Believers are called to be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus to faithfully teach the truth of God to others. This strength is essential for standing for truth in the last days, as exemplified by Paul's instruction to Timothy to commit what he learned from reliable witnesses to faithful men capable of teaching others. The sermon emphasizes that the scriptural method of truth propagation relies on faithful individuals, not solely on institutions, and warns against straying from, resisting, or refusing God's truth. The ultimate application is for believers to be concerned with raising up and being such faithful teachers of God's Word.
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Greetings, radio friends, in the ever-precious name of our wonderful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is soon coming from heaven above. We continue our study in the blessed ministry of that book, known as the second epistle of Paul to Timothy. Our study today commences in chapter two. We have been emphasizing the importance of holding the truth of God. We come to the second chapter of this epistle, where we shall find the emphasis being not only hold it, but teach it. May I thus read the first two verses of this wonderful letter of chapter two, Paul saying to his son in the faith, thou therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
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. May we meditate upon these words that we have just read, and particularly apply them in relation to the truth of God. I wish to state with emphasis that this epistle, together with the other pastoral letters of Paul, emphasize the importance of sound doctrine as well as consecrated living. But this particular letter gives us God's special guidance for the last days.
And we have found in the first chapter, Paul enjoins Timothy to be faithful, to be brave, to be courageous. And thus, not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, nor of the prisoner of the Lord, of whom Paul states himself to be. But in chapter two, he opens the words of chapter two, saying, Not only be brave, but be strong. And my beloved radio friend, there is need of strength. There is need not a physical strength, but a spiritual and moral strength to stand for the truth of God in the last days.
And that strength is indicated in this one chapter before us, chapter two. We are told to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. My beloved fellow believer, I would like to re-emphasize the need of moral and spiritual strength. Your strength and mind is to be found in the Lord. Your strength and mind should be found in Christ. In writing to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul said these words in chapter six and verse ten, Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
And here we have the apostle exhorting Timothy, Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Radio friend, my fellow believer particularly, God will give grace. He will supply the strength that you and I need if we wish to stand for the Lord in these evil days. My grace is sufficient for thee, said the Lord to Paul, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Am I speaking to some weak Christians? Would to God I could find every Christian strong? I must confess and I readily admit there is a lack of strength amongst God's people.
There is a lack of moral courage. There is a lack of spiritual strength. But God exhorts us, therefore my Son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now note what that strength is needed for as we continue in verse two and see the Spirit of God emphasizing. and particularly to Timothy by Paul is the emphasis given, the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able or competent with each other's also.
Now I want to emphasize one fact in this one statement. The whole truth of God should be faithfully and carefully taught to faithful men, such as shall be competent to teach others. This is the scriptural method of passing the truth on from generation to generation. Now I would like to make a clear statement concerning how God desires the truth of God to be passed on to others. We live in the days of great schooling. We live in the days of intellectualism that is sweeping far and wide throughout the world in its great demands.
But may I say very plainly, according to this statement of God's Word, the scriptural method of passing on the truth of God is not merely through schools or universities or seminaries. but the method of passing on the truth of God has to be done by men and through men, regardless as to the organization, regardless as to the institution that may be involved. And Paul is telling Timothy, you have heard from me and through, and among many witnesses, what I have taught.
My beloved, We shall never be able to teach the truth of God unless we are sure that we have obtained that truth from its true source. The divine source which is the Word of God. The Lord Jesus said in John seventeen verse nineteen, sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is truth. And the Lord Jesus names the source of all divine truth, the Word of God. Now with all credence and recognition of schools of learning that we may have, may I say the schools of learning can no greater propagate the truth of God than when their truth is according to the scriptures of truth.
And Timothy had heard the truth from Paul. Not only had he heard it from Paul, but he had heard it among many other witnesses to that truth. Faithful men of God, who under the divine tutorship of the Holy Spirit and the divine revelation of the Holy Spirit, were thus making that truth known. Now he says, Paul says to Timothy, What you heard of me, what you have learned from many other witnesses with me, says, I want you to commit that truth to others. Now will you note the character of the men that Paul requires the truth to be given to? The same commit thou to faithful men.
Now you and I are living in days that we've already emphasized as being unfaithful to the truth. May I tell you plainly why there is not the propagation of God's truth as there should be today. It is because men have not been faithful to the truth. Many men have had the truth committed to them. But it's one thing to have the truth committed to us, and another thing to be faithful to that truth which has been committed to us. Do you remember what Paul said in chapter one?
And let me repeat those words as we have them in the twelve verse, or the fourteen verse rather, of the first chapter. That good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth within thee. My beloved friend, if you will analyze the history of even the church, and come down to the present day conditions which are apparent and which are in the spirit of declension, where the truth, and this is very, this is very evident in the epistle of Timothy. May I point it out before I go further.
You have in chapter two, as we shall see later, men who stray away from the truth. They knew it, the truth they knew, but they strayed away from it. You will find, as we shall see later in chapter three, there are men who not only stray from the truth, but they go further away. They resist the truth. You will find in chapter four, that there are men who not only stray from the truth, who not only resist the truth, but who completely refuse the truth and reject it. Now that is the spirit of declension throughout all the history of the church.
There's been a straying away from the truth. There continues to be a resistance toward that truth of God. And then ultimately they refuse them. They will not receive it. That has been the characteristic departure from the truth of God throughout all church history. In some measure, whether great or small, that has been the characteristic departure from the truth of God. And we are warned, in the last days men shall depart from the truth, giving heed to seducing spirits, or the doctrines of demons. Now, beloved, now here's the divine guidance.
To hold the truth, as well as to teach the truth in the last days. I would be very frank to state that the truth of God can only come in these last days, not from the institutions of learning that may be erected, but only from faithful men, who have received the truth and who have been faithful to that truth. And the Apostle says, Commit thou to faithful men the truth that you have heard. Men who incompetency will be able, have the ability to teach others also.
I say my beloved radio friends, particularly my beloved Christian friends, will you not be concerned about the bringing up and the raising up by God's Spirit the faithful men who teach faithfully the Word of God? That is required in the last days. I say this very advisedly, but I say it from observation and experience. We do not have many men today who are faithful to the truth of God and who will also teach in faithfulness that same blessed truth of God. Oh my radio friend, may God help you and me to be strong, strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus to do so.
And you who may not know the truth, and who have not received the truth of the gospel, why don't you turn to this word of God and find in its pages the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ your Lord? Our time is again rapidly gone, and we must commend his word to God in prayer. Shall we pray? Father, stir the hearts of thy people. Stir the consciences of even the unsaved. To be concerned about the truth of God in the days of apostasy and darkness as we now live within them. For we ask it in Jesus' name for his glory. Amen.