“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
II Timothy 2:8-13
There are four parts of this trustworthy saying:
1. God wants us to know we are dead… we died when Jesus died (past tense). He took our sin and our ‘old man’ to the cross. And since we died with Him, we live with Him. This is the good news. “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know our old man was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:5-7)
2. Now we must endure… and the secret to endurance is ‘fellowship.’ We cannot be saved on our own and we cannot endure on our own. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4) He gives us grace; He gives us His Spirit; He gives us peace. If Jesus is with us, we can endure.
3. We never disown him… I will always remember sitting in Ecuador early one morning this past February waiting on our mission team to come to breakfast. I looked at the news and saw twenty-one Egyptian Christians dressed in orange jumpsuits on their knees with twenty-one ISIS captors holding a sword to their necks. These men were given the opportunity to denounce Christ, accept Islam, and live. Each refused and each was executed as one who would not disown the One who died on the cross. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33)
4. He remains faithful regardless of our faithfulness or faithlessness… Judas disowned Jesus; Peter was faithless. Peter was not as strong as he thought he was and Jesus knew it. “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today you will deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:34) Though Peter failed in the dark night, the Good Shepherd was faithful to him. Jesus died for him, rose from the dead, and personally restored his chosen ‘rock.’ “He cannot disown himself.”
‘What a Friend we have in Jesus.’
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” I Timothy 1:15-17