Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. It'll be um He has Charles Stanley, but you have Daniel Hotry, so don't you. Just don't rub it in too much to him.
We don't want him to feel bad.
Okay. What a blessing, and thank you so much. 2 Timothy. Chapter 2 this morning. Their first song was about grace, and that's what we're preaching about today.
Our theme for this year has been: Be strong in the Lord. We have periodically done some messages on this theme, tracing through the Bible different places where God has told us to be strong in something. And this is a big one. And we're getting ready to head into our summer season. We hope to be a fruitful season.
We have a lot of things. just about every week. We got something going on and it's a busy season, but we love to see people saved in the summer. And we like to see them saved all year long, but what an opportunity we have during the summer months. And our subject today is Be Strong.
In grace. Notice in verse one, it says, Thou therefore, my son. Be strong. in the grace That is in Christ Jesus. And as we look at that, I want you to understand: to be strong in the Lord means to be strong in his grace.
To be strong in the Lord is the statement, but to be strong in His grace is the application. I don't know of any other verse that is as applicable To 2024 in your life right now, than this. And that is for you to be strong. in the grace. That is in Christ Jesus.
Now, we're going to explain it to you, but this is a very, very vital passage. I hope that you'll listen real intently. We're going to jump right into it this morning. I know we're a little later than normal. I'm going to get right to it.
And when it's time to land the plane, I'm going to land the plane, okay? But thank you for your faithfulness this morning. Let's pray, Lord. Pray that you would bless. Thank you for the music today.
How great you are, dear Lord. You really are that great, beyond great, beyond our ability to describe. Lord, as we preach about you today, I pray you would give grace, the very grace. that I'm preaching about. is what I need.
as I preach about it.
So, Lord, I pray that you would help us today to understand. This concept, this important, vital concept to the Christian walk. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
So here's Paul writing to Timothy, and he says, Listen, I got to give you some advice. He says, Thou, therefore, based on everything that I've told you, all the things that I've told you as a young man, you need to do in your walk with Christ, he says, therefore, here's what you need: you've got to be strong in the grace. That is in Christ Jesus.
Now, I want you to notice, number one, in verse three, he begins to describe what that means.
Now, in verse two, he says, Timothy, what I'm getting ready to tell you, you need to make sure in your ministry that you also give this to others, that you take what I'm teaching you and you teach other men that will teach those after them. And that process came all the way down to 2024, where I'm teaching you now.
Somebody taught me.
Somebody taught my dad. My dad taught me. Preachers taught me. Teachers taught me. I'm teaching you.
I fully believe that some of you down the road, some of you already do in Sunday school classes, some of our young men, Brother Chris Holland, is here this morning. He is beginning this week as an intern here in our ministry. We love Brother Chris. He's been an intern here before. God is working in this young man's life.
And one of the reasons why we want internships and we want young people, because we want to teach, we want to share what God has given because we want them to take it and share and teach to others. You understand? Say amen.
So, this is what he says. Look at verse 3. He says, Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Number one, this morning, it takes grace to endure hardness. You need to understand that.
Now, Paul refers here to a soldier.
Now, pay attention because he's going to use three different occupations before we're done quickly this morning. Paul references a soldier. And it means this.
Now, think about this phrase. If I, as a soldier of Jesus Christ, if I am going to endure hardness, I've got to think of two things. From who am I going to endure hardness? And for who am I going to endure hardness?
So, first, from who? Where is this hardness going to come from? What is this hardness? Hey, as a good soldier, you need to endure hardness. And he says, Timothy, you're going to have to be strong in grace in order to endure hardness.
What is hardness? I mean, listen, I had no idea the hardness that can be in life. And I am learning every day. And literally, here he's saying this: that listen, if you're going to endure hardness, you're going to have to understand that it is coming from someone.
Now, there are going to be people that will cause great hardships in your life, but I encourage you, they are not the root of that. Satan is the root of that. Satan's gonna use people. He is the real enemy. This hardness is gonna come from Satan in your walk with Christ.
He'll use people, he'll use circumstances, he'll use things, he'll use things that just naturally happen to you as a human being. He'll use disease, he'll use sickness. But guarantee it, if you're gonna serve God, hardness is coming. But notice what he says here. Please get this.
It's from who? The enemy. For who? Jesus Christ. I'm a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
So I am enduring this hardness for Christ.
Now, Life is going to have hardness. We have been praying, Elise told me this morning. We have been praying for a young lady, Stephanie Wakefield. And a young mother has a husband, has a five-year-old and an eight-year-old. been dealing with cancer, passed away last night.
Now, here's a dad, here's young children, here's a whole family. Her mother, Mrs. Wakefield, teaches at Gospel. We've known her for years, precious lady. She also has another daughter who has Down syndrome, a precious young lady.
And now her other daughter. is now with the Lord. Can I tell you something? Life can come at you. with hardness.
But if you're going to endure that, It's going to take way more than your toughness. It's going to take a whole lot more than your ability to cope. It's going to take God's grace. For you to endure that. I used to think I knew what hardness was.
But over recent years, I have learned the depths of how hard life can be. May I say something this morning? Marriage can be very hard. Marriage can be hard. You think you're going to endure that without God's grace?
Listen, parenting your children. can be hard. Getting older can be hard. Sickness and disease can be hard. By the way, I want to give a notice to all the prosperity preachers.
On the TV, radio, internet, whatever you want to say, all these guys that say you serve God, it's going to be great. You know, if you have enough faith, everything's going to be wonderful. Notice what the verse says: thou therefore endure hardness. Paul did not say, Timothy, thou therefore, if you endure hardness. He said emphatically that hardness is coming.
That makes null and void half of the prosperity preachers out there. That will lie to you and say that you don't have to endure hardness if you're a real believer of Christ with enough faith. No, dear friend, if you have enough faith, you're gonna face great hardness. In life, and it's gonna take God's grace. He did not say, Therefore, if you endure hardness, he said, You're going to endure hardness.
So, Paul says, Timothy, It's going to take grace. And listen to me.
Some of you this morning. Maybe recent. Maybe it's a while back. But life people, circumstances. has brought some hardness into your life.
and you're struggling with it. You want to stop, you want to quit. You wanna Just stop everything that you know and people call turn over a new leaf and I just, I want to get away from this church thing. Can I give you just a little bit of advice this morning? You need God's grace in your life.
You're trying to do this on your own, and that's why you're feeling the way you're feeling. Paul said, Timothy, you're young. You got a lot ahead of you. I know you're excited. But let me tell you what can squelch excitement is when hardness hits.
And you're going to need God's grace to endure that. Notice, if you will, number two, in verse four, Paul says, Timothy. It takes grace not to be entangled.
Now look at verse 4. No man that woreth, remember he introduced a soldier in verse 3. No man that woreth That's what soldiers do. entangleth himself with the affairs of this life. Why?
That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. First thing I want to say is: this notice, there is a war taking place. No man that worethore. Entangleth himself with the affairs of this life. If you got saved thinking life was going to be easy, you had a wrong, somebody told you wrong.
There is a war going on. Not just a war between Satan and Christ, but can I say something? There is a war going on in my own life between the spirit and my flesh. There is a war that is raging. And by the way, if you are a believer in Christ, You are involved in warfare.
Now, notice what he says here. He says, No man that woreth entangleth himself. with the affairs of this life.
Now that word affairs literally means a transaction, a negotiation. It means things that come across in life, things that happen, things that can become drama in your life, stress in your life, things that can hurt, things that can bring pain, people, relationships, all these things in life. And here's what he said. Being as we're a soldier, you need God's grace to endure hardness. And let me tell you what else you need God's grace for.
If you're not careful, all the junk you deal with here, you're going to get so entangled in it that you can't please Christ. Yeah. I want you to notice something here. Why did he say to do this? Why do we have to keep ourselves from being entangled?
Why do we need God's grace to do that? Because I'm going to tell you: without God's grace, you're going to get tangled up the first day. Without God's grace, you're going to get tangled up with everything that comes at you in life. I mean, you're going to have so much on you. And what does the Bible say?
That God's promise never to put more on us than we can bear. It means this: that he can bear it. We can't. But if you and I can get so entangled that we just can't even do for God what we know we need to do for God because we're so burdened down and bogged down with the affairs of this life, with paying bills, getting a job, having things. I need money.
I want to go on this trip. I want to take my, I want my giving my kids this. I feel like I ought to have this. We can get so entangled. This person said that.
This person posted this on the site about me. And we can become so obsessed with this life. Why? He did not say, keep yourself from getting tangled so that you can win. Look at the verse.
The whole point of us keeping ourselves from being tangled up is not so that we can win the war that we're in. Look what the verse says. The whole reason that you and I are not to be entangled is so that we can please. The one that's called us. Look at me.
You don't need to win the war. Christ has already won it. We're not keeping ourselves from getting tangled up in this life so that we can win the war. It's already been won. We got to keep ourselves from getting tangled up in the junk here so that we can please him.
Listen, life is not about you winning anything. Christ already won it on the cross. It's done. Salvation's been given. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Our job is not to win the war. Our job is to live and fight in a way that we please him. Satan knows that. Satan knows he's already lost.
So, what's he going to do? He's going to try to get you all tangled up in a non-win situation. You're going to get so tangled up with this life. And this life doesn't even matter. It's the life to come that matters.
And that's already been won through Jesus Christ. Paul says, Timothy, you're going to need grace. To endure hardship, you're going to need grace. to not be entangled. May I say this?
I want to give you this next one. I think it'll be a blessing to you. Look at verse 5, number 3. It takes grace to persevere. You're going to have to be strong in God's grace.
To be able to look at verse 5. And if a man also strive. For masteries. This verse transitions from the imagery of a soldier Now Paul transitions to the imagery of an athlete. The soldier has to endure hardness.
The soldier has to make sure that he doesn't get tangled up. But now we're talking about an athlete, and notice what he says. If a man also strive, this word strive means to train. It means to sacrifice. Athletes, both as amateurs and professionals, existed even before the New Testament.
Athletics was especially popular in ancient Grecian Olympics. Winners were presented with an olive wreath from a sacred tree near the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. In ancient Olympic Games, athletes had to swear before the statue of Zeus that they had strictly trained for 10 months. Prior to the event.
Now today's athletes Olympic athletes, professional athletes. They train all year long. And here's the point. Notice what he says. And if a man also strive for masteries.
Here's the point. All the training that an athlete does. There is no reward in that process.
Now please get me. That process of training will not be noticed. That process of training will not get rewarded. There is no prize, there is no crown, there is no trophy for practice. There is no trophy, there is no wreath, there is no crown for all the training that you do.
You do that every day and you prepare and you train and you sacrifice, but you don't get a trophy for your training. But there will be no winning a trophy without it. Are you with me so far? Say amen.
Striving is the sowing before the reaping. Striving is the planting before the fruit. Striving is the pruning before the grapes show up. It's the hard work. It's the dirty work.
It's the daily work. It's the tiresome work. It's the unnoticed work. It's walking with Jesus day by day by day. It's putting the time in in prayer.
It's putting the time in in Bible reading. It's all the stuff that nobody's going to see and nobody's going to praise you for, and nobody's going to notice. But there will be no winning the Christian life without it. Paul said, Timothy, you're going to need grace to do all the stuff behind the scenes. that you need to do.
so that you can see all this stuff. in front of the scenes. Timothy, you're going to have to put a whole lot of work in. Pruning the garden.
so that you can one day see the fruit. You know why Christians need God's grace? Because half of what we do as Christians, nobody's ever going to thank us for. Nobody's ever going to see it. It's not like we got a board keeping track of how much Bible reading you're doing and how much soul winning you're doing and how much praying you're doing.
Listen, it is the daily training. If a man strives like an athlete, sacrifices and trains so that he can run his race well, you and I have to do that day by day by day. And it gets tiresome for Christians. You got to show up for choir practice. You got to learn and study for your Sunday school lesson.
You got to be here and you got to help and you got to clean toilets and you got to vacuum carpet and we got to set up for this activity and we got to try to go get items so we can be a blessing to our firemen and we got to set up for vacation Bible school and we got to teach the classes and bring in the snacks and have helpers and line this and put up signs here. Are you all understanding what I'm saying? But that has to be done for the fruit to come. You don't need grace when the fruit shows up. That's the easy part.
You don't need grace when everybody's all of a sudden here and everybody says, Moy, what a great job you did. You don't need grace for that. You need grace for all the stuff you have to do before that. Yes, sir. You're right.
And you listen some of you are struggling right now because you're getting tired of doing all those things. and you don't really see any reward or fruit for it. And dear friend, I'm here to say. Your job is not to bring the fruit. Your job.
is to be faithful. And you're going to have to have God's grace for that. Or you're going to stop. Notice, if you will, I want you to get this. Look at verse 5.
It doesn't just take grace. To persevere, but it takes grace to submit. Look at verse 5. Yet is he not crowned. Except he strive lawfully.
What are we talking about here? Paul brings up the athlete. He's talked about a soldier. He brings up the athlete and he says the athlete's got to train, he's got to strive, he's got to sacrifice. But here's the deal: it doesn't matter how much he trains, how much he sacrifices, how hard he works, how good he does in his sport.
If he breaks the rules, if he doesn't follow the rules, if he doesn't do it the way it's written you're supposed to do it, he's not going to get a crown. You're not going to be rewarded. And dear friend, I want you to understand something. It's not easy serving God, and it's a whole lot of behind-the-scenes training and work and all that. But, dear friend, I want you to understand something.
We still have to do things God's way. God does not reward what we do against His Word. That means this, that we need God's grace to submit. To his word.
Well preacher, I don't like you know Love your enemies. I don't like to have to do that, preacher. You see, there's a lot of stuff serving God that's easier to do than others. There's a lot of things, serving God. Preacher, I don't mind teaching a class.
I'm glad to do it. I enjoy those kids, and may I say thank you for doing it. But it might be the same person that comes and says, when the Bible says, hey, love your enemies, love them that persecute you. Wait a minute, preacher, I don't want to do that. Listen, you're not going to be rewarded for teaching the kids if you can't learn to follow the rules.
Tell it. Are y'all with me? Do you get this? Paul says, Timothy, listen, you're going to need grace. You're going to enjoy some of the things you're going to do for the Lord, but you've got to follow all the rules.
Or you're not going to be rewarded. You can't do it your way. You can't decide what you will and won't do for the Lord. and still expect him to reward you. Are y'all understanding what I'm saying this morning?
Can I say something? Church people need to hear this. I don't know about you. I want to be rewarded. May I say this?
God is not results-oriented. God is motivation-oriented. God is obedience-oriented. God produces the result. God doesn't need your results.
The results you have is going to come from God anyway. God wants you to do it the right way. God wants you to obey His Word. God wants you to submit to Him. And then God will honor that.
It takes God's grace. to submit. Can I give you the sex one? We're almost done this morning, verse 6. It takes God's grace to work.
Well, preacher, I'm a hard worker. Look at verse 6. The husbandman that laboreth must be first. partaker of the fruits.
Now Paul shifts again. First, he talks about a soldier. Then he talks about an athlete.
Now he brings up the farmer. Paul gives the analogy of the soldier. He's got to endure hardness. He's got to keep from getting entangled. But he talks about the athlete.
He's got to train. He's got to sacrifice. But he also has to do it lawfully. He has to follow the rules. But now he brings up The farmer.
Look what he says, the husbandman, the farmer. That laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Now, let me, first thing I want you to say is: Paul brings up. a certain kind of farmer. He brings up a hardworking farmer. He says, the husbandman that laboreth.
Now listen to me, the stereotype of hardworking farmers exist for a reason. And this has been a common analogy all through time. A hardworking farmer is known for rising early in the morning, attending to a variety of issues throughout the day, and sometimes those problems stretch all the way into the evening. The saying, a farmer's work is never done, became popular for that reason. A hardworking farmer seems to always either be at work or thinking about work.
But not everybody in Paul's day who was a farmer was hardworking. Do you know what? Even in 2024, not everybody that farms is a hard worker. Most are. But Paul said specifically, we're talking about a farmer.
That is hard working. Notice in his analogies so far: the soldier fights, the athlete trains. The farmer labors. You're going to need God's grace to labor. Can I tell you something, I've not ever been a professional farmer.
or anything of the sort. I married into a family of a bunch of farmers. I've learned a lot. Since then, I've learned it's not something I want to do. That's what I have learned.
I picked enough potatoes and stuff that That's not what I enjoy doing. But I've learned a lot about it. Can I tell you something? Farm work's not easy work. It's not glamorous work.
You're bending over. picking up taters out of the ground. for hours on end, that'll absolutely kill you. You're out there reaping, you're out there getting up hay. You're out, whatever you want to talk about.
in farming. I mean, can I tell you something? It is hard work, it is dirty work. It is difficult work. But it has to be done.
If you want to eat. Yeah, right. Yeah, really ampersand.
Sometimes in your life, it's going to take God's supernatural grace. for you to just keep working. You feel like you have worked and worked and worked and look what my kids have done to me now, preacher. Just keep working. I have worked and worked and worked and look what's happened to my family.
Just keep working. I have worked and worked. Look what's happened to my finances. Look what's happened to my job. Look, they laid me off.
Look at what happened to this. Look at what happened to that. Look at all the time. Just keep working. But, preacher, I don't see the results yet.
You need God's grace. Not just to endure hardness, not just to keep from getting entangled, not just to strive and train, and not just to simple. You need often, and I need this probably as much of God's grace for this as anything, and that's. to keep laboring. when you don't see a result.
That's the hardest work to do. Paul Timothy. you're going to have to have. Gods. Grace.
Now, can I give you an interesting principle about this verse? Can I give you this next one? It takes grace to be dependent.
Now look at verse 6. The husbandman that laboreth, notice that, must be first partaker of the fruits. Do you get this principle? Please get this, Kerwin. I know this is a lot of teaching for a Sunday morning, but this is what God gave me, and we all need it.
Listen to this. How did the fruit come?
Well, he labored hard. That's true. But do you know that the whole thing of a farmer, a farmer has to do everything he can do, but he is still dependent upon God? Further results? Listen, it don't rain.
He don't have anything grow. Hey, if God doesn't provide the weather, if God doesn't do that. then he has no crop. It means this, that a farmer has to work and work and work and do everything he can do. But there are certain things he can't do, only God can do.
Look at this verse, James 5:7. Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth. For the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it. Until he received what?
The early and latter rain. God brings that. The farmer does everything he can do to prepare. But God Has to bring the increase. You and I need God's grace so that we will keep laboring.
And learn to be dependent. The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally. Would you take a moment to hear this to-day? Every man is born with a sin nature.
Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, We're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven. Because of that sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life for the through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's gift salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept Him as our Savior. Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
All you have to do is receive Christ. by faith as your Saviour. Romans 10.9 says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Verse 13 continues, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way.
and calling upon his name. Bible says whosoever that's anyone can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Saviour?
If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at Crowin Baptist Church. Dot com. or visits that person at one of our three service times. We hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless you.
Mm-hmm.
