The Lord Knows Those Who Are His

Text: II Timothy 2:14-21

 

I.         There are always going to be people who will not accept what God says. They’ll quibble over words to get wiggle room for their particular beliefs.

            A.        That is why the Christian has to be a good student of the Bible - II Timothy 2:15

            B.        You just never know when you need to contend for the faith - Jude 3

            C.        A recent example Paul mentioned was the departure of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They were actually teaching that the resurrection had already taken place – something that logically doesn’t make sense if you know your Bible.

            D.        False teaching like this will knock the unstable from the small amount of faith that they have.

            E.        Yet Paul assures us that the solid foundation of God remains, despite the efforts of false teachings - II Timothy 2:19

II.        First Seal: The Lord knows those who are His

            A.        This is not saying that only God knows who is faithful and we cannot tell

            B.        Paul is saying that there are people who are not what they claim or pretend to be, and God knows who they are. They can’t fool God.

            C.        Anyone who loves God is known by Him - I Corinthians 8:3

                        1.         God knows who trusts in Him - Nahum 1:7

                        2.         When the Galatians turned from idols to God, they became known by God - Galatians 4:8-9

                        3.         He knows the way of the righteous - Psalms 1:6

                        4.         Jesus knows his followers - John 10:27

            D.        Sometimes in the midst of struggles, we can wonder if God knows and if he cares.

                        1.         We are valuable to God - Matthew 6:26

                        2.         He won’t forget what we have done - Hebrews 6:10

            E.        Herein is a solid foundation where we can make a stand

III.       A claim to know Christ isn’t a reality - Matthew 7:21-23

            A.        Calling on Christ as Lord while ignoring his commands doesn’t make sense - Luke 6:46

                        1.         The solid foundation comes by obedience - Luke 6:47-49

            B.        Knowing God means walking in His ways - I John 2:3-6

            C.        How we treat each other demonstrates whether God is with us - I John 4:12-13

            D.        When we love and keep God’s word, God and Christ dwell with us - John 14:23

IV.      Second Seal: Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity

            A.        The idea that a Christian accepts sin in his life is ridiculous - Romans 6:1-2

            B.        Christians strive for holiness - I Peter 1:13-16

                        1.         We are obedient children

            C.        To depart of evil is understanding - Job 28:28; Proverbs 3:7

            D.        Because of God’s promise we cleanse ourselves from evil - II Corinthians 7:1

            E.        We are changed people - Ephesians 4:17-22

            F.        How do you know if someone is known by God? Look at their lives - Matthew 7:15-20

V.        While God is generous in giving us time to change, there is only a limited amount of time available - Luke 13:24-30

            A.        Christ is the only way - John 14:6

            B.        So are you known by him or not?

            C.        If you wait, you may miss the opportunity