needful to pray for Timothy night and day. And he expresses the great desire to see him, being mindful of his tears, that Paul should be filled with joy. Now may I point out, and we shall see it developing in the chapter, that Timothy was rightfully concerned as well as depressed, if I may so express it, because of the conditions of the testimony in those closing days of the Apostles' life. Now my friend, you may not realize it, but the beloved Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ lived to see Christians depart from the truth of God. They lived to see the truth of God attacked, not only from the outside, but from the inside of the church. And the state of things in the days of Timothy was such that the dear young servant of Christ was much concerned and greatly in tears. Well, against those tears, thank God he had the prayers of Paul. And Paul goes on to state, as we read in verse five, when I call to remembrance the unfamed, the non-hypocritical faith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. And Paul writes the most fitting letter for divine encouragement to any person, whether then or now. who is discouraged over the state of things in relation to the church testimony. To thus challenge the believer to be faithful and to hold to the truth of God and to stir up their conscience, stir and encourage their hearts to go on in the truth of God regardless as to how many men around them are denying. Blessed Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will stir our own hearts today as thy dear people. To be faithful and true to thy precious truth till our Lord Jesus comes. We ask it in his worthy name and for his glory. Amen.