2 Timothy 2:1-13
Join With Me in Suffering
1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
John 14:6-7
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 16:1-33
Jesus Told His Disciples These Things So that They Would Not Fall Away
1 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Join with me in suffering like a good soldier, what an odd thing to say...But one of Jesus most astute followers said this from the things he had learned about Him...An interesting message to try to get people to follow that Person...Jesus had this Way about Him, and was always saying things that make life interesting to those around Him...His followers knew they would suffer and have problems and troubles...Jesus never told His Disciples or His followers that following Him was going to be fun and happy times...No, He made a point to almost tell us almost the opposite of these things, as we live our lives out on earth...His Sermons on the Mount and Plain are examples the difficult side of His good news and of life itself...And as we think about what He said and taught, we can realize that life is life, and His life is life...He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life...His message and the gospel is really a hard sell...But His life is the Way to the Truth...
Paul, an apostle for Jesus to the Gentiles, understood the message of the gospel...Paul asks Timothy and others to join with Him in suffering, and to be like a good soldier of Jesus...No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather he tries to please his commanding officer...Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules...The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops...If we reflect on what Paul said, for the LORD it gives insight into the gospel and how in life their are troubles and pain and sufferings...Remember Jesus was raised from the dead, and was descended from David...This is the gospel, for which Paul had to suffer even to the point of being chained like a criminal...Paul was arrested and chained and seemed sometimes to expect that...But God’s word is not chained, and did get out to the world...Paul would endure everything for the sake of the followers of Jesus, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Jesus, with eternal glory...Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Jesus, we will also live with Him; if we endure life's troubles, we will also reign with Him...If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself and who He is...
Jesus' message to His Disciples and followers speaks of endurance and of suffering in life...At one point, Jesus told His Disciples that all these things that He had told them was for them so that they would not fall away...He did not sugar coat things for His followers or His Disciples...There would be people who would put the Disciples out of the synagogue; in fact, the time was soon coming when anyone who kills a Disciple or follower of His would think they are offering a service to God...And many of His first followers were killed and persecuted...Some people would do such things because they do not know God or Him...Jesus told His Disciples these things would be done, so that when the time comes and they see this happening they would remember that He had warned them...Jesus did not tell you these things in the beginning because He was with them...But now it was time that He was to go back to His Father and to heaven...And His Disciples after hearing these things were filled with grief because He had told Him these things...But very truly He told them that it was for their good that He was going away...Unless He went away, the Advocate would not come to them...But when He would ascend and go back to heaven, then He would send them the Holy Spirit...When the Holy Spirit came it would prove to the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: especially about sin, because people do not believe in Him; about righteousness, because He was going to the Father, where they could see Him no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned...And when the Spirit of truth came, He would guide them into all the Truth...The Holy Spirit would not speak on His own; the Holy Spirit would speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come...The Holy Spirit would glorify Jesus because it is from Him...And the Holy Spirit would receive what He will make known to them...All that belongs to the Father is Jesus'...That is why He told His Disciples that the Holy Spirit will receive from Him what He will make known to you...
And then Jesus told them that in this world they would experience trouble and suffering...But they could take heart, because Jesus overcame this world...Jesus did not try to paint us the rosiest of pictures of life...No, He talked about life and how life is...He did not erase the troubles in life...But let us not forget and let us celebrate that He also made it clear that the pain and suffering did not have the last say...His life, His death, and His resurrection would forever change everything...