 Here we are, 2 Timothy, we're going to look today at chapter 2 verses 8 through 14 as we continue our verse by verse study here in the epistle of 2 Timothy and so I'll read you verses 8 through 14. I'm going to give you a prolonged introduction to remind you of several things then move into the application, the study and application of the verses before us. So let's begin reading together here in 2 Timothy in chapter 2 verse 8, I'll read to verse 14, we'll get into our study. Paul writes, remember that Jesus Christ of the seat of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel for which I suffered trouble as an evildoer even to the point of chains but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying for if we died with him we shall also live with him. If we endure we shall also reign with him. If we deny him he also will deny us. If we are faithless he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself, remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. So Paul begins his section with a reminder that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. That's what he begins with in verse 8 when he says, remember that Jesus Christ of the seat of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. So he begins with a reminder that Jesus was raised from the dead. So the question has to be asked as you look at this passage. Why would Paul begin with that reminder? Well it's necessary because Timothy needs to remember that living for the Lord, and this is something all of us need to remember too, living for the Lord is costly. And he needs to remember that. You see Timothy is a pastor of a church in a major city in Asia Minor and he's enduring great opposition to his ministry. The church itself is contending over various problems that are in existence. When you read 1 Timothy you begin to see Paul addressing these things. And we spent some weeks going through 1 Timothy looking at the individual problems that were being faced by Timothy in this particular church there in Asia Minor in the city of Ephesus. And as we looked at this you could see some of the problems that Paul was instructing Timothy concerning how to deal with. The men in the church were not taking spiritual leadership. The women were dressing immodestly or they were putting too much emphasis on outer beauty. Some of the women were usurping positions of leadership in the church. Some of the leaders there in the church of Ephesus were not spiritually qualified. Some of the deacons' wives were not reverent. They were gossips, they were unreliable. Some of the homes of leaders were out of order. Timothy's youth and his qualifications had come under attack. Some of the widows in the church were taken advantage of being financially supported. There were questions concerning financial compensation for elders. Accusations were being lodged against leaders without witnesses. Bond servants were taken advantage of believing masters. Some of the members of the church were in love with money. Pride and financial success had led to some members to begin to trust in their money. And some of the leaders had actually introduced teachings that contradicted the message of the gospel. A false teaching had been introduced and that false teaching centered on the law of Moses. And that had caused people to turn aside, as Paul said, to idle talk. Some had been influenced by false teachings and they had begun to reject the faith. Two well-known former leaders were excommunicated, Hymenaeus and Alexander. In chapter 2 here in 2 Timothy verse 17, that verse mentions another former leader named Phyletus who had been influenced in that way. Part of the false teaching entering the church began to encourage a form of asceticism. People were being forbidden to marry. They were ordered to abstain from certain foods. Physical exercises that were promising deep spiritual life were being introduced to the church and false teachers were rejecting Paul's teachings and had become obsessed with disputation. So for a young pastor, this opposition was extremely discouraging. So I moved Paul to tell him, remember the prophecies that had been made concerning him. He said that in 1st Timothy 118. It also moved him to tell Timothy to stir up the gift of God that he had received through the lane out of hands. In 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 6. And it moved Paul to tell Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now of course opposition was something Jesus prepared his disciples to anticipate on various occasions. So when you read your gospel, you see this. He informed us, he informed his followers that believers are going to be persecuted. That's not something new and that's certainly not a surprise. He made it clear that the world would not accept the gospel message. And he made it clear that they would not simply reject the message itself. He said they are not only going to reject the message, they will reject you too. In John 15 verses 19 and 20, Jesus said, if you were of the world, the world would love its own yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world. Therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. So today we need to remember that when we live for Jesus we encounter opposition. It's something that is blatantly obvious to anybody who has any eyes. It's quite obvious that the church is being rejected. We have examples of rejection and opposition and almost every day. Just last week, the view host, Joy Behar, claimed that Vice President Mike Pence, saying that the Lord speaks to him, is a form of mental illness. Mike Pence is a believer in Christ and he made that statement. You know, the Lord speaks to my heart and she says, isn't that a form of mental illness? She said, it's one thing to talk to Jesus. It's another thing when Jesus talks to you. That's called mental illness, if I'm not correct, hearing voices. Now this is on ABC on this amazing show, The Voice. Now I want you to think about that for just a minute. How easy it was for her to say that. Why did she say that? She said that because Mike Pence is a committed Christian. That's why she said that. It's easy for her to say that because they have an audience filled with people who clap and applaud that kind of comment. That's why it's easy. It doesn't take any courage to say that when you have an accepting audience. It's not hard to say that at all. But I wonder if she'd say the same thing about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Because perhaps she doesn't remember or didn't know that Dr. King prayed and gave a story. He even made a statement concerning how the Lord spoke to him and said to him that he needed to keep strong because he was at a time when he was out doing the work that he was doing and he was becoming discouraged. And Dr. King said that he could hear an inner voice saying, Martin Luther King, stand up for righteousness, stand up for justice, stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you even until the end of the world. Martin Luther King speaks of how he heard the voice of Jesus telling him to fight on, promising never to leave him alone. And he said, almost at once my fears began to go, my uncertainty disappeared. I wonder if she would say that about Martin Luther King, Jr., or if it's just okay to say that about Vice President Mike Pence. Many didn't take kindly to the treatment of his faith, especially the things that Behar said. Someone wrote, this is disheartening. And yet another example of how people who sit in a pew every Sunday are not just misunderstood but mocked. Robert Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, a member of President Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board, said in a Fox News interview Wednesday, let's just go ahead and say what we all know is true. If Joy Behar had attacked a devout Muslim for his faith, ABC would have fired her in a nanosecond. He went on to say, to the left, when it comes to attacking conservative Christians, it is always open season. That's true. That's absolutely true. A 2015 Gallup poll found that 75% of Americans called themselves Christian. But this does not mean that these who call themselves Christians take their faith seriously. Someone said, many are more concerned with global warming and secondhand cigarette smoke than they are about the life of the unborn, the normalization of sexual promiscuity, the attack on marriage, and the obvious hostility towards all things Christian. I read something interesting written by an Orthodox Jewish rabbi named Daniel Lapin. Rabbi Lapin is the founder of the Pacific Jewish Center in Venice. And Rabbi Lapin wrote, what is truly alarming is that there are more books for sale at your local large bookstore, warning against the perils of fervent Christianity than those warning against the perils of fervent Islam. Does anyone seriously think America is more seriously jeopardized by Christian conservatives than by Islamic zealots? Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed. And without America, the West is doomed. Which is why I, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi devoted to Jewish survival, the Torah, and Israel am so terrified of American Christianity caving in. Many of us Jews are ready to stand with you, but you must lead. You must replace your timidity with nerve and your diffidence with daring and determination. You are under attack, now is the time to resist it. Now, that's not coming from a Christian. That's not coming from a conservative Christian. That's coming from a Jewish rabbi who sees what many don't see, even church people don't see. Timothy is going through hard times, so Paul writes to strengthen him to encourage him. And so he uses the model of a teacher, a soldier, an athlete, a hard-working farmer. And he says, as they are all faithful, you need to remain faithful. But what is going to keep him strong as he's going through this hardship? What will help him to endure while he begins in verse 8? Remember that Jesus Christ of the seat of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. What's going to keep him strong? You need to remember who he is. You need to remember what he's done on your behalf. Jesus Christ is of the seat of David. So he's speaking concerning Jesus's humanity, but he's also referring to his deity. The seat of David speaks of his humanity, his earthly lineage. The angel Gabriel was speaking to Mary, his mother. And in Luke chapter 1 verses 31 and 32, it says, Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, shall be called the son of the highest. The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. That speaks of his humanity, his lineage. He came from David. The promises given to King David were fulfilled in him. But being raised from the dead speaks of his deity. That's something that the apostle Paul had made clear in Romans chapter 1. In Romans 1, 3, and 4, Paul said regarding his son who as to his human nature was the descendant of David, and through the spirit of holiness we declared with power to be the son of God by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. So he is speaking to him concerning his humanity and deity, and he's reminding him to keep this in mind because Jesus suffered. But Jesus suffered and was victorious in spite of what he went through. In his resurrection he demonstrated that there is something beyond this life. So Timothy, remember that Jesus suffered as a man, but remember that Jesus had victory over the grave, and you're not to fear what you're experiencing because Timothy death does not have the final say. You need to remember that. In 1 Corinthians 15 verse 55 the word says, oh death where is your sting, oh haze, there is your victory. And the bottom line is his death doesn't have the victory. Therefore remember Jesus Christ died, he was buried, but he was resurrected the third day. And he says, and this is a message that I've taught you. This is a message you're to be given to other people. This is a message that is called the gospel. And it's according to my gospel, you need to remember what I've taught you. This message has been entrusted to me, and I've delivered it faithfully. And Timothy, it's being entrusted to you, and you need to do the same. In 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4 he said, I delivered to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. So this message that is so faithfully given out needs to be done so unaltered and unimproved because the consequences of changing this message are eternal and extreme. In Galatians 1-8, even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you, then what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. May he be eternally condemned. He said, this is the message you need to remember. What is going to keep you strong? A Jesus Christ died, but Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. You have hope not only in this life, but forever. And by the way, it's for this, verse 9, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains, but the word of God is not chained. Paul is suffering hardship, including chains. He's imprisoned. And the reason he's suffering, I want you to notice he said I suffered trouble as an evildoer. The reason he's suffering is because of his faithful declaration of the gospel. That made him what is referred to as an evildoer, an evildoer during that day was another way of saying that he had broken the law. Paul at that time was in Rome, more than likely incarcerated in a prison called the Mammartine Prison. I visited that prison when in Rome many years ago. We went into the site that is traditionally the site of the cell that the apostle Paul was held in. The cell was carved out of rock. And the way the prisoner would be placed in the cell is he was actually lowered from a hole in the ceiling. It was 27 feet long. It was 20 feet wide. And it has been said that a more horrible place for the confinement of a human being can scarcely be conceived. And he's saying, I've been imprisoned for my testimony. It's not a surprise to me. I've known what this would cost me. I've known it from the beginning. When the apostle Paul got saved he was on the road to Damascus. And the Lord Jesus Christ brought Paul to faith in him and Paul was blinded and he ended up going into a city where there was a man there awaiting him, a man by the name of Ananias. And the Lord had spoken to Ananias and said, Paul is going to come to you. And I want you to pray for him. And Ananias did something that a lot of believers do, tried to instruct the Lord concerning Paul. You know, God, you're busy with the universe. Perhaps you haven't noticed that this guy, Paul, is a dangerous man. He's threatening people, imprisoning people. You want to consider this and perhaps change your mind. And the Lord God speaks to Ananias. And the Lord said to him, it's found in Acts 9, 15 and 16, go. This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. And God went on to say, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. No, he's going to suffer for the things that he says. He's going to suffer for the gospel. I will show him these things. Paul knew it from the beginning. In Acts 21, 10 and 11, those verses speak of how Agabus said to Paul that he would be arrested, delivered to the Gentiles. And there were friends of Paul standing around and the response of his friends was they began to plead with him not to go to Jerusalem. But in Acts 21, 13 and 14, Paul answered, what do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I'm ready not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. So when he would not be persuaded, Luke says, we see saying the will of the Lord be done. Paul was prepared for what he went through. He was prepared for the enduring, the suffering, the hostility, the cell. He was suffering unjustly, but he didn't complain about it. He encouraged Timothy. He said, be prepared. Be prepared to suffer for the gospel. And so he's embracing, he's saying you need to embrace two things. And this, by the way, is what we as believers should embrace. Embrace these two things and you're not only survived, but you'll thrive, Timothy. If you do this, one, you need to realize that suffering is part of preaching the gospel. Don't run from it. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't avoid it. Just be prepared. Suffering is part of preaching the gospel. It's inevitable. It will come in one form. It will come in another. So be prepared. When you share the truth, you will be mocked. You'll be scorned, sometimes even physically attacked. That's going to happen. We have somebody who used to attend this fellowship years ago. This happened just a few months ago, who was at a supermarket, was in line. And there were two people standing in front of them who were apparently loudly speaking about their homosexuality and things, and this guy who used to go here told them that their lifestyle was in a proper lifestyle and shared a little with them. This just happened. Shared with them, told them, it's wrong. They didn't like it. When he walked out of the store, a van pulled up. He was dragged into the van and beaten to death. That happened just within the last three or four months. There is a price you pay for telling the truth. Sometimes you don't hear about it. It was in the newspaper, but many didn't read it. I was informed of it because I had read it in the newspaper, and then someone wrote me and said, he used to go here. He got right with the Lord in this ministry, beaten to death. We're saying that's wrong. Don't be surprised when things happen because you believe in a way that the world doesn't. Suffering for the proclamation of what is true can cost. Matthew 10.22, you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. Paul makes it very clear. I want you to see this here in verse nine. He says, I suffer trouble as an evildoer even to the point of chains, but notice the word of God is not chained. I may be chained, but God's word isn't. God's word moves. Though the preacher may be bound, God's word never is. Paul is saying, Rome can put me in a cell, but God's word continues going forth without me. God's word is not invested in a single organization. His word is not invested in a single movement, in a single church or a single man. A man can be put into prison, but God's word cannot be stopped. Again, we have a brother from our fellowship who had committed a crime and had not been caught. And several years ago, now we were having a men's retreat, and he was seated at the table with me, and he introduced himself and shared with me how he had committed a crime, and he was living under an alias. And I said, oh, and he said, yeah, he says that, he says, but the Holy Spirit had convicted me and told me that I can't be hiding anymore, that I have to be an honest man if I'm going to follow the Lord, and I'm listening to him. And he says, so as the Spirit of the Lord had told me that I need to deal with my crime, he said it was a serious crime. He says I was driving, I got pulled over. He said I had false idea that I would use. But this time he said I was under such great conviction that the Spirit of the Lord said, you need to give your proper name. He said, which I did. He said the result has been that I'm going to go to prison. This is back in 2010, and he went into prison. And so when he went into prison to do his time, he's going to be in until 2020 for 10 years. When he went into prison to do his time, he stayed in contact with us, and he has, and we as a church have been of help to him. I've sent him a lot of teaching tapes. We ministers from our fellowship have gone to minister alongside of him. And he's a chaplain now. He's actually acting out as a pastor in prison, in Taft. And so I asked him just this week, what's going on there? And can you give us some information? And so we received the information. He writes 55 to 60 men are attending the Spanish Chapel Services on Saturday. 85 to 95 men are attending the English Chapel Services on Sunday. 20 to 25 men attend the Spanish Yard Services every other day. 35 to 40 men attend studies in the English Yard. And five to 20 men are involved in dorm Bible studies with eight dorms. And they're meeting daily. So the word of God, though he is bound, the word of God is not bound. God's word goes forth. And he's blessed in the Lord for that. That's his place of ministry. They call him pastor. He has an assistant pastor. And God is using him in a wonderful way. And that's what he's saying. He came to faith in the Lord. He gave himself up. He was incarcerated. But the word of God is not bound. And that's something that Paul would speak about in Philippians chapter one in verses 12 and 13. He says, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And so they would actually chain guards next to him to hold him. And he would have several hours with a guard. Every guard that sat next to Paul got the gospel. Can you imagine what that would have been like? They go, no, you got to go in with Paul. And then he'd say, hey, you want it? And he would share with them. He says it went through the entire Praetorian Guard. They've heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. The word of God is not bound. And so he says in verse 10, I endure all things for the sake of the elect. Since God's word cannot be bound, I grow through these trials. And I do so with believers in mind. I want the unsaved to hear his word. And I want the saved to preach it. And to do so with courage. In Philippians, once again in chapter 1, verses 14 through 18, because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. I want the unsaved to hear his word. And I want the saved to speak it with courage. And Timothy, you need to understand that. Notice in verse 10, how he says that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. My imprisonment is a small price to pay for their salvation and eternal glory. And it goes on in verse 11, this is a faithful saying. For if we died with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. Now these words that he says may be words to a hymn or it's part of what is called a confession of faith that would be repeated in church services. So what is it that moves him to remain steadfast and faithful? Well, he has hope in Christ. He understands that Jesus died on his behalf. When Jesus died on the cross, he took all of Paul's sins upon himself. When Paul placed his trust in Christ, he recognized that now he's made alive in Jesus Christ. I share this every time we have a baptism. I always teach out of Romans chapter six. In Romans chapter six verse one to verse four, Paul said it like this, what shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? God forbid, we died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death. In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Don't you understand that? So I'll share this with the people. I'll say, listen, we're about to go into the water. You get into the pool and you're standing I'll share a few things with you. I'll say, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And then you'll go down into the water. That is a picture of death and burial. You go down into the water. You break the surface of the water, death and burial. When you come out of that water, it is a picture of resurrection. Dead and buried but alive in Jesus Christ. We identify with that. There's just a finality in going under that water that is typified. You go into that water. It's like you've been buried but you come out of that water because you're alive. And that's what Paul is making it clear. He's saying if we died with him, we shall also live with him. Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was raised in newness of life has given us that life that we can live in him. In Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. In Philippians 1.21, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gained. We died with him but we live with him. In verse 12, if we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we endure, a genuine Christian bears up against the sufferings for the sake of the Lord. Enduring hostility and enduring persecution, evidence is that you're born again. It shows that you're truly saved. You see becoming a Christian begins with a decision but it extends over a lifetime. In Hebrews 3.14, we have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. So enduring is going to result in our sharing in his glory and reigning with him. Our reigning with him speaks of the blessings that God is bestowing on his children. It's something he said in Romans 8.17, when he said, now if we are children, we are heirs, heirs of God co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. All that Jesus has, we inherit in him. Think about that for a minute. All that he has, we inherit in him. You know, there's a guy in the United States, Bill Gates. He's got some money. And I couldn't imagine being his son, though I've asked him to adopt me more than once. But if Bill willed to do that, his children would inherit everything that he had. And they did nothing to earn it. They did nothing to earn it. It was on him, he did it. It's like that very wealthy man was asked a question. He said, they said to him, where did you get all your wealth? He said, where did I got my wealth? Well, he goes when I was eight years old. I used to go in front of a store down the street and I would take a little box and I had a shoe shine kit and I would shine the shoes of the people who were coming out of the store and I would take the money and I began to bank it. Then when I got a little older, I began to sell lemonade in a lemonade stand and any money I got, I began to put away. And when I got a little bit older and so finally the guy says to him, oh, so you worked your way up to your millions. And he says, oh no. He says, no, no, my dad died and left me millions of dollars. That's how I got it. So it wasn't anything he had done. It's what he had inherited. And for us, it's not what we have done. We are just entering into what was for him, for Jesus. And yet he shares it with us in John 17, 22. It says, the glory you gave me, I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one. In Revelation 3, 21, to him who overcomes, oh, grant to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. We inherit that which belongs to him and he gives it to us. In verse 12, if we deny him, he also will deny us. The word deny means to refuse to acknowledge, to say I don't belong to him. If we say I don't belong to him, he'll say they don't belong to me. Because denying him reveals that we've never been saved. The faithless and unbeliever will have no share in the glories of the life to come. In Matthew 10, 32 and 33, whoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my father in heaven. Whoever denies me before men, him will I also deny before my father who is in heaven. Denial is a rejection of Christ, a complete final I want, nothing to do with him. I don't know him. I have no relationship with him. So if I refuse to acknowledge him as my own, he refuses to acknowledge me as his own. To deny Jesus is to reveal that I am faithless. I am untrue to my vow. Verse 13 says, if we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. It's more than mere unbelief. It's a complete rejection of all that Jesus is. In spite of this, he is faithful, regardless of man's faithlessness. In Romans three, verses three and four, what if some did not have faith? Will there lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all. Let God be true in every man a liar as it is written so that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge. The person who is faithless is left without hope because God keeps his word. The word he has spoken is that without him, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. And he is faithful in what he has said, for life as well as for judgment. It's interesting how people will say, oh, you made a promise, therefore we'll keep it. He said that if I come to faith in him that I'm born again and I have a place of inheritance and they say that, but there are others who don't believe that. The ones who just say it but don't act on it, they're just saying it. But for us who really believe that, I have rested my entire eternity on that, that Jesus Christ keeps his word. My whole eternity is built on that. He said it, therefore he'll do it. When my father died 17 years ago, and we were in the viewing room where the family was, my father's casket, there was the body of my father, in the casket, my mom and my Marie, my children, sisters and all, we were in that viewing room and we were seated there. And I thought how interesting this is because the family was talking amongst ourselves and my father, my father, when we would gather together as family, my father was real quiet. He just would kind of sit back in a chair and he'd watch us as we visited and laughed and teased one another. And when he spoke we all listened, but very often my dad just was a listener, not a speaker, so I thought how interesting it is even at this time, it's normal. My father's there in the casket, of course I don't expect him to speak. If he did, I'd have run out of there so fast. I didn't expect it, but it was just so normal. But I got up and I walked up to the casket and I looked at my dad and he was wearing a suit which was so unlike and my father didn't wear suits very often and I'm looking at my father, but this came to mind. It was, I believe the spirit of the Lord speaking to me and Joy Bayhark can say this next week on The View, but this came to my heart. Do you believe in the resurrection? That came to my heart. Do you believe in the resurrection? It was not just the thought, it was really, it had the strength of a question. It was a real question. Do you believe in the resurrection? Because if you don't, then how will you ever see your father again? And I remember looking into the face of my father and I said, yes, Lord, I believe. I will see him again. He's with you in heaven. He's beholding your glory. And one of these days, I'll see him again. That's the word of the Lord. I go and prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. I will receive you unto myself where I am. There you may be also. That's what I have stake my eternity on, where he is, I will be. I will not deny the Lord. That's what he's teaching us here. These are the things that matter. And so as he is sharing this, even if we are faithless, he remains faithful. He cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord, not to strive about words to no prophet, to the ruin of the hearers. Continually remind the ministers and the congregation of the essentials of the gospel. Remind them to speak God's truth to others, to fight, work diligently, order them not to engage in useless arguments that do not profit, but actually ruin people. We need to be reminded of the essentials continually because it's easy for us to forget. There are times people may say, I already know that, I've already heard that. How many times do I have to hear that? Well, we need to have things repeated over and over because what they do is they settle in, they become who we are, they become the filters, the discernment that we have comes from the word of God settling in, the lessons repeated over and over and over to our hearts so that when somebody speaks to you and they're giving to you something that's not true, the Holy Spirit will use the information that He's given to you and the Holy Spirit will awaken you to discernment and you'll say that's not true because today there are numbers of people, numbers of people that are on television and they're saying things that are not true and yet thousands of people go to listen, thousands of people contribute their finances, thousands of people take trips with them. I just got an invitation by a guy who teaches false doctrine and he asked me if I wanted to go with him, it's not because it's me, it's because it's a general mailer, but he says, come with us to Israel and they're gonna go for a shorter period of time than we are and they're charging $800, $900 more than our people are paying and I think this guy's making money, hand over fist and this kind of thing, hundreds of dollars per person, almost $1,000 per person he's gonna make and that's what they do and the guy's not teaching the truth and people will sign up and they'll go with them, they'll give money to their ministries and then they get mad at people like me when I say watch out for these people, they're charlatans, they're not telling you the truth and they'll say oh you're judgmental, you're jealous of that first, why would I be jealous of him? What's he got that I have desire for, are you kidding me? But that's how people think I'm telling you and oh I need deeper truth, really you can never go deeper than foundations, never, you have foundations and you have discernment and you're able to say that's not true, that's not true, no I was reading in the Bible, it says this, Paul, rather Peter and second Peter chapter one verses 12 and 13 said it like this, he said, I will always remind you of these things even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have, I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, I will remind you faithfully of the things that matter so that your life is built on a solid rock, we need to know these things so they're not ripped, we're not ripped off, he said charging them before the Lord not to strive about words, in other words don't be argumentative with unbelievers and don't be argumentative with a believer in front of unbelievers, when you're arguing nothing is accomplished, nothing is settled and the unbeliever that's watching two Christians argue over minutiae and scripture just thinks that you're both wrong, so what do you to do? Preach the word, preach the word because false teaching spiritually ruins, preach the word because people are brought into a catastrophe through bad doctrine, give out God's word because as you give God's word out it will produce life and that's why in this church I have said to you, I will say it again, my job is to give you the word of God so that you will know Jesus Christ and be set free, that's why do this, that's why oh I've already heard that or maybe you need to hear it again and we need to hear it and we need to hear it until it's not only something we know but it becomes something we are and that's what Bible teaching that is received by faith is intended to do.