Introduction - The Prelude, Part 1

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for all that you've done. We thank you, Lord, that because of your wonderful love for us and your desire to make us a part of your kingdom, we experience new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. We thank you, Lord, that in that life comes great joy because it is the life of Christ that dwells in us. And with that great joy and privilege, we realize that there is a tremendous responsibility to tell other people about Jesus Christ. And to teach them all the things that you've commanded.

Tonight, Lord, as we begin a new series. We pray, Lord, that all of our hearts would be challenged. That none of us would think, well, yeah, I've heard that before, or yeah, I know about that, but that, Lord, we would see your word. Very clearly. And that, Father, we would rise to the challenge before us to be able to go into all the world and make disciples. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. There's a car with the lights on. Silver Toyota's got the lights on. License plate 3. All right.

Don't want to embarrass you al, but it's all yours, buddy. Okay. Tonight, we're going to begin a new series, one that is greatly needed in our church, but not only our church, but every church. In the world. Why? Because it's all about the ministry that God has called every one of us to. None of us is exempt from doing the ministry of making disciples. All of us have been called to do that. All of us are responsible to be involved in making disciples. This past weekend our Sunday school had a promotion.

In fact, really it's this weekend, but last weekend different teachers gave their students gifts. My daughter Erin, who is graduating from the I think it's the fourth grade into the fifth grade, I can't remember.

I got so many kids that I can't remember which grade they're in. That's not important. The important thing is she's graduating. She's moving on. And with that, her teacher gave each of the students a plaque. And it says, Aaron Sparks, you are a certified worker of God. And it says, Matthew 28, 18 to 20. It says, your boss. And it says, then Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And then it says under that, your assignment, therefore go and make disciples.

Your work location of all nations. Your specific job duties, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And then it says the job benefits. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. I thought that was rather neat. That teacher would put this together to remind these children, these 10-year-old kids, of their responsibility to go into all the world and make disciples. If a ten-year-old is a certified worker of God, so are we.

You see, to make disciples, there is one requirement, and that is. You're a believer. You know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And if you do, then you need to reproduce yourself in the life of someone else. And that's what this series is about. It's about reproducing the life of Christ in the life of someone else, that they in turn might reproduce it in the life of another individual. As certified workers of God, there are two verses tucked away in Paul's last letter. To Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2.

Two verses that will set the tone for this week and next week as we introduce to you this series about disciple-making. The verses read as follows: You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses. These entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others. Also, now this verse points out two very important truths that we tend to miss. And that is this. There are two things that will last forever.

And that is, number one, the word of God. We know that because the Bible says over in 1 Peter chapter 1, these verses, verse number 23.

You have been born again, not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God, for all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass with. The flowers fall off. But the word of the Lord abides forever. God's word abides forever. Because God's word will last forever, that is something that we need to understand as of supreme importance. Outside the Word of God are people. They too will last forever. That's why John says over in 1 John 2 that you're not to love the world, nor the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boast pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lust. But the one who does the will of God abides. Forever. So we understand through the Word of God that God's Word abides forever. The people of God will abide forever. Everything in the world is going to pass away. So, therefore, we need to understand that if that's the case, we need to spend our time investing into that which will last forever.

Rural investments never pay eternal dividends. That which pays eternal dividends is something that we invest in. That is the Word of God and people. That's why the Bible says, lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth.

But instead, lay them up in heaven. And if you're going to lay up treasures in heaven, then they've got to fall in either one or two categories: God's Word. Or people. And therefore, Paul tells Timothy: you need to take the things that have been entrusted to you. And inv them into other people, that they in turn will be able to teach others also. That is the crux of disciple-making. When you involve yourself in making disciples, you involve yourself in the Word of God and into people. And over the next 12 weeks, we want to teach you how to do that.

And what does God's Word say about that? Helping you understand the process of disciple-making. Disciple making is not a program that you can put together in a certain amount of weeks and say, okay, you've been discipled, now go on. Disciple making is a process that lasts a lifetime. And God wants you involved in that process. We have three points to our outline. Very simple. Number one, the responsibility is great.

Number two, the resource is grace. And number three, the results. Are glorious. Those three points are the points we're going to cover this week and next week. First of all, the responsibility.

Is great. In fact, it's the greatest of all responsibilities. I can't think of any responsibility greater than this one. Taking God's word. Invest it into the lives of people that they in turn will take the Word of God and invest it into the lives of people. That's what it's all about. That's why we are here. That's what our ministry is supposed to be like. And so, as we look at the responsibility and its greatness, I want you to see four things, excuse me, six things, all centered around the Word of God, and then we'll end with the people of God.

If you're going to take God's word and invest it in people, you must understand the responsibility involved because it's a great responsibility. And you need to comprehend that. You need to be able to digest that. And so I'm going to show you what's involved at the outset. As we look at the prelude to disciple-m, that you might understand how wonderful and how great this responsibility is.

Two things I want you to see. This responsibility articulated, this responsibility accentuated. First of all, the responsibility articulated.

You must understand that if you're going to take God's Word and invest it into people's lives, you must understand that God's Word must be Patterned consistently in your life. God's Word must be patterned consistently in your life. Now listen, please understand this. You are going to hear over the next 12 weeks the most practical lessons in Scripture you've ever heard. So practical, they're going to give you the tools by which to accomplish God's call in your life. I mean, you're going to marvel each week you leave as to what your responsibility is and how exactly you are to go now and fulfill that responsibility based on what the Word of God says.

And so, you must understand that if you're going to invest God's word, it must be patterned consistently in our lives. We're going to go through the book of 2 Timothy, help you understand that. First of all, chapter 1.

Verse number 13, Paul says, retain the standard of sound words, which you have heard from me in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Timothy, you are to retain the standard. Timothy, you are to follow the pattern of sound words. You, Timothy, are to amplify. You are to expound and you are to apply my teaching to your life. So much so that your life now becomes the example. Paul was the example for Timothy. Now, Timothy's life needs to be the example. As you recall back in 1 Timothy chapter 4, Paul told Timothy these words in verse number 12 when he said this.

Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an exam. Timothy, as a young man, as a pastor there in the church of Ephesus, was to be a leader. Leadership is defined by influence. Therefore, his influence would be in the realm of his speech, his purity. His conduct, his love, and even the faith. You see, if he kept the word of God, if he obeyed the word of God, then he would pattern to his flock. What it means to follow Jesus Christ.

If you're going to be a disciple maker, God's word must be patterned consistently in your life. You must set yourself up as an example, as a pattern. Like Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. Our lives. need to be living epistles. Our lives need to be living examples. And this is why the responsibility is so great. Because for the most part, there are a lot of us who say, you know what, I'm just not quite sure I want to live that way. Or, I want to do that. We tend to live our own ways. We kind of want to do our own thing.

And God says, I don't want you to do your own thing, I want you to do my thing. Because if you do my thing, then people will see me in you, and that's what your life is all about. It's not about people seeing you, it's about people seeing Christ in you. And so Paul tells Timothy: retain the standard. You see, there is a standard. And you got to ask yourself the question: what is my standard? Is my standard society? Is that how I base the way I live? Is my standard another church? No, your standard is not even this church.

Your standard is the Word of God. That's the standard. And that's how we are to live our li. So important. Paul uses a word. That's used one other time in the New Testament, and that's in 1 Timothy 1, verse number 16, about his example when he says this. He says, For this reason, I found mercy, in order that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience. As an example for those who would believe in him for eter life, Paul describes him. As the object of Christ's amazing mercy and perfect patience, as an example of those who will, or to those who will, belie.

Timothy's standard of living was to be that kind of example. So others would be able to see the truth of God. Now, let me ask you a question.

As you have grown and you walk with the Lord, your life has seen other people, and other people then become a model for you. As you look back in your life, I'm sure there are people that have made a profound impact in your life. People that stand out as a marked example. That you want to pattern your life after. It could be a coach, it could be a teacher, it could be a pastor, it could be a friend, it could be a parent. But I'm sure that if each of us was to sit down and think about it, there'd be an individual or individuals that have stuck out in our mind.

As Proverbs 27, 17 says, as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens Another. There's been somebody that's made an impact in your life. As I look back in my life, there are several people that have made an impact in my life. Whether it be my father or my mother, whether it be a seminary professor, whether it be a baseball coach or a football coach, there are certain men. That have made a profound example in my life, and a profound impact in my life as an example. And Paul tells Timothy, Timothy, more so than anything else, you must understand that if you're going to teach other people, Invest God's Word in them, that they in turn will be able to teach others also.

It begins with a lifestyle that patterns the word of God, and it must be a consistent pattern. That's important. That's why the responsibility is so great. Pattern the Word of God consistently. Number two, protect the Word of God carefully.

God's Word must be protected carefully. Carefully, verse number 14, 2 Timothy chapter 1. Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted. To you. Timothy, you need to guard, you need to protect that which has been entrusted to you. Over in chapter 6 of 1 Timothy. It says this in verse number 20. O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called. Knowledge. But Timothy was challenged once again to secure the deposit of truth.

Make sure that God's truth is sa with you. You protect it. You guard it. Why? Because there are going to people who want to detract from the truth. They're going to want to be people who deviate from the truth. There are going to be people who distort the truth. But, Timothy, you can't do that. You can't deviate from it. You can't distort it. You can't detract from it. You must present the Word of God. Accurately. And you must be a keeper of the Word of God. You must protect the Word of God. I can recall the first time I went as a college pastor to a school back east that I was a college pastor at.

And walked on campus and began to preach every Friday in chapel and to organize chapel speakers that would come every day of the week. And present the word of God. And lo and behold, I was there just a couple of months, and all of a sudden, the faculty got all up in arms about the kind of people that were coming in to speak and what I was saying. That I actually believed that God's Word was authoritative. That I actually believed that God's word was the ultimate truth. And I sat down with the Bible professor and talked to him.

He says, You don't really believe that Jonah was swallowed by fish, do you? I said, Yeah, I believe that. You don't believe that? He said no. I said, then what are you doing here teaching the Bible? If you don't believe that Jonah was swallowed by a fish, what are you doing teaching the Bible? I said, I would venture to say that you don't believe in six-day creation either, do you? He says, no, I don believe in six-day creation. I said, I'm sure you don't believe in a worldwide global flood either, do you?

He says, no, I don't believe that either. I said, what is it you do believe? Is there anything in the Bible you do believe? You see, it's important to understand that if we're going to protect the Word of God, our lives must be focused on that. And is it not true that for the most part, we want to protect our children, right? We want to protect our children from evil. We want to protect our children from being influenced by the world. And so we do all we can to keep them on the straight and narrow.

We protect our money, right? We want to put it in a bank. Hopefully, it'll be kept safe there. Nobody will rob it, and I won't lose my money. We want to lock our cars. I'm sure that if I was to ask you who locked your cars in the parking lot, probably all of you did. I never locked my cars, hard at all. But most people locked their cars. Why? They don want their car stolen. You lock your house? Sure. You don't be able to break it into your house. You want to protect what is yours. Well, we are to protect the Word of God and we are to guard it with every aspect of our lives.

When we are to confront those who just who tr who who those people who decide to take God's word a different direction. To interpret it differently, to make it not authoritative, not the sole word on truth. That's why. Jude said that we are to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. You see, if we saw God's word as a treasure, Then we'd probably protect it a lot more than we do. And Paul says, You guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

God's word is our treasure. It lasts forever. Your house will not, your car will not, and your money won't. I hate to disappoint you. But it won't. But God's Word will last forever. And therefore, we need to spend our time and energy protecting the word. Of God. So important. Pattern God's Word consistently. Protect God's Word carefully. Number three.

Present God's Word correctly. God's Word needs to be presented correctly, not incorrectly. 2 Timothy 2, verse number 15. Remind them of these things and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about with words, which is useless. This is verse number 14 and leads to the ruin of the hearers. But Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of God. Truth. God's word needs to be pres correctly. Now, this is important.

You see, excuse me, for the most part, If you're going to present something correctly, you've got to know what it says, right? So if you're going to present God's Word correctly, you need to know what it says. So, if you spend very little time in the Word of God, studying the Word of God, so that you know the Word of God, you can't present it correctly. You need to spend time studying God's Word. That's why the responsibility is so great. Because you actually have to spend time in the Word of God on a regular basis in order to teach people what God's Word says to give them clear direction.

Came across what an anonymous author wrote many years ago when he wrote an article entitled The Diary of a Bible. Reads as follows. January 15th. Been resting for a week, the Bible says.

A few nights after the first of the year, my owner opened me, but no more. Another New Year's resolution gone wrong. February 3rd, owner picked me up and rushed off to Sunday school. February 23rd, cleaning die. Cleaning day, excuse me. Dusted and put back in my place. April 2nd, a busy day. Owner had to present the lesson at a church society meeting. Quickly looked up a lot of references. May 5th, in grandma's lap again, a comfortable place. May 9th. She let a tear fall on John 14, 1 to 3. May 10th, Grandma's gone.

Back in my old place. May 20th. Babyborn. They wrote his name on one of my pages. July 1, packed in a suitcase off for a vacation. July 20th, still in the suitcase. Almost everything else taken out, though. July 25th, home again. Quite a journey, though. I don't see why I went. August 16th, cleaned again and put in a prominent place. The pastor is to be here for dinner. August 20th, the owner wrote Grandma's Death in My Family Record. He left his extra pair of glasses between my pages. December 31st, owner just found his glasses.

Wonder if he will make any resolutions about me for the new year. That's the way a lot of people treat their Bibles. You'll go on vacation, take your Bible, but never open it. Get back from vacation, oh, there's my Bible. I just forgot to read it. Very few people spend time in the Word of God each and every day to know what God's Word says. It's not enough just to come here on Wednesdays and Sundays. You've got to be in the Word of God so that you can present God's Word correctly. So important. Paul tells Timothy: listen, Timothy, you have to give maximum effort to impart God's truth.

You've got to be zealous, pers to accomplish your particular objective. You have got to be diligent. You have got to be zealous, Timothy, to do that. Because you need to be able to cut God's word straight. That's what it means to be handled accurately. To cut it straight. To cut a straight path so people know where to go. They know who to follow. They know exactly where to get to where they're going. You've got to cut a straight path, Timothy. And this workman who does this will never be ashamed.

Never be ashamed. Because he'll know what God's word says. Someone comes to him and asks him a question. Either he knows the answer or he knows how to find the answer. And he wants to be able to give them the answer that they might grow in their walk with the Lord. He's concerned about presenting God's word correctly. And you do it not for anybody else's sake, but for God's sake. Why? Because you seek to please God. Paul said in Galatians 1:10, that if I seek to please man, I cease to find favor with God.

You need to seek to please God. To do that, you've got to be an unashamed workman. To do that, you've got to present God's word correctly to people. Let me give you an example.

You're talking with somebody, you're trying to invest your life into somebody, you're trying to disciple somebody, and all of a sudden this person wants to get a divorce. What do you do? It's an unbiblical divorce. They have no biblical grounds to leave their spouse. What do you say to them? Do you confront them with what the Word of God says?

Do you say, This is what God's Word says about a biblical divorce? If you go outside of that, then you defile the Word of God. You can't do that as a believer. That would be wrong. What do you do? Do you present it correctly or incorrectly? Let's say you're discipling a group of parents who are having trouble with disciplining their children. Okay? What are you going to teach them about what the Bible says about discipline?

What are you going to teach those parents about what their biblical responsibility is before God to spank their children? That's what the Word of God says.

God's word is a standard. And you've got to be able to confront them and say, you what? This is what God's word says. And if you don't do this, you are violating the word of God and you are a detriment to your children's spiritual health. See, you to be able to stay in those kinds of things. Because God's Word says those kind of things. Let's say you're discipling someone and you're trying to invest God's word in their life, and you find out this guy is cheating on his wife. What do you do? Do you confront him right there?

Do you deal with it right there? What do you do? Do you have to pray about it before you confront him? Listen, if you know that someone's violating the Word of God, you don't have to pray about confronting them. You got to confront them. Don't use prayer as an excuse to get out of your biblical responsibility. A number of years ago, when I was an associate pastor at a church in the area, I had the wonderful opportunity of working with a man and his wife and trying to restore the marriage. It was a great time.

And lo and behold, this man had been cheating on his wife for a long time. And so I called him into my office and I sat him down and I, Listen, I just found out that you've been cheating on your wife. Is this true? He said, Well, I wouldn't call it cheating. I said, Okay, what would you call it? He said, Well, you know, I have grown fond of another woman. Okay, you call it fondness. I call it cheating. I call it adultery. I call it fornication. Call it anything you want, you violated the word of God.

So, we've got to do something here. We've got to change this. Because you're outside of the will of God right now, and you can't expect your marriage to ever get back to where God wants it to be if you're cheating on your wife. Well, come to find out, this guy had been in an accountability group with three other elders from the church. And they all knew about this guy cheating on his wife for the last six months to a year. And they never confronted him on his sin. So, what did I do? I got on the phone and I called one of those elders.

I said, help me understand how it is that this man can be in our church, cheat on his wife for this amount of time, and you men never confront him when you meet with him every Tuesday for breakfast. To disciple him in the word of God but never confront him out of sin. How, pray tell, does that ever happen? And they, he, this individual gave me a long excuse as to what they did or didn't do. You see, you know, I'm not into making friends. I don't need to make friends. I need to honor God's word. And that's what we all need to do.

See, we want to make friends with people. We want to be their friends. Let me tell you something. If you're a true friend, if you're a true friend of somebody, You are concerned about their spiritual state. So much so that you are grieved if they are sinning against God. Because you see, their God is your God, that is our Father who is in heaven. And if any individual who is a brother in Christ has violated the word of God, And we don't want to confront them on their sin because we want to, quote, maintain a friendship.

Then we are seeking to please man and not please God, and we find ourselves now violating the word of God. That is so crucial. So crucial. That's what I mean by presenting God's word correctly. Why? Because presenting God's word correctly means that when God says to do something, I need to do it.

So these people understand that this is what God's word says. There's been a clear path cut for them to walk, and they know either I go that way or I go that way. I'm either going to obey God or disobey God. And it's our responsibility to show them what it means to obey God. So we present God's word correctly. We are diligently. Studying to show ourselves approved into God, work that don't need to be ashamed because we accurately cut the word of truth straight as an arrow, so people know where they need to walk.

That's important. That's why the responsibility is so great. So many people in the church. Are more concerned about their relationship with another individual than they are their relationship with God. And that's wrong. Now, don't hear me downplaying your relationship with other people. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that your relationship with other people must always be a secondary issue. To your relationship with Jesus Christ Himself. And if you're going to be a disci maker, you need to be able.

To number one, pattern God's word consistently. Protect God's Word carefully. Present God's Word Correctly. Number four, per in God's Word Completely. Persevere in God's Word completely. Second Timothy chapter 3.

Verse number 15. Excuse me, verse number 14. You, Timothy, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of. Knowing from whom you have learned them. Paul says, Timothy. Unlike evil men, the imposters that are named earlier in chapter 3, you need to be fundamentally different than they are. You need to be convinced of what you believe. And you need to continue in what you believe. You need to persevere in what you believe. You need to persist in what you believe. Because you've been convinced of it.

From early childhood, he says in verse number 15, from childhood, you have known the sacred writings, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. And all scriptures inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, for training and righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good. Work. Timothy, you need to cont in these things. Persevere in them completely. Persist in them in their entirety. Never give up on them.

You see, it's so easy for us to give up because we don't think it's working. Well, what do you mean by work? Define work for me. You see, God's Word is powerful to work with or without you. And if we're going to take that which is of eternal value and invest it into people, it's going to last forever. And there's something about our ministry that must be characterized by perseverance. And perseverance in the Word of God, in obedience to the Word of God, in our study of the Word of God, to continue in it, all the things that we have learned.

Never going to the left nor to the right. Paul told Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse number 13, these words. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus, who testifies the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep. The commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Timothy, you keep it all the way, you persevere all the way to the very end until Jesus Christ returns. You keep it without spot, without wrinkle.

You be blameless in your keeping of the word of God, Timothy. That's the way dis maker is supposed to be. Number five. God's word needs to be preached convincingly. It needs to be preached convincingly. 2 Timothy 4 verse number 2, Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with great patience and instruction. Proclaim the word of God, Timothy. Herald it publicly. If you don't handle it accurately, if you don't guard it carefully, if you don't model it consistently, you're not going to preach it convincingly.

Paul tells Timothy, preach the word. Preach it. You got to be convinced that God's word is true. You've got to be convinced that God's word is profitable. I'm convinced of that fact. I believe what God's word says, that all scripture is God-breathed, that all scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness. Everything. That the hungry need, God's word will feed them. Everything that needs fixing in your life. God has the tools to provide through his word.

Everything. I believe that. That's why we preach the word. That's why we have such an emphasis in teaching in this church. Because we believe that what God's word says is true. And Paul tells Timothy in verse number 1 of chapter 4: I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who was to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, preached the word. Timothy, you to preach the word because of the coming king. Hey, he's coming again. People got to know the truth, Timothy.

He's coming again. And then he says, You got to preach the word not only because of the coming king, but because of the contemporary scene. He says this. He says, verse 3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance. To their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn as to myths. Timothy, people are going to turn aside from the truth. And therefore, because of the contemporary scene, you need to preach the word all the more.

See, in our day and age, we are getting further and further and further away from that mandate. We want to do everything in church but preach the word. We want to dwindle the preaching time down to a minimum of five, seven, eight minute increments. Because that's how long the TV stations last before they go for a commercial break. And so we think that we got to do that in the church as well. Or we've got to have all kinds of things up front to keep your attention because. If not, you're going to fall asleep or you're going to be bored in church.

Listen, if you're bored in church, that's a charact on you, not us. Right? That's you. That's your condition. If you're bored when you come to church, that's not the people up front's fault. That's your fault. Because church, my friend, is any. But boring. The church of Jesus Christ is anything but boring. It is the most incredible place in all the world. With the most incredible people in all the world, led by the most incomparable God that we can ever imagine. And therefore, we need to understand that.

And so Paul tells Timothy: Timothy, you got to preach. Preach the word. You know, you think, how come you got to tell a pastor that? Right? I mean, you know, someone came to me and said, you, Lance, you to preach the word. Duh, of, that's what I'm going to do. What else am I going to do? I can't do anything else. I don't know what to do. If I wasn't a preacher, I don't know what I'd do. I can't do anything else. For those of you who know me, you know that's absolutely true. My wife does everything in the house, I just preach the word.

That's my responsibility. She says, Honey, could you get this one? I't honey. I just preach the word, baby. That's all I do. Honey, I just preach the word, babe. What can I say? You know, that's not necessarily true, but close to it. But maybe Paul was telling Timothy, you know, Tim, you got to be this way, Timothy. Maybe Timothy was becoming timid. Remember, he told them back over in chapter 1, verse number 7, these words: For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of discipline.

And maybe Timothy was getting timid as he was trying to preach the Word of God and heres was rising in his church. And people were leaving his church, and he was maybe getting timid as to okay, maybe I ought to change my methodology, maybe I ought to do things differently in the church because people are leaving the church. Paul says, Timothy, no matter how many people come or how many people leave, you to do the same thing. You've got to preach the word. Don't be timid, Timothy. Don't do that. Proclaim it loudly.

Don't hesitate. He says in verse number 8 of chapter 1: Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me. His prisoner, but joined with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. Maybe Timothy was starting to be shameful. A little embarrassed, maybe. Paul says, Timothy, don't do that. Just because things are getting bad, maybe they're going from bad to worse. Timothy, don't. Start being ashamed. Don't do that. He was young. He was trained by the best disciple maker ever to live.

And yet even he was tim. Even he was maybe starting to become unaggressive. To lose his boldness. Maybe he began to feel inade for the task. You ever been there? You ever been there? You know, it's so easy for Satan to get an inroad in our lives to say, you know what, you're not a disciple maker. You can't do it. You don't live the Word of God. You don't teach the Word of God. You don't protect the Word of God. You can't cut it straight. And yet, God says, wait a minute.

Start right where you're at. Begin to put these things into practice and watch and see how it work in and through your life. So important. God wants to take us from where we are today to where He wants us to be tomorrow. In chapter 2, Paul told Timothy to flee youthful lusts. Maybe Timothy was having a trouble with some lustful thinking. And Paul had to remind him: don't do that, Timothy. You flee those things. He told them that the bondservant of the Lord is not quarrelsome in chapter 2, verses 23 and 25.

And maybe as a young preacher, he became very argumentative in his dealing with people. And he tells him, don't do that, Timothy. Don't be that way. Being under persecution and the difficulties, maybe he wanted to shy back from his responsibility. Paul says, Tim, you can't do that. In fact, you've got to preach the word in season and out of season. I love that. I love that. Because, you know, God's word's never out of season. You know, I'm a football fanatic. But you know, I got to wait till September for football to begin because football season only lasts from September to December.

And that's not a season. You know, because my teams never make it to the championship anyway, so I can't watch it play in January. But the bottom line is that there is an out-of-season for football. Baseball, basketball, hockey, you name it, those things are out of season. But God's word's never out of season. It's in season and out of season. You to preach the word, Timothy. It's relevant no matter what season it is. That's such good news. That means it's relevant no matter what marriage you're in, it's relevant no matter what job you're in, and it's relevant no Who you're talking to.

That's the way the Word of God is. So preach the Word of God to him at the in-season and out of season. That's the way you need to be. Like Jeremiah, when he said, If I say I will not remember him. And speaking in M's name, he said, Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in. I cannot endure it. That's the way it ought to be for us, right? That if God gives us something and God shows us who He is in His Word. Then we need to be like Jeremiah and say, Boy, I can't hold it in.

I got to get it out. I got to tell somebody. I got to explain to somebody who God is, what God's done. That's the way all of us should be. And we got to ask ourselves the question: is that the way I am? Is that what I want to do? The responsibility is great. Why? Because God's word must be patterned consistently, protected carefully, presented correctly. per in completely, preached convincingly, and lastly, passed on continually. Passed on continually. 2 Timothy chapter 2. And this is our text for tonight.

2 Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2. Paul tells Timothy. My son. Therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses. These entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Pass God's word on continually. That's our responsibility. This isn't just Timothy's responsibility. This isn't just a pastor's responsibility. This is the believer's responsibility. This is your Responsibility, this is mine. This is what we got to do.

We've got to pass it on. There's another generation that's coming up after us, and then another generation after them. And we need to pass the Word of God on to them. That they in turn might be able to pattern it, protect it, present it, preach it, and persevere in it. Timothy says, or Paul says to Timothy, you, therefore, my son. This is so good. He, Timothy, listen, therefore, therefore, is there because of what? Chapter 1. He says, Listen, in verse number 7, God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, and of love, and of discipline.

Because you've been supplied. With God's promises. Because you've been strengthened by His power. Because you've been sustained by His presence. Because you've been supported by His people. Timothy, you therefore have a responsibility to pass on what you've learned and what you know. That's the context. Because Timothy, he gives the example of Onisip, which means bringer of profit. What a great name. Onis. He would come and refresh Paul while he was in prison. And he was strengthened by the people of God.

And we realize that as Paul talks about how the presence of God sustained him and how the power of God strengthened him and supported him and how the promise of God gave him everything he needed. Timothy, therefore, listen, this is what I want you to do. I want you to take God's word, and I want you to pass it on to other people. Why? Because people last forever. God's Word lasts forever, and nothing else does. Everything else is irrelevant. This is relevant. Everything else is minuscule. This is magnificent.

And you need to pass it on. And the pattern, he says, well, let me move to point two. Here is where it's accentuated. Accentuated in a very specific way by giving us a pattern and then a principle. He says, Timothy, listen.

Understand this. The things that you have heard from me. Now think about that. When and where and how did Timothy hear Paul preach? He saw a man once left for dead. He saw a man imprisoned. He saw a man shipwrecked, beaten, suffer enormously, yet continue to be strengthened. He had a great example. Paul says, Timothy, the things that you have seen in me, the things that you have heard from me. Am all those things, Timothy, you got to take in, you got to understand, and you got to live them and then pass them on.

Live them and let them out. Live them and give them. You've got to be like me, Timothy. You've got to give the word of God to other people. And over a period of traveling with the Apostle Paul for probably somewhere between 10 and 20 years, he learned so many different things. He says, listen, the things you've heard in the presence of many witnesses, that's probably Bart and Silas and maybe even in Luke. He was exposed to all kinds of public teaching and private counsel. He says, These things that you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, now you are to entrust them, he says.

Entrust, that's a banking term. As Timothy in verse 12 of chapter 1 entrusted himself to God, and now as God would entrust to Paul and Timothy the treasure, the word of God. Paul is telling Timothy, those things that you have heard from me and se in the presence of many witnesses. This is what I want you to do. I want you to deposit them for safekeeping into faithful men, faithful people. Faithful individuals, trustworthy people. Why? So that they will teach others also. The word others is heter.

Others of a different kind. You're going to entrust God's word to faithful men. That's disciple making. So they now will in turn teach others of a different kind. That is, others that are not believers. This is evangelism. They're going to teach those people. You're going invest God's word into people that they might go out and teach other people who are unbelievers, people of a different nature, that they might hear the truth and come to saving faith. That's the pattern. That's how it works. That's what Paul was supposed to do with Timothy.

He did it. That's what Timothy is now supposed to do with faithful men. Let me give you a principle. And we'll close with this this evening. This principle will be the guiding principle throughout the next 11 weeks that we're together. Here it is. You ready? Personal affection when coupled with biblical instruction W culminate in spiritual maturation. Did you get that? Personal affection. When coupled with biblical instruction, culminates in spiritual maturation. And concludes in supernatural reproduction.

That's the principle. Paul says, My son, this is the personal affection that Paul had. You can read about Paul's ministry. He had an affection for the lives of people and those he invested his life in. He says, Timothy, you are my son. We have a relationship, Timothy. We are spiritual father and spiritual brother. We are on the same page. And when you put personal affection and you couple it with biblical instruction, what do you get? You get real, true growth. Growth. You see, that's why it's important to understand our relationship with the living God.

We have a relationship with the living God, right? And the living God uses His word to instruct us. And what happens? It causes growth in our lives. We reproduce that by coming alongside of another individual. And show them affection, personal affection. And with that, biblical instruction. And the result will be a spiritual maturation, a growth in that individual, which will eventuate into spiritual or supernatural reproduction, a reproducing. Believers. Listen, if you could grow people spiritually, just put it in a book, put it in a notebook, and throw it at them and say, read this.

It's not about that. It's about coming alongside that individual and living that life, patterning God's word consistently before them, so they can see exactly how it works itself out in everyday living. And Paul did that for Timothy. And more so when he was shipwrecked, more so when he was imprisoned, more so when he was suffering, more so when he was hated, and more so when he was left for dead than at any other time in his life. And Timothy said, Man, that this guy is so committed to the Word of God that shipwrecked and snake bit and left for dead don't deter the guy.

There must be something crucial about the Word of God that I got to get a hold of. See that? So as we invest in our children and live a life of Christ-likeness before them. Live a life that honors God no matter what the circumstances. They're saying, Man, my mom and dad are committed to God. They're committed to His Word no matter what. Oh, I got to have that. Why can they do that? Why can't I do that? And begin to show them those things. And teach them from the Word of God. Same thing with people in your church.

Same thing with people you come along with alongside of in the workplace. That's what it's about. That's what God wants to use you to do. This ministry is not just for pastors. It's for you. This is how the church grows, by the way. See, God uses you to grow the church. He's going to grow the church. But he wants to use you, his vessel, to do that. And so He's given us a commission. He's made you a certified worker of God, go into all the world and make disciples. That's your job. Are you doing that?

We asked you on Sunday, do you want to do what God says no matter what? Do you want to follow God, obey God's word? If so, you've got to make disciples. The way you do that is understand that personal affection, when coupled together with biblical instruction, Will ultimately culminate in spiritual maturation, and the consequences are supernatural reproduction of people spiritually. Let's pray. Father, we thank, Lord, for your word and a chance to be together this evening as we embark on the summer months together as a church family, learning the principles of your word.

May our hearts be struck with the greatness of what your word says and the wonderful mercy that you've showed us. To make us a part of your wonderful kingdom. And that, Lord, you've commissioned us to tell other people about the king of that kingdom. And our prayer, Lord, is that you would use us. I pray that you'd use every person in this room tonight. That they would not leave thinking, well, I can't do that. They can do that. You've made it so they can because the resource to accomplish it is your grace.

It's your grace. And the results? The results are glorious. And Father, we trust you for the results because you are the great God of the universe. Bless us as we go home. May we live your word in the marketplace tomorrow and in our families today. In Jesus' name, amen.