For I know whom I have believed

Sermon notes from Sunday 22 October 2018

2 Timothy 1

I want to turn our attention to verse 12 as Paul writes to Timothy.  Timothy is going through a difficult time, there are those opposing him, coming against him, trying to discourage him and put him down.  Paul assured him here, when God saves us he gives us power and courage we never thought we would have.  In verse 12 Paul uses the word "I" 5 times - "For the which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."  Salvation is a very personal issue.  Although we all come to God`s salvation by various means we all come to that place called Calvary where Jesus gave his life for us.  If you have never come to the cross you are not saved.  The apostle Paul says it is very personal.  There are many different ways we do come and each one of them is personal to you and I.  Can we look away to a time when we trusted Christ as Saviour?  Can you stand and say how you met the Saviour?  I want you to look at the phrase "for I know whom I have believed."

Notice the assessment.  This man came to a degree of assessment in his life.  Remember that day as a young religious Pharisee, a zealot, when he walked into the house of God to the priest demanding letters giving him authority to go to Damascus, to go into various homes and families and take out those believing in the Lord, testifying to being saved, to put them in prison or death.  As he went out threatening destruction on that day, at midday he came down on his knees to a place where God could deal with him.  Sometimes God has to deal with us severely, tragically, just to get us to that point of assessment.  He did not know the Lord as his own Saviour.  Remember Paul before King Agrippa.  He took him back to the road to Damascus.  He testified about his journey.  "As I journeyed to Damascus".  He spoke of the day and the time and things surrounding this event.  It was all so clear in his mind.  It is wonderful when we begin to testify, when we can look back to the day and hour and what was happening around us, what we were doing, what others were doing around us.  Paul had to honestly admit "who art thou Lord."  Here was a well learned, educated man but even in spiritual matters he did not know Christ.  Nothing about him, he was a stranger to mercy and grace, knew nothing of the Lord.  Each of us is on the path of life to get to heaven.  We will have to change.  Jesus spoke of 2 ways - the broad and the narrow way.  The broad way has many people on that way whereas on the narrow way, few will find it.  You have to change your situation if you are on that way. Nicodemus said to Jesus "we know that thou art a teacher and have come from God for no-one can do these miracles except God be with him."  The assessment he made.  It is possible to look at Jesus as the Son of God, a great leader but never really know him.  In John 4 the woman at the well as she listened to Christ realised by the clothes he was wearing he was a Jew and she a Samaritan.  She put up the argument that they had nothing to do with each other.  Then as she spoke on to Jesus she acknowledged he was a prophet.  When the Lord began to put a finger on her life, she acknowledged he was the Messiah.  Have you ever made that assessment in your own life?  Young Samuel of old working in the temple with Eli laid his head down on the pillow.  When the voice of God came to him we read "now Samuel did not yet know the Lord."  No doubt Paul listened to many testimonies of those he arrested when he took them out of their homes and put them in prison, of how they found and met the Lord.  Somehow he turned a blind ear to it.  Somehow he closed his ears to it all.  This time God was at work in his heart and mind that day.  Remember when he stood collecting the clothes of Stephen as he was stoned to death.  "He guarded the clothes of those that stoned Stephen to death."  He listened to what he had to say, as he witnessed of Christ.  Maybe he acknowledged he had never seen or heard anything like this before.  He began to assess his situation.  This is the greatest assessment any man or woman could ever make, where they stood in light of eternity.  Are we saved?  

The activity he speaks of.  He exercised faith in the one in which he has come to trust in.  Salvation is not something we drift into.  It is a definite step.  That is what Paul says "I know whom I have believed."  It is a very definite step.  Paul exercised faith in the finished work of Calvary.  He heard of how Jesus came into the world to seek and to save, when he came into the world to atone for our sin.  He exercised faith in that person.  No doubt he had tremendous knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures, brought up very religiously, no doubt knew everything about the sacrifices, that every little lamb placed on the altar, how the sacrifices were to be placed and built on the altar.  He assessed all this.  He realised the sacrifices were pointing towards Calvary, that day when Jesus died on Calvary.  He was atoning for sin, paying the price for our sins.  He realised this called for something, to exercise simple faith.  Have you exercised childlike faith in Christ?  Have you come and acknowledged "I have sinned, I want you to come into my life"?  That is exercising faith.  Have you come to that place where you could not go through with God?  The assessment that was made.  There is an activity that was needed.  Paul testified of repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.

The assurance that he claims.  In Exodus 12 on that final plague the firstborn according to God in Egypt should die.  God gave the answer, on that night a lamb would have to be taken, the blood would be poured into the basin, hyssop would be used to paint the doorpost and lintel.  "When I see the blood" God was looking for the blood "I will pass through the land of Egypt and I will smite all the firstborn, I am the Lord and the blood shall be for you, a token for you."  When God came down that night and travelled through the streets of the land all the firstborn would die. He saw the blood and passed over that house.  What an assurance it brought to that family that night.  The father would assure the firstborn the blood is on the doorposts and lintels, we have God`s word for it.  We must not close in with Christ because we feel him but because God has said it and we must take God`s word as it is.  The remedy is that God would take his only son, bring him down to this earth and on the cross of Calvary shed his blood for our sin.  That blood of Christ applied by faith to my heart and soul.  The blood speaks of death, disobedience to what God had to say.  Those people in Egypt that night were saved by the blood of the lamb and assured by the word of God.  That assurance comes to us through the death of Christ on Calvary.  We can be saved.  God saves "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."  When the Philippian jailer asked "what must I do to be saved" Paul responded "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

The ability that Paul was persuaded in.  Paul has committed his never dying soul to that one who is able to keep us from falling.  The devil says you will never keep it but God says I will keep you.  Peter says we are kept by the power of God through faith.  Paul said "I know whom I have believed."  What about you - can you say the same tonight.  Thank God you can tonight.