Faithful with the Gospel

This morning we begin a new study through the second letter of Paul to Timothy. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter as he awaited execution. It seems in the providence of God that it's good for us to consider the end as we begin a new season in our church. As we begin something new, we want to be reminded of the call to be faithful to the end. We could summarize the first eighteen verses of 2 Timothy as a call to be faithful with the gospel. From the text, the Apostle Paul shows us the following four ways to be faithful with the gospel:

1) Stir up the gift to boldly proclaim the gospel, "Fan into flame the gift of God"

2) Share in suffering for the gospel, "Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner"

3) Seek the pattern of sound words, "Hold on to the example of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus"

4) Safeguard the gospel, "By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you"

We rejoice in the truth that the ultimate responsibility to preserve the gospel rests in the hands of God. As John Stott writes, "He has committed it [the gospel] to us, frail and fallible creatures. He has placed his treasure in brittle, earthenware vessels. And we must play our part in guarding and defending the truth. Nevertheless, in entrusting the deposit to our hands, he has not taken his hands off it. He is himself its final guardian, and he will preserve the truth which he has committed to the church. We know this because we know him in whom we have trusted and continue to trust." We begin by the grace of God, are sustained by his grace, and will be faithful to the end by God's grace.