This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “II Timothy” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 28, 1988.

Our scripture reading this morning is from 2 Timothy chapter 1, beginning with verse 15. We will be reading through the 7th verse of the 2nd chapter. 2 Timothy 1.15.

Hear the word of God. This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom are Fidulus and Hermogenes. The Lord give grace unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me and was not ashamed of my change. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. And in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

Thou, therefore, my son, Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that woreth entangleth himself in the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboreth must first, must be first partaker of the fruits.

Consider what I say. and the Lord give the understanding in all things. Father, we have prayed and you have answered. How many times? Or how we have prayed on behalf. Of the congregations of this presbytery that they would have. Servants. Servants of yours for their pulpits. That the word may come forth from those pulpits with power, with effectiveness.

And Lord, how we have committed ourselves to prayer in the past for the mission in Japan. And our hearts have been united on behalf of servants of yours, like the Cummings family. We intercede for Cal and his distress. May you grant him healing, but also as he recovers, may there be a demonstration of your power and a refreshing in your word, so that many would be amazed and turn from sin unto you. We pray these things, asking your blessing upon us this morning. that we may hear your word, and that we may not be only hearings, but also doings. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

It is the strangest of weapons. But Paul is armed. He is armed with a man. He is armed with one on a surface. And armed with this man. He now directs a perfectly aimed for us. at him. He is graceful. He is even tender. But his thrust finds its mark. I don’t know whether I’ll get through this entire sermon with the accent on the right syllable in his name. On a sitter. Is that fellow spoken of at the conclusion of Chapter one. Verses sixteen through eighteen. Despite the program.

Despite the shame, despite the scandal, it’s not the danger connected with association with this apostle, Paul, the prisoner. Onesiphorus has not been ashamed of or scandalized by Paul. A common Christian He is anything but calm. His love drives him and has driven him to seek Paul out in Rome, in prison, in order that he might encourage Paul through service unto him. service.

Which all at the end of that first chapter. Timothy knows well. Because on a separate has been active also in Ephesus where Timothy. So that. the strange weapon. Armed with this man on a separate Paul directs a perfectly aimed brought activity. Chapter two. For the body proper of this letter beginning here. It itself begins with these words, you then, you there best, my son. As if to say, you know about Onesiphorus well, what about you? Paul’s use. of those words. My son. At this point in his letter. Is very telling. On the one hand.

It communicates Paul’s genuine affection. There is that gentleness to Paul’s trust. So, these words, my son, communicate Paul’s genuine affection. In fact, these words recall the depth and power of that affection that Paul bears towards Timothy. You see, Paul’s affection for Timothy is a great, a magnificent love. Behind it stands more than devotion born of the fact that it was Paul who led Timothy to Christ. It was Paul who parented Timothy in his office as a minister of the gospel.

All of that is true. But even more, standing behind Paul’s affection for Timothy is something as vast and profound as the person and work of God. Something as vast and profound as the Trinity itself. And the inner Trinitarian love the Father in Heaven has for His Son.

Paul. Call. Timothy. Is well-beloved. Verse two of chapter one. Those same words are found in the second verse. Of the first chapter of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. But there’s an even more interesting and more telling passage. Turn to first Corinthians chapter four. And look at verse seventeen.

For this reason, I sent you, Timothy, who is my beloved. I sent to you, Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child or son in the Lord. And he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church. In the context of this 17th verse, We have the fifteenth verse, a verse in which Paul has told the Corinthians that while they have many tutors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for in Christ I became your father through the gospel.

This statement in the fifteenth verse sets us up for verse seventeen. The fatherhood of Paul leads on to the unique sonship of Timothy, whom Paul now sends to Corinth. And this, very interestingly, as the precursor of Paul’s own coming to Corinth. Verse eighteen, a coming by the way that will be possibly for judgment. If not reward. Verses 19 and 20. You see.

Shaping Paul’s actions are the actions of God. For, beyond Paul’s fatherhood to the Corinthians is God’s fatherhood of his people, and beyond Paul’s commission of Timothy to Corinth, his well-beloved son is the commission of the Father in heaven of his well-beloved son to the world in order to redeem sinners. And beyond the imminent arrival of Paul at Corinth is God’s promised advent at which he shall come to judge the world. Now, Paul goes on to finish his Trinitarian analogy in the next chapter. In the fourth verse of that fifth chapter, he speaks about the Corinthians being gathered for worship with him present with them in spirit. So, there you have it.

Paul, the father, sending his well-beloved son, Timothy, yet present in Corinth in the spirit, father, son, and spirit. But our point here pertains specifically to Timothy. and the depth and the power of Paul’s love for him. The depth and power of Paul’s love for Timothy is revealed by a review of the love of the Father in heaven for his well-beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that that Paul aspires to in his relationship with this man, Timothy. Paul is molded and shaped in his love for Timothy by the love the Father in heaven bears for his son, Christ Jesus.

Well, that’s one side. That’s one side of Paul’s intent. In the use of those words, my son. There is, however, another. When Paul speaks. At the opening of that second chapter. In those words, my son. He intends those words to be more than a bare expression of his sincere affection. Actually, those words become the blade of Paul’s perfectly aimed thrust. You see, Paul is wielding a sword, and the sword is Onesiphorus. With Onesiphorus stands the sword. The words, my son, at the opening of that second chapter, become the blade. The blade cuts. The sword penetrates to the heart.

The reason. Because. On a separate. This common Christian. This one relatively unknown, even seemingly unimportant. Without sonship to Paul is a better son than Timothy the son. The man who is not the son has become the son to the son. That the well-beloved son might know how to behave. Therefore you see, While there is the gentleness. Paul’s words come at Timothy. As an admonition. As a review. Timothy has three point. Timothy has drawn back.

The scandal of the cross and the scandal of Paul have become too much for him. And in his fear and hesitancy, in the wavering of his mind, he has failed to be the son to Paul that he should be. The model for his sonship even goes beyond on a separate.

Is it not. That only be gotten well beloved son of God. Who is faithful. To the end. Well then. All words come at Timothy. as admonition. As review. Paul continues. His words. He goes on to say. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the reason that he is saying that is because Timothy has become anything but strong. His weakness now is measured against the strength of another, the strength of this common man, this unpretentious fellow, on a syphilis. And the situation is aggravated, you see. Because Timothy is not only a son to Paul, but he is a man who bears office.

He has ordination in the church. And that is exactly what Paul is intimating by his words, the grace that is in Christ Jesus, not just the grace belonging to Timothy, because Timothy is saved like all other things. but the great belonging to him, because he has the gift of office in the church, the gift of God, which came to him through the laying on of the apostles’ hands. Paul making reference to that in the sixth verse of the first chapter. That gift of God, that he was not to neglect bestowed upon him through prophetic utterance with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery. The first epistle to Timothy, chapter four, verse fourteen.

So then, Timothy. Because of his fear, because of his shame, because of his hesitancy and his confusion. out of his now-developed reticence before the scandal of the gospel and the suffering associated with it, is proving to be weak. And such weakness is particularly damaging to one who bears the office, as does Timothy. that are. On the. Wall is directing a perfectly.

On a separate without this unique race that is your. without the gift of God in ordination, which you have, Timothy, has been strong. No, he has been mighty in the grace, as infinitesimal as that grace is, given him. And now, that strength, that power, unveiled in him instructs you. Without your grace, he instructs you in your use of the grace, unique grace given you.

Without office, he rises above office. to instruct all of us. Armed with on a citrus, this unique weapon, Paul directs a perfectly aimed thrust. at him, but also at us. At you. At me. The sword cuts at me if in fact I cower before the scandal of the gospel. More ashamed of it than the shame it causes me.

At offices, generally, the thrust is directed. If in fact they recoil from the scandal associated with the gospel, and because of an inability to bear suffering, become ineffectual and incompetent because they cannot lead others through suffering. That was precisely the indictment against the false prophets of Israel. who had no doctrine of the cross. It was the true prophet who had learned the lesson of the cross and because of that charted a path for the people of God through their suffering to glory.

But the thrust. He’s also for you. You who sit in here. On a surface you see becomes for you your patron. Not for you to venerate not for you to worship not for you to honor with special day. But for you to imitate. You don’t need the office to be an instructor of those who bear it. If it comes to you, well and good, but you don’t need it in order to be instructed and useful in the church of Christ. The strain may be great, the anguish of heart severe, You may wish the office, you may look for it, you may aspire to it, but then disappointment comes, and you think it’s the end of the world. It is not!

For your patron saint is there, on a syphilis, by name. And by way of his example to you, you become the order of those ordered, the son of those called sons, the Lord of all of those who are called Lords. The gift, you out gift those gifted and become the standard for them. You serve. proving your sonship, strong in the grace given you, like on a syphilis.

Does Paul’s thrust hit the mark? If it does, it will be healing for you as it was for Timothy. Now, Lord, quiet our hearts. Let us push aside all images that might interfere. And may we see the Lord Jesus Himself, who was the perfect Son, perfectly obedient, serving wonderfully, even learning that obedience through the things which he suffered, but never being ashamed of you and the truth. Oh God, may we find ourselves content in our service.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.