THE PERSEVERANCE OF GOD FOR THE ELECT (36 OF 44)
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-13
This content is part of a series.
The Perseverance of God for the Elect (36 of 44)
Series: The Church at Ephusus: God's Calling, Empowering, and Instruction for the Church
Patrick Edwards
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Introduction
[Begin with Joel Osteen's promotional clip for The Power of I Am] This, church, is the wisdom of the world; it is the wisdom of man. Your success in life, your joy in life, your prosperity in life, everything you need simply lies within. Channel and harness that inner strength, that power of I am, and you'll be able to overcome every obstacle and challenge that lies in your way. If you want wealth, happiness, success, health and healing, you need to find that within yourself!
The thing is while having a stroke my hope was not in positive thinking. Lying in the I.C.U. I didn't feel the power within. Only one ''I Am'' was worth putting trust in and it wasn't this ''I am'' (meaning self). Because it seems to me that another book, the Bible, paints a different picture of what happens when we rely on thinking positively and relying on our own strength. I mean Peter seemed to be thinking very positively when he emphatically told Jesus, ''Even though they all fall away, I will not...Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!'' We all know how that turned out, though. Finding the strength and willpower within does not produce ultimate success and triumph. It may result in worldly gains; it may not. But the Bible is clear that whoever loses his life finds it.
Paul's second letter to Timothy was written at the end of his life and so in it we find Paul naturally reflecting on the ebbs and flows of his ministry, of his own life. He's staring death in the face, which is humbling and sobering. Paul looks back at his life and sees a life of suffering, of hardship, of persecution for the sake of the Gospel. He looks now at the life and ministry of his mentee and beloved disciple, Timothy, and sees much the same thing, though different in context. In his life, in Timothy's li ...
Series: The Church at Ephusus: God's Calling, Empowering, and Instruction for the Church
Patrick Edwards
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Introduction
[Begin with Joel Osteen's promotional clip for The Power of I Am] This, church, is the wisdom of the world; it is the wisdom of man. Your success in life, your joy in life, your prosperity in life, everything you need simply lies within. Channel and harness that inner strength, that power of I am, and you'll be able to overcome every obstacle and challenge that lies in your way. If you want wealth, happiness, success, health and healing, you need to find that within yourself!
The thing is while having a stroke my hope was not in positive thinking. Lying in the I.C.U. I didn't feel the power within. Only one ''I Am'' was worth putting trust in and it wasn't this ''I am'' (meaning self). Because it seems to me that another book, the Bible, paints a different picture of what happens when we rely on thinking positively and relying on our own strength. I mean Peter seemed to be thinking very positively when he emphatically told Jesus, ''Even though they all fall away, I will not...Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!'' We all know how that turned out, though. Finding the strength and willpower within does not produce ultimate success and triumph. It may result in worldly gains; it may not. But the Bible is clear that whoever loses his life finds it.
Paul's second letter to Timothy was written at the end of his life and so in it we find Paul naturally reflecting on the ebbs and flows of his ministry, of his own life. He's staring death in the face, which is humbling and sobering. Paul looks back at his life and sees a life of suffering, of hardship, of persecution for the sake of the Gospel. He looks now at the life and ministry of his mentee and beloved disciple, Timothy, and sees much the same thing, though different in context. In his life, in Timothy's li ...
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