All for the Kingdom
Sermon Podcast
Remember Jesus, 2 Timothy 2:8-13
When the difficulties of this world seem too great, the cost of following Jesus too high, and your strength and ability too weak, remember Jesus Christ, who died for your sins, rose victoriously over death, and is coming again. Remember that the glory of salvation in Jesus makes all the costs and burdens of ministry worth it.
How can you keep Jesus at the forefront of your mind and heart when difficult moments come? How can you avoid the temptation to quit when you are suffering, when the costs of following Jesus are great, or when you find yourself discouraged? From this passage, Pastor Ben Smith encourages you to endure by remembering Jesus in moments of suffering, when you are counting the cost of following Jesus, and when you are discouraged.
Soldiers for Christ, 2 Timothy 2:1-7
Work, labor, and suffering are not words well received today. Wealth and modern conveniences have created a world where ease and comfort are celebrated as the ultimate goal. This unhealthy celebration of ease and comfort has also infected the church. Many Christians today see their relationship with the church and gospel work not in terms of sacrifice and service but in terms of consumer choice and comfort.
God calls every Christian to labor in the gospel work. And God equips faithful Christians for the work. No Christian is called to be only a consumer. Ease and comfort are not the ultimate goals of followers of Christ. Christians are called to be about gospel work regardless of cost or difficulty. 2 Timothy 2:1-7 teaches three fundamental truths that must be understood by those who desire to be faithful to the gospel work.
Count it all joy, James 1:1-11
During the summer months, there are several Sundays when I am out of the pulpit. I will return to preaching through 2 Corinthians when I return to the pulpit, but for these weeks where I have been away, I will be posting sermons from the book of James I preached in 2020. As an interesting historical note, considering that James begins the letter with the instruction to "consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance," while preaching this series, I was hospitalized with COVID-19. I began the series in August. Our church had returned to in-person services a few months before, in May, and we were trying to define a new normal while responding to the pandemic. When I began this series and preached this message, I had no idea that ten weeks later, I would be in a hospital bed, too weak to carry on a conversation longer than a few words.
Seeing the Unseen, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18
Perspective changes everything. An invading army is bad, but not when protected by a heavenly host. That is what Elisha's servant discovered when the king of Syria surrounded their city (2 Kings 6:8-23). In our passage, Paul continues to recognize the reality of suffering he had experienced and that all those who follow Christ will know. And yet he speaks of the afflictions of this world not as unbeatable foes but as temporary light annoyances because, in the light of eternity, they have no weight.
Suffering for the Gospel, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Suffering is unpleasant. We do all we can to avoid it. And when we experience suffering, we often attempt to minimize the knowledge of how much it affects us to others. We are tempted to look at others who seem not to have much suffering as more greatly blessed by God. And we often wonder when suffering comes to our lives if it is evidence of God's displeasure.
Paul opens this letter to the Corinthian church with an honest word about suffering. From the passage, we can see three principles concerning suffering.
1. Suffering is real
2. Suffering prepares for ministry
3. Suffering binds us together
Parables: Pray and Persevere, Luke 18:1-8
What tempts you to give up? All of us have, at some point in our lives, been tempted to give up. Sometimes it happens in the context of sports. Sometimes it seems like you just cannot get a break. Other times it seems like your opponents are so far above you that you have no hope of being competitive. Sometimes it happens in the context of work.
Maybe you are struggling to keep up with the demands of your job. or maybe the stress of your job is overwhelming you. Sometimes the temptation to give up is even more heart-wrenching than normal difficulties. It could be that those in authority are not adjudicating righteousness. It could be that your boss is treating you unfairly. It could be that others are exploiting and taking unfair advantage of you. And all of this leads to the temptation to give up.
This temptation is present in our walk with the Lord as well. Many are tempted to give up and give in to the world's demands because of the hardships and sufferings that come with following Jesus.
In this parable, Jesus teaches us how we are to pray and not lose heart.