Contemplation on Divine Salvation Cultivates Motivation to Stay Faithful to the End

Go to 2 Timothy chapter 1 as we continue going through this New Testament epistle of the Apostle Paul actually writing this letter to Timothy from prison and again his death is imminent as far as it's very clear from the text that he's aware that his execution is just ahead. So he's writing to Timothy and in this particular context he's writing to encourage and charge Timothy to stay faithful to the finish and he's doing that in various ways and what a powerful way he uses today to do that. Look at if you will 2 Timothy chapter 1 beginning in verse 9 going through verse 12. He writes, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher for this reason I also suffer these things but I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him against that day.

Kind of a long title to this exposition. Contemplation on divine salvation cultivates motivation to stay faithful to the end. Contemplating divine salvation cultivates a motivation to say faithful to the end. One of the great errors of modern evangelicalism is that we sometimes say the gospel's this little simple thing that you can get across in three minutes and once you get that done and somebody jumps through a hoop says a prayer whatever then that's kind of you're sort of finished because everybody knows that's the gospel. Now the rest of your Christian life you just try to figure out from the bible how to live your best life now or something like that.

That's so wrong it's so upside down. First of all to preach the wholeness of the gospel would take eternity. There's so much to it. If you started in the edicts of God from eternity past about him saving for himself a church through all the glories of the old testament types and shadows and pictures of Christ in the gospel Christ coming in the gospel narratives and then all the epistles that are written to the local churches that apply for all the ages if you take all the truths all the dynamic precept upon precept line upon line truth upon truth you'd never get through preaching the totality of the gospel. Now yes you can get the nutshell of it in a few words but my point is this you and I as believers must continually hear contemplate which means to study think on hard all the glorious truths of our salvation i.e the gospel because that's what will hold us and keep us and motivate us faithful to the finish and that's what Paul does here. So we have as Paul writes this in verses 9 through 12 it's something of Paul's testimony of what he believes and what he's about as God's apostle and also it's a testimony with an exhortation to Timothy. So he's saying Timothy this is what I stand on. Timothy this is where I'm going to stay and Timothy these are the things the truths that hold me. So Timothy this is where you must stand.

Timothy this is where you must stay and Timothy these truths must hold you so that you likewise Timothy will go faithfully serving God to the end. I can't tell you the exact number of years because I can't calculate it in my head right now but years ago I was in South Africa and you know the leading gold and diamond mines in the world are in South Africa and it came to my attention that you could buy a diamond in South Africa for a fraction of the cost you could buy it in America. So my 10-year wedding anniversary was coming up and I picked out Pam a 36-carat diamond.

No I didn't. But it was a lot bigger than the one I gave her originally and it wasn't in the budget but I knew my anniversary was coming up and I knew the church has a policy to give all the staff a certain financial gift on certain anniversaries but I didn't know what mine was going to be because I'm excluded from that policy. The policy says the senior pastor the elders would determine what he gets so I didn't know exactly what I would get. So I was in Africa I was contemplating buying her this diamond it wasn't in the budget so I asked one of the elders can I buy this on faith that that gift's going to be pretty good? He said you're going to be okay so I went and bought her that diamond and I kind of hid it in a place so that she discovered it by surprise and happy 10th anniversary and she was so excited and one of the reasons guys do that one of the reasons we give our ladies precious gems and jewelry it's because now there are other reasons but it's because we want them to think if he'll do this he's a keeper. I think I'll keep him I think I think I'll just finish out with this guy right here if he would if he would do this for me but even beyond that of course it's the love that that represents from your heart that means the most. Well that's a little parallel not a perfect one of what I think Paul is doing here for Timothy he's bringing out one precious gem at a time if you will and laying it before Timothy and saying Timothy contemplate this. Timothy marvel over this precious treasure this jewel this gem of salvation truth and Timothy if you'll contemplate it listen to me church you don't come to church to get through this sermon and go through something else you come to church to think hard on the hard on the glories of our salvation because that will cultivate in you a motivation to stay faithful all the way to the finish. So let's look at it as as I will unpack this kind of theological truth after theological truth of precious gem that Paul in effect shows Timothy as to why he Paul is going to stay faithful to the finish and why Timothy must also stay faithful to the finish.

First of all Roman number one notice the gem of the divine prerogative concerning salvation. One of the things Paul tells Timothy is our salvation came from the heart and mind of God and he did it his way and for his own purposes. He didn't consult the committee and didn't call a church business meeting just the council of Godhead came up with this glorious salvation.

It's his prerogative that means because of his rank his because of who he is he has the right to do that. In verse 9 he simply says not according to works but according to his own purpose. His purpose involves both the reason he saved us and his purpose involves the way or the means or method of saving us. You know salvation is not at all what natural man would expect it to be. That's why he has the phrase connected to this phrase not according to works because that's just totally natural to man work salvation. The Bible refers to work salvation as the elementary principles of the earth.

It's just you can go to any man anywhere on the earth in any age and talk about religion he will immediately think in terms of okay I have to join this perform these rituals carry out these religious ceremonies morally ethically clean up my life works works works works that's just natural to a man. But God didn't do it that way Paul is saying. He did it according to his own purposes.

Like what one scholar said he said literally you could translate this his private purpose. God has his own private purpose for what he does and when we're converted we are then enabled to begin understanding and glorying in and treasuring some of these glorious ways God does what he does. So this would be a good time to remind ourselves that there is the perfect and high and holy purposes and wisdom of God and then there is the lowly corrupt unsound and unfaithful wisdom and purposes of man. Talking about man's wisdom without God's help James 3 15 reminds us this wisdom is that which comes down from above or not that which comes down from above but is earthly and natural and demonic. That's the way work salvation is. Work salvation comes out of the earth that's been polluted by sin. It comes out of that natural realm that is now cursed and polluted by sin.

It comes from that realm of reality that is overseen by Satan the bible says is God of this world. So we don't want to trust the thinking and purposes and wisdom of man we want to go beyond that. Paul says Timothy one of the great gems we have is God's prerogative that he ordained salvation according to his own pleasure the way he wanted it to be and we get to get in on that. Psalm 115 verse 3 reminds us but our God is in the heavens he does whatever he pleases.

Boy I love that verse. Ephesians 1 11 as the apostle is putting precept upon precept of the glories of sovereign grace and our great divine salvation. He says this in verse 11 Ephesians 1 also we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to his purpose. Pastor I don't know about this thing of electing and predestinating and for knowing of people before they're born.

Well what are you going to do with the bible then? My point is God did this his way it may rattle your cage a little bit it may upset the apple cart but Paul says Timothy aren't you glad we get it on the glorious treasure the gem of this divine prerogative that God did it according to his own wisdom and for his own purposes. So let's let's more deeply focus in on that purpose of God in saving man. Stepping back and getting a full view of it what is the purpose of God for time and for eternity?

It's very simple Ephesians 3 21. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever amen. The grand broad purpose of God is to be the broad purpose of God now listen to your pastor for everything that's ever existed exists and functioned and unfolded to this one end that God would get glory through his church and his son Christ Jesus for both time and for all eternity. That's it that's why you give your best for the church and you know you're in league with what God wants. So God the father's purpose is to glorify himself through his son and his son's work of saving and securing the church. I'm going to say that again because that's kind of the the core of all that matters for time and eternity.

God's purpose the father's purpose for both time and eternity is to glorify himself through his son and his son's work of saving and securing the church. And see that's biblical theology. If you get that down everything else fits and makes sense.

If you don't get that as the foundation stone nothing else is worth looking at it. And I just couldn't resist focusing afresh this morning on this divine prerogative that God can do it the way he wants according to his purpose and how it's all going to culminate in the glorious fashion. I don't just just belabor these verses but just get the gist of these verses.

1st Corinthians 15 24 and 25. And then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to the God and father when he has established all rule and authority and power for he must reign until he's put all of his enemies under his feet. Jesus is going to be the one who is going to be the one under his feet. Jesus is going to do his work the father sent him to do. He's going to conquer all the enemies of God. He's going to secure his church and then he's going to yield it up to the father and say father you sent me to do this job and here they are your saved ones your church I'm presenting them to you perfectly. It's going to come that's God's purpose through his son Jesus Christ. Do I need to remind you that Jesus never fails.

He never fails. Revelation 21 1-5. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven the first earth passed away.

Can I stop right there and to belabor that just for a moment. A lot in this social justice movement and all this stuff that's going on and it's getting into the church and people are trying to mix up critical race theory and all this wicked vile teaching and all this teaching with church theology. It does not fit. It is not part of the church. The gospel is not the cure for this world. The gospel is to build his church in the world which is the best thing we can do for the world. The gospel is not going to fix the world. It's going to build his church in the world and then when he comes he's going to preserve his church and he's going to destroy the rest of the world.

Are you with me? Let's be God-centered about this. The gospel is not here to fix America.

It's the best fix for America but that's not why it's here. The gospel is given to us to preach to build his churches and that's the best thing we can do for America but to say the gospel is for America and fixes all of our problems it's not true. Matter of fact there's going to be so many sinful problems when Jesus returns he's going to get rid of all the old heaven and old earth and all those on it who don't know him. Are you grasping this? I'm sorry I'll never get through this sermon if you make me stop and explain those things every half verse I come to. Okay the first heaven that's the one that exists now the first earth that's earth you and I walk on right now is passed away and there's no longer any sea. Then I saw the holy city of the new Jerusalem I believe that's the church coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for heaven look at just think think about that the imagery here the glory of it holy city bride adorned for her husband that's what that's how this thing's going to conclude you and I and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold the tabernacle of God is among men what's it got to be the church and he will dwell among them and they shall be his people and God himself will be among them and he will wipe every tear from their eyes some of you this morning there's tears in your eyes if not tears in your heart because this life's hard one day it's going to be glorious no longer any mourning or crying or pain that's all been taken away first things passed away and he who sits on the throne said behold I'm making all things new by the way he's already making all things new but at this point he'll complete the making of all things new you're part of the new things and then he's going to make everything brand new and then we'll fit it perfectly then because we'll even lose our old flesh in nature right for these words are faithful and true revelation 21 9 then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me saying come here I will show you the bride the wife of the lamb that's the church that's the glorious culmination everything's coming to that's the purpose of God and he's going to listen to me he's going to build it put it together secure it and then this day's pointing to and glorified all according to his own purpose the way he wants to do it and for the reasons he wants to do it now we live in a world that hates the purposes of God hates the wisdom of God the rulers and the wise men of this world ignore these truths they they pass them away as dreamy thinking they hate God they hate his holy purposes and they hate his holy son Jesus Christ you think okay all of this radical secularization is happening you and I used to live in a in a country that had a Christian consensus generally men though not all of them were saved would agree that biblical truths and Christian values were best for our country that's no longer true we've become secularized we've pushed away every divine truth objective truth is gone now the only truth that is left is how you feel today you might feel differently tomorrow that's why we have this bizarre vile teaching that you might be a man today a woman the next day a half man and half woman the next day and there's many other genders you might pick the next week why because you're your own God everything's subjective it's just up to you and how you feel I'm going to tell you it is about how someone feels it's about how God feels he does what he pleases he does according to his purposes and by the way everybody then lines up with that it's not going to make it through glorification their end will be the judgment so what's God think when this whole world is raising itself up shaking its fist asserting its great authority and wisdom and might to rule and have its own say and all of its against God's purposes and against God's wisdom what does God say here's what he says psalm 2 verse 4 he who sits in the heavens laughs look at the context of that verse sometimes that's exactly what it's talking about God sees the whole earth going its own way rebelling against him and he laughs in derision at the blind fools well first of all Paul writes to Timothy Timothy think about this contemplate this jewel this this gem of truth that God saved us according to his own purposes and not according to our approach which always includes works now gem number two Paul says Timothy think about the divine agent of our salvation of course that's Jesus Christ an agent is one responsible for a specific task on behalf of another the bible teaches very clearly that God the father authored salvation and God the son procured carried out accomplished the salvation he is the divine agent jesus acted on the earth and saving us on behalf of the father's will and the father's purposes john 6 38 jesus said for i have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me makes it very clear now jesus is equal god with god the father but in their functioning in salvation god the father is the author and overseeing everything that he has done in salvation god the father is the author and overseeing everything and god the son is carrying out the dictate the will the purposes of god the father he says in verse nine of our text here that this glorious divine salvation notice the phrase is granted us verse nine is granted us in christ jesus it's the last part of the verse granted us in christ jesus the word granted means given it's been given to us listen through the means of through the agency of jesus who he is and what he's performed on our behalf now this is expanded in verse 10 the agent of our salvation is impulses let's look at him a little bit more now contemplate this paul telling timothy contemplate this grace life church think on it let it let it do something to you verse 10 but now has been revealed jesus has been revealed by the appearing of our savior christ jesus who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel that last two words there at the end of the verse he's brought it to light the point is it's been now revealed how specifically how god would save the children he's brought it to light now we can clearly see now formally through the old testament error we can only see christ and the salvation brought by christ in types and in shadows and in figures or illustrations but now he himself has come the old testament told us there was a coming savior but a lot of it was foggy to us but now he's come the lights are on we can see who he is and we can see just what he has done and is now doing to save us and keep us saved so he is the perfect christ he fulfilled the office of christ our savior perfectly he's god's agent to perform this paul says timothy marvel over this contemplate that afresh now mind yourself none of these truths are new it's just that we need to hear them over and over and over again so that when you walk out the door this morning there's a new resolve resolve of termination because you've contemplated more richly this divine salvation god's given you and so there's a new determination and motivation to be faithful to him this next week that's why we keep preaching it that's why paul keeps telling timothy about it and we all need that help christ is following up on the agent illustration he is the perfect agent who performed the task look at verse 10 again he performed the task of abolishing death on behalf of the children death is past for us now we may enter into death during this physical life down here but we don't stay there we pass on to a glorious presence with god he's abolished death and he's brought life that includes eternal life a new type of life but also an eternal life a life that never ends and immortality same idea it has eternality in it no no corruption of sin is going to claim us and destroy us we're going to pass through death and into eternal life that's what this perfect agent acting on behalf of god the father has accomplished for us jesus just cannot fail lamentations 3 22 with an ultimate reflection on christ says the lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease for his compassions never fail god the father sent jesus to earth he zooms down from the glories of the holy heavens and he comes down to earth and he was from the baby in that manger all the way through the death barrel and resurrection totally enthralled with compassion to save the children timothy think on that again contemplate that afresh timothy and so must you grace life church isaiah 53 10 through 12 prophecy of our christ and notice how he never fails but the lord was pleased to crush him god the father was pleased to crush god the son on the cross putting him to grief if he would render himself as a guilt offering which he did but what's going to be the result he will see his offspring that's us that's the church he will prolong his days he didn't end at the grave and we will not end with him at the grave and the good pleasure of the lord will prosper in his hand the good purposes or pleasure of god's going to be fulfilled through the agent jesus christ verse 20 um verse 11 or other as a result of the anguish of his soul he will see it and be satisfied see what see what he's effectually accomplishing effectually means perfectly achieved the end for which he started out to perform he will see it through christ will and he'll be satisfied by the results of his death on our behalf by his knowledge the righteous one my servant will justify the many and he'll bear their iniquities so what what's the father going to do verse 12 therefore i will allot him a portion with the great the world said he's done with the world said he's ashamed the world said he's he's a derision he's the outscouring of the earth will nail into a cross but god said you've missed it my purposes was to use my son to redeem the children and i'm going to give my son a portion a portion with the great what a picture of christ and he will divide the booty that's the spoils he he came and conquered and he has the spoils which is his church powerful powerful truth about the divine agent of our salvation he performed it he got it done he finished the task paul says timothy marvel over this a little while let this work on you a little more number three not only does paul say look at the gem the jewel of the prerogatives of god the father concerning our salvation timothy contemplate a fresh the agent of our salvation jesus christ and all he's accomplished but thirdly i want you to look at the gem of the divine nature of our salvation the divine nature of it look at it there in verse 9 again he has called us this is the phrase on phrase i want to look at first part he saved us and called us with a holy calling now called is the effectual call but when he says holy calling i disagree with a lot of interpreters here where they say that only means we're called to live a holy life well of course we are that is what we're called to do call to live life set apart to god but i think it encompasses that but it's bigger than that i think what he's saying here timothy grasp afresh the nature the uniqueness of god's calling to salvation it's not like anything else you've ever seen or heard our men discuss or teach on the earth it has such a unique character it is of god that is it is a holy calling god this holy one ordained the nature of salvation god this holy one initiated the actions of salvation and god this holy one assures or ensures the efficacy the success of this salvation timothy marvel afresh the holiness radical uniqueness of our salvation it it's not of the earth you know there's the holy the true and sinless uncorrupted by sin things of god that's the holy and then there's the profane the things of this fallen sinful earth that are unclean and debased and defiled and destined for to perish he says timothy our salvation is not of any of that it's a holy calling god thought it up and god brought it to pass we are opposed to that religion that comes out of this profane world and there's so much of it out there and there always has been there's so much under the name of christianity that comes more from the profane earth than it does from the holy god that's why the apostle paul says in second corinthians 10 5 we are destroying notice the strong word not just we're teaching against not that we oppose destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up what he means by that is it's not really a lofty thing but they're taking this old profane base sin corrupted world's wisdom and they're raising it up as if it's a good and holy thing and paul said i'll tell you what i'm doing to it boom i'm destroying it did that get your attention i'm destroying it i'm bringing it down and showing what it really is because our god gives us a salvation that is of his very being and that's a salvation that is of his very being and nature it's a holy calling under god you know what the job of the pastor teacher of the church is to be a fellow worker with paul and continually destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of god and take every thought captive to the obedience of christ i said pastor you really get on some people sometimes you'll talk about the charismatic you'll talk about the badness and you'll talk about the roman catholics you know what i'm doing i'm destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against this holy purpose of god to save us his way and for his purposes well our divine salvation timothy is a holy calling now he expands on this unique nature the divine nature of our salvation by using that phrase and grace you say just then call us with the holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace well again grace means favor listen to this expression this statement by his choice we are the objects of god's delight and favorable regard by his choice in other words contrast that to the other phrase here not according to works but by grace that somehow in the eternal infinite heart and mind of god now listen to your pastor he saw you and not you generally you specifically and focused his heart of favor and good regard on you i said that's the kind of salvation you and i have timothy contemplate that afresh pastor but you don't know what a sinner i am i don't need to know because i know what a savior he is i know what he can do with riches like you and me it's grace romans 11 6 tells us but if it is by grace it is no longer on the basis of works otherwise grace is no longer grace so timothy we we marvel over the prerequisites of our salvation the divine prerequisite that god the father did it according to his purposes and he has right he has the pre prerogative to do that timothy we marvel over the gem of our divine salvation because we marvel over the agent of salvation god didn't send an angel and god didn't send a prophet and god didn't send a preacher he sent his son that's the agent of our salvation timothy we marvel afresh over something of the nature of our divine salvation it's holy it's of grace now number four timothy i want to bring another gem out of my bag for you to think about this morning as i'm writing this letter to you from prison timothy marvel over the divine order of salvation now listen there is an order of the way god saves us now listen that extends back through eternity past occurs through time and extends forward into eternity future you know i always look at eternity future to my right and eternity past to my left do you notice that the only way i could reverse that is do this i can't i can't get eternity future over here for some reason that that's always the left over there is eternity past and over here is always eternity future four quick points here a salvation ordained before eternity past look you can't go idle on me in your brain right now you've got to think the phrase here in verse uh nine look at it there the last three words the numeric standard from all eternity that's an interesting grouping of greek words it doesn't just mean from eternity notice how they translate from all eternity weest the esteemed greek scholar says this literally means before eternity it's the idea you take the most remote conceivable idea gotta go to my left the remote conceivable idea in your imagination of where eternity began and you got to get before that if that wall is eternity you got to get before that wall but really the text is such an emphasis that it's so early on not only do you go before eternity you need to go down to bojangles not only do you go before eternity you need to go on down to bojangles and on to cherokee and memphis and dallas and albuquerque and los angeles the hawaiian islands and blast off from there and sail through the terrestrial heavens up through the outer regions of our solar system through the vast unknown regions of billions of other solar systems go back into the premises of eternal god and bust through the back side of that that's where god said i ordained my salvation for you that's saved that's saved right there i'm telling you i'm just this close to busting through that door and i'm just going to keep going because way back there is where god ordained ourselves the scholar says paul intentionally wrote before eternity god ordained you specifically to be the object of his grace and receive his salvation timothy marvel over that gem for just a little while this stuff just gets all over me i'm so deficient in my capacity to reveal to you the glories of these things i'm just deficient but the holy spirit's not then verse 10 christ appears paul says here so we come out of back back back back before eternity began god ordained your salvation now in time and space history christ succumbs he procures your salvation dies on the cross buried in the grave raised for your justification enters heaven intercedes faith review in time see in space in time history god calls you to salvation called with the holy call called is the effectual call that moment in time when through the presentation of the gospel the holy spirit quickens your heart and you come to repentance and faith in jesus christ god's doing all this then last part of verse 10 brings life and immortality through the gospel immortality includes eternity future so it goes all the way into eternity future timothy contemplate that gem for a while thank god your brain's not for trigonometry not primarily it's not for chemistry or physics not primarily get my counted in this thing's not for counting primarily so don't mess my tax stuff okay so don't mess my tax stuff okay it's not for english primarily your brain is to think on these things contemplate number four paul says think on the divine gem of the prerogative of god to save us the way he wants to and for his own purposes think on the divine agent of salvation our lord and savior jesus christ think on the divine nature salvation it's a holy calling it's all of grace think on the divine order salvation back before eternity he chose his elect and worked it out through time and secures you all the way into eternity future roman number five timothy marvel over the divine means to individual salvation the divine means i'll just do this quickly paul gets very practical now he's been he's been just can i say wallowing wallowing in the unreachable glories and the wonders of our divine salvation then he says for which i was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher getting very practical paul says timothy i of all people was called to the divine to this work to spread this glorious truth appointed the word appointed here in verse 11 means to set in place to be god's minister you must be set in that place the word appointed can mean to lay a foundation god's foundation he laid for the building of his church is appointing men to be his apostles then when that era passed then appointing men to be his pastor teachers he sent me paul said first corinthians 9 16 but if i preach the gospel i have nothing to boast of for i'm under compulsion for woe is me if i do not preach the gospel you couldn't pay god paul enough money to preach you couldn't punish me in prison long enough to keep him from preaching woe is me if i do not preach the gospel i know something i know apostle paul but i know something of that weight you know the elders have given me this fabulous time away from the church and the pulpit basically they said now you're not to preach for others you're not to study hard you're this is this is a way what in heaven's name am i gonna do this is what i do it's a fire in my bones but i i do perceive that it would be good for us and me long term to take some time away i do perceive that and i have too much pride to admit that sometimes but it's just the truth paul paul is saying that god's means of procuring these individuals for salvation occurs through him appointing men for himself it's the office of apostle today that translates over to pastor teachers there are no more apostles then he said a preacher he uses three terms here a preacher is one of the terms now the preacher here means a herald it was commonly used in this day when the emperor would send a spokesman to a town the emperor the the spokesman would come in heralding heralding the emperor's edict and the point was when the emperor's herald comes to town it's formal it's fully authoritative and you better hear it that's the word paul uses for the preacher wow it's very humbling to me because i know preachers are just sinners like you but that's god's method so we marvel over the divine means he's chosen to get people saved he throws in the word teacher teach here teacher means to learn he he therefore is a herald a preacher who instructs so that we can learn the truths of god paul is telling timothy here timothy all of this i want you to contemplate so that it might cultivate in you a deeper new determination to finish out faithful some of you sitting this room this morning came to church this morning about halfway thinking you're gonna fall out on me no you're not if you don't belong to god that's fine but if you belong to god you're not falling out on me uh-huh i'll come knocking on your door where you been not really i probably won't the point is how can you contemplate this and walk out the door and say i'm in pastor sign me up that's too good to walk away from count me on board that's too good to walk away from count me on board let's keep going let's finish out faithful now we have this strong word of testimony in verse 12 and we're done paul says timothy verse 12 for this reason all the glorious truths we've just tried to unpack for you for this reason i also suffer these things what things well right now in prison in squalor awaiting his execution but i'm not ashamed we talked about that didn't we a message or two ago the fact that there's the right things to shame there's right things to honor paul said i'm not going to get that backwards i'm going to keep honoring the things are honorable my lord and his gospel and true salvation i'm going to keep putting to shame the things that are shameful this world the roman government and everything that's not of god by my very position i'm honoring god but i by my very position i'm shaming what ought to be shamed he said i'm not ashamed of christ i'm going to keep honoring him for i know whom i have believed i'm convinced paul says i know him by faith you know because as a christian believing is seeing he is the all-powerful god who saved me through this glorious divine salvation and he will not and he cannot retract this everlasting covenant he made with me before eternity started and secured for me through his agent who came and died on the cross and all of those who are his i'm convinced he's going to do every bit of that and he has done all of that and going to keep doing it then the next phrase in verse 12 and he's able to guard protect keep that which i've entrusted to him the word entrusted him actually it's the exact same word you would use in this day when you made a deposit down at the bank you go down to the bank you put your money in there you deposit it why because you are you have you're convinced it's safe you're convinced it's safe paul said i've made my deposit of everything i am in the bank of god the father and god the son jesus christ i'm leaving it to him my life my body my wealth my well-being my eternal future i'm deposited all right there where's your deposit verse 12 he says last three verses until that day that day is the final day of this error in the beginning of the eternal glorified state i i'm i'm fully trusting i fully deposited all my hope and confidence that he's going to keep me now he's going to get me all the way into eternal eternity future in the glorification paul's writing to timothy now timothy this is the track that you're on i just want to bring some of these gems out so that you and i could marvel over them again timothy this is the track that you're on now stay the course and finish faithful to the finish finish faithful to the finish i think that's a good word for grace life church of the shows we've come this far now let's finish out where are we going to get the motivation from contemplation on this that's where we're going to get it