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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Today we have the privilege of digging into a Spiritual gold mine!! Only three verses of 2 Timothy 1 but oh my they are so powerful and wonderful in what they call us to understand. . . and live!
Let’s join Timothy as he reads a second letter he has just received from his mentor the Apostle Paul whom he has heard is now imprisoned again in Rome, but that imprisonment gives Paul time to write, and for that, Timothy is so grateful. My friends don’t miss the power of that. . . the last thing Paul wanted was to be restricted from his traveling and preaching, and be stuck sitting in a prison cell for months or years at a time.
BUT consider this: God’s larger purpose of having the Gospel written down so it could be translated into all the languages of the world and communicated for centuries to come, required Paul to sit still for a while and listen as the Holy Spirit led him to write and then send his letters to the Christians across the Roman Empire. As a result we have what are called the “prison epistles”. 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians! All these letters are portions of our Bible today which Paul wrote from prison!!
So this raises a very important question for today: Is God intentional, purposeful in His relationship with the human race? Does God have Purposes and Plans that He is working, throughout the course of history, here on earth, with us, humanity?
Let’s listen in as Timothy is reading from Paul’s letter chapter 1 “…join with me in suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:9,10)
Do you see Paul reminds Timothy that he has been beaten and imprisoned not because he is a criminal, but because he is sharing the story and teachings of Jesus Christ, and some people reject it so violently they are determined to silence Paul?
Now today, in 2020, as we look around the world, we understand what Paul is saying don’t we? In fact we understand it even better than Timothy did, for thousands of people are in prison today in Communist or Muslim countries for the very same reason that Paul was imprisoned. Some people, some governments reject Jesus so strongly they refuse to allow Jesus and His teachings to be heard by anyone in their region!
This my friends is part of the miracle of what you are listening to right now…“Walking with Jesus”, and the APP’s which have been developed. The miracle of the internet can bring the Gospel to people, through the privacy of their cell phone, almost anywhere in the world, and they receive it when they are ready to sit and listen, read and have conversation with Jesus! We now know of about 30 countries around the world where “Walking with Jesus” is being received every day! Think about that! Some of those are Communist countries, and some have strong Muslim leadership and will not allow missionaries into their countries! Will you pray with us that God will penetrate hungry hearts with His touch, His truth and His presence, through this humble yet strategic, daily offering of “Walking with Jesus”?
Do you see Paul speaks of God’s “…purpose and grace…”? We understand God’s grace, His kindness, His love extended to us through Jesus Christ. But, I ask you today, does God interact with us and our world according to some Divine Purposes He has? Is God intentional? Does God even have specific strategic plans He is working in various places of the world, to accomplish His Purposes?
Oh yes my friends, listen to Isaiah the prophet of old: “This is what the LORD says… I am God, and there is no other; I make known the end from the beginning, and I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are far from righteousness. I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away, and My salvation will not be delayed.“ (Is. 46:9-13) Do you hear God’s clear statement about His having a desire and determination to bring about His purposes here on earth? It’s happening my friends, more than every before in human history. Stats I am hearing, from various sources, tell us more than 100,000 people are DAILY trusting Jesus Christ to be their Savior around the world!! I’ve given you this before, but if you’ll log on to a link I’ll give you here, it will show you LIVE, in real time, some of places where people are trusting Jesus Christ, TODAY. . . https://witnesstoall.com/
Now if we were sitting with Timothy, reading Paul’s letter together, and you could speak from the advantage of your perspective here in the year 2020 , what would you say are God’s Purposes in our world of 7.7 Billion people today… are they changed from what God’s purposes were in Timothy’s day?
Do you remember this short but very powerful statement the Holy Spirit led wise King Solomon to write: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s Purpose which prevails.” (Prov. 19:21)
And how about this from Psalm 33: “The LORD foils the plans of the nations. He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But, the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the Purposes of His heart through all generations.” (Ps. 33:10,11) And what, my friends, would you say are the purposes of God’s heart which endure through all generations? I think I see the answer in that same 33rd Psalm, verse 8 “Let all the people fear the LORD, let all the people of the world revere Him.”
Or here it is again from Isaiah “I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you do not acknowledge Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting, men may know there is none besides Me… It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it… And there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior… Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth… Before Me every knee will bow…” (Isaiah 45:5,6,12,21-23)
And here is one more from a contemporary of Timothy’s, the Apostle Peter who wrote: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises… He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
This is why Paul wrote to Timothy: “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been REVEALED through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” (2 Tim. 1:9,10) There it is my friends. God’s global Purpose from before the beginning of time was that His grace, His kindness and love would be received by every living human being and would be reciprocated! That we, humanity made in God’s image, would love Him and worship Him, and honor Him with our lives in response to His love and supplying to us all we need for life!
God designed and longs for us, all of us, every human being, to live in a dynamic, wonderful, love relationship with HIM. Jesus Christ makes that possible, by destroying the power of death through His resurrection, (Hebrews 2:14,15) so we can live free from our sin bondage and sin condemnation here, now, and we can live without fear of death, for when death finally comes, we, our immortal souls & spirits, will continue to live! And if we have trusted Jesus Christ to be our Savior, we continue to live in God’s Presence… forever!
That is the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that’s why Paul wrote to Timothy “And of this Gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet, I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Tim. 1:11,12)
Do I hear a rousing AMEN, Hallelujah, from all around the world in response to this statement, as you affirm it is true in your life too? Do I hear from distant shores, the strains of that wonderful song…“for I know whom I have believed… and am persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I’ve committed, unto Him against that day.”?
That song rises up from painful places of poverty and persecution, from places of tragedy and torture, from hearts wounded by rejection of family and friends, all as a result of following Jesus. But that song rises up with profound confidence that my salvation is totally secure in Jesus Christ, because HE has fully accomplished saving ME. (Hebrews 7:24) Jesus has, by the power of His Holy Spirit, transformed me into a new creation in Christ, (2 Cor. 5:17) the old is gone, I am a new person in Christ!
Jesus promises that in my last day HE will raise me up and bring me into God’s presence (John 6:37-40). This is such a powerful and important truth I will close today by quoting Jesus who said “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me, I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me! And this is the will of Him who sent me: that I shall lose none of all that He has given Me, but I will raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40) Can you hear Jesus shouting in heaven… “YES, YES… that is why I went to earth, that is why I died on the cross, that is why I reign right now, bringing to heaven everyday, thousands who have trusted in Me and whose earthly journey has come to an end. Yes, that is eternal life that only I can give!!”
And can YOU my friends, all around the world, can YOU say. . .YES, that’s ME, I have trusted Jesus Christ to be my Savior! I am confident He has saved me from my sin condemnation, He has broken the stronghold of sin in my life, He has placed His Holy Spirit in me and I am totally confident that whenever my heart stops beating He, my Savior Jesus, will personally escort me immediately into heaven and God’s presence… and there, Jesus will present me to Holy, Almighty God my heavenly Father!! (Jude 24,25)
Let’s end with worship, that powerful song built on what Paul wrote to Timothy. I found a winter YouTube of younger people singing it standing in a field of snow. So for you receiving “Walking with Jesus” in Africa or such warm places… I hope you enjoy the beauty of the scene you’ll see, as well as the vibrancy of young people singing their praises to Jesus Christ, their Savior! Let’s join them in singing . . .
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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