But You

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Summary

Pastor Safrit walks through 2 Timothy 4:5, emphasizing Paul's charge to Timothy to be watchful, endure afflictions, and do the work of an evangelist. He highlights the importance of being self-controlled and focused on the gospel amidst life's challenges. The sermon encourages each individual to fulfill their unique ministry, reminding the congregation that everyone has a purpose in God's plan.

Welcome and Introduction
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Amen. Thank you for that. The power of Christ we stand, and that's true in us today. If you have your Bibles, we're going to be in 2 Timothy chapter 4, one verse today, verse 5.
And I promise I won't be lengthy today with everything we've got going on, but I want to do justice to the text as well. And 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 5,
we're going to tie the message, But You. And this is a charge to the church, but it's also a charge to the Green family as well.
And I know you just stood, so we'll just read. You can remain seated. Just this one verse, I'm taking it out of the New King James Version today.
It says this, Let's pray. Lord, I thank you for this day.
Thank you for what you've done for us, God. I pray that you'll be with the remainder of this service as we lay hands on Scotty here in just a little bit, and Miss Allie. I pray, Lord, that you'll be with the time of fellowship that we'll have.
But during this time, help us to focus in our hearts and minds on your word. Help us to focus in on what you have for us specifically. It's in your name we pray. Amen.
The context of this verse, I was taught many, many years ago, never just take a verse out and preach it, but to preach the whole context.
And for sake of time, I can't do that, but I want to sort of give you the context of where we're at and where we're at during this time.
But this is Paul's second imprisonment. Most scholars say that this is Paul's last recorded words. Or if it wasn't his last recorded words, near his last recorded words.
And as I've been studying lately in my own life and for the future and just thinking through, last words have lasting words in our minds.
Often you'll hear the last words of a loved one and you'll hear it said later and you'll be reminded of what they said. And so as Paul here, about to be killed for his faith, is writing to young Timothy,
he says some of these last words. And these are some of the things in 2 Timothy that he lays out. He says, endure and be faithful. It's not an easy task. He says, abide in Christ and live in the teachings of Jesus. He encourages Timothy.
This is what you need to be doing in your faith is live the teachings of Jesus.
Guarding Against False Teachings
He says, guard what's been given to you. People are going to come in. They're going to teach false things. They're going to teach things that are not what Christ taught and not what I taught. And therefore, you need to guard what you have.
Earlier in chapter 4, he says that we must be about the business of the church. He says that we must be making disciples.
And so Paul is encouraging Timothy. And he says this. He says, there are going to be people that come into your life and there are going to be people that are going to argue with you. How many of you like a good argument? Okay.
A couple of our young people raised their hand. They like arguing. One of the things that spurs my study is watching debates. I like watching someone who's debating a topic. I was talking to Caleb just the other day about angels.
He briefly brought it up. And I was listening to a podcast about angels. And someone going back and forth and saying, well, no, I believe this. And no, I believe this. And it encourages me to just listen to debates.
Now, I don't like to be a part of those debates. But I like listening to them. Okay.
And what Paul was saying here to Timothy is this. Don't waste your time on the arguments.
People are going to easily come and they're going to, it's going to be easy for you to say, no, no, I believe this. And I want to do this.
And I want to argue about this. And he says, what happens is, is when you do that, you lose the gospel's emphasis on where we're at. And he says, so be about the gospel. And he continues on by saying, hey, there's going to be youthful lusts.
There's going to be things that are going to draw your attention away. And he says, flee those youthful lusts.
And he says, don't go after the youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness and love and peace. And then he says, as we can get even closer to chapter 5, verse 5, he says, don't do this alone. There's a council of people around us.
There's people that you need to be around and you need to be close to. You need to be close to others and you need to be close to Christ.
And so as he's going through this and he gives right before verse 5, he says, the thing that you need to understand is, you need to hold on to truth. Hold on to the truth of God's word and what I have given you.
And then he begins in verse 5, and he begins with a direct personal charge to Timothy.
Personal Reflection on 'But You'
And he says this, but you. That's where I'm taking the text of my verse out of for the title of the message, but you. Specifically to Scotty and Allie today, but you. But as I worked on this, it was but me, James. But Allison.
But Mr. Dwayne. But as we continue through this, this is a challenge to all of us. But you.
Where are you at today? And as Paul lays out this challenge to us, a charge to us, he specifically lays out three things
that we need to be aware of. The first one is this, but you be watchful in all things. Another version says, be self-controlled in all things. Another version says, to have your things in order in all things.
And we must be watchful of our actions, our thoughts, and our words that are around us.
So often, we'll get caught up in something, and before we know it, we've said something, or we've done something, or we've made a statement that we would have stepped back and said, man, I don't think I would have
ever said that or done that. But it's because we weren't watchful of where we were at. I put this in your notes. Look out for anything that can control us.
Look out for anything that can control you. Paul in Ephesians says it like this, and I put that verse in your notes, Ephesians 5, 15 through 17, it says this, see then as you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise men, redeeming the time because the days are evil.
Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
You see, there are things in our life that we can allow to control us. He continues on that passage and begins to compare the controlling substance of alcohol to the controlling substance of the Holy Spirit. And he says, don't be controlled by worldly things, but be controlled by the Spirit.
And in our day and age, we must ask ourselves, what are we filled with, and what is controlling us?
Am I going and doing these things because this is what Christ wants me to do? Or am I just doing them because it's what we've always done? We must ask ourselves, we must be filled with Christ.
If not, look again here at the words of what Paul says, the words of Jesus, therefore, if we don't, we will be acting as fools.
And he says, don't be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. We must never in our life lose control. And unfortunately, we're humans. Right? And we lose control.
How many of you watched, there was a small game that happened last week, it was called the Super Bowl. Did anybody watch that? Oh, a couple people. Great.
So we were all watching, and we had family and friends over, and we were having a good time, and there was a moment in the game, and it's a silly illustration, but I thought it fit well as I
was studying for this, but it was a moment when one of the players went up to the coach, and he lost control. You may remember seeing that. And when that happened, what did everyone on social media do? They ridiculed him.
They almost said, this is going to define him. He's always going to be known for what he did and what he said to his coach, and how he treated someone else. This isn't a worldly setting,
but so often when we lose control, and we can't control ourself, and we're not watchful, and we're not self-controlled, this is how the world look at us.
And it's so important to us to understand that Paul knew that as a young person, that it's hard to always control everything, and so he says, Timothy, you understand, be watchful.
Understand the triggers that are in your life. Understand the things that are going to cause you to stumble and cause you to fall, and put safeguards around those things.
Being Watchful in Our Lives
And so for us, specifically as a church, be watchful, but specifically even to Scotty this morning, be watchful of those things that can control us. Not only does he said be watchful, but he continues on, he says, but you endure afflictions.
Oh man, this is a hard one because pain and suffering we don't like. We don't like when pain and suffering happens, but Paul says, hey, it's going to happen. Afflictions are going to happen, and what do we need to do? We need to endure them.
We need to persevere to succeed through those things. You see, we don't pray for suffering.
I listen to a lot of prayers. Actually, you can go back and some of the Puritan writers would record their prayers. They would write them out. And some people, some book manufacturing publicists have put those prayers together, and you can read through them.
I have yet to read a prayer of any saint, and maybe you've got one, and it would be great for me to read, that prayed for them to go through suffering and persecution.
Every time I see suffering and persecution happen, they pray that God would come and strengthen them, and that they wouldn't lose their faith during their time of affliction.
Look at the story of Job. Look at all throughout Scripture where even Paul would go through a persecution, and he would pray, not my will, but yours be done.
Because it's a model of what Jesus did, and so we should be thanking God when we don't have those afflictions, but we must understand and know that afflictions are going to come. And when we experience it, the question we have to ask ourselves is who are we running to?
Who do we run to when those afflictions happen?
Are we running to a neighbor or to a friend, or are we saying, God, I need you, and I need you to control these things in my life because I can't control them because afflictions happen?
Listen to the words of Jesus in John 16, 33. These things I've spoken to you that in me you might have peace, and in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Why? Because I have overcome the world. And Jesus says that when afflictions come,
know that there's peace in me and know there's tribulation in the world, but when you run to me, you can have the peace that overcomes all problems that are there. We're going to suffer.
We're going to see that the Lord's going to overcome them, but it's who we're running to, and it's running to the peace that Jesus offers. And it's understanding that when conflict comes, when afflictions happen, when things happen in our life, we've got to think back and say, these afflictions are happening,
hopefully because I'm serving the Lord as Paul did, as Job did, as we read throughout the Puritans, as we read to these people that went through heartaches, and they understand that Jesus was worth the afflictions. Jesus was worth the problems and the ridicule and the persecution that they go through.
Because Jesus is worth it, church. He's worth the affliction that we will suffer here because he already suffered that, and he said, be of good cheer. I have overcome that.
And one day you will overcome it as well. So he says, be but you, be watchful,
endure afflictions. But then he says, but you do the work of an evangelist. Do the work of an evangelist.
I was reading that and studying that this week. I began to think, what is the worth of one person? What's the worth of a soul? What's the worth of someone's life?
The Value of Sacrifice
And I've shared that a little bit before of it's worth what someone's willing to pay. But I came across a very interesting story.
I saved my opening story for this moment here in case you were wondering. But we're going to look at a life of a man named Edward Kimball. Anyone ever heard of the name Edward Kimball before?
Edward Kimball, most of us haven't heard, but most will have heard the people that he reached.
Kimball was a Sunday school teacher. He was a lay person, a leader in his church, and he had the opportunity to teach some hyperactive fourth and fifth grade boys.
You've been there, you've seen those, and he prayed for his class that one day the Lord would allow him to see each and every one of his little boys in his class to come to know Jesus.
He prayed and he sought for them and he taught the Bible to them and he wanted them to experience Jesus, but oftentimes he was beginning to get wearisome because it was like herding cats.
These boys were just rambunctious. They wouldn't listen and it was over and over and he was getting overwhelmed and on one particular day he didn't understand to,
he was teaching the gospel and a boy was having some questions and he said, I'll visit you this week. And so he went to his work.
This young boy was working at his father's shoe shop and he went and he began to share what Jesus was to this young little boy and that young boy's name was Dwight L. Moody. Dwight L.
Moody went on from that day on that Saturday from believing the gospel and receiving Jesus into a lifetime of ministry that some scholars say and most people, if you read the life of Dwight L.
Moody that they said he grabbed America in one hand and he grabbed Europe in the other hand and he shook both nations
for the cause of Christ. But the story doesn't end there. Dwight L.
Moody under one of his preaching began to preach the gospel and a guy by the name of William Chapman became an evangelist and began to preach to thousands after his profession and one day William Chapman went out and
was preaching on a street corner and a guy by the name of Billy Sunday was converted. Billy Sunday was a baseball player who had everything going for him.
Most say that he would have been greater than Babe Ruth if he would have continued on but he said I'm going to give up my baseball career and I'm going to follow after Jesus. He became a very
enthusiastic preacher and he quit baseball and he began to preach and teach and go out and have large crusades and evangelistic crusades and a young man was converted under his ministry named Mordecai Ham and Mordecai Ham was a
dignified young man who knew the Bible and would begin to do parades and street ministry and one day he came to a little town called Charlotte, North Carolina and while he was preaching at Charlotte, North Carolina someone said there's a little group of people over here that need to hear the gospel
and he began preaching and there was a young man by the name of Billy Frank who was the town joke you could say
and he began to preach and in the local high school these students were skipping lunch and visiting houses across the street and were terrorizing the houses and while they were over there they heard of Mr.
Mordecai preaching and Billy Frank said I'm never going to go and hear that man because he's a joke
the story goes on that throughout the week as the spirit began to fall and people began to hear things Billy eventually went over there and intrigued and listened and returned another night and responded to the invitation and was
The Impact of Evangelism
converted that Billy Frank was named Billy Graham but it all start with a Sunday school teacher who was teaching a bunch of fourth and fifth graders and said I want to reach these people
the work of an evangelist is not necessarily going out and preaching and teaching the way that maybe Billy Graham did probably the greatest evangelist in our lifetime one scholar says that more than 214 million people came to know the Lord by the teaching and preaching of Billy Graham
now I'm not naive I don't think that I'll ever reach that many people but again the question is what's the worth of a soul
who am I willing to reach in one soul to say God who are you going to reach today who is who's going to be impacted by the gospel by the words that I say that's going to go out
and change the world and I just want to be a part of that you see we're called to simply be messengers of Jesus to do the work of an evangelist by whatever means possible reach the world tell others about Christ and leave the results to him
as I close and I we go into a time where we'll lay hands out I want us to look here at this verse again if you've got your Bible open look at how it starts it says but you be watchful and do afflictions and do the work of evangelists fulfill your ministry
I want to take those three statements out and just read the first two words and the last three words but you fulfill your ministry but you fulfill your ministry
each and every one of us have a ministry and it's going to look different in every one of our contexts!
Ephesians 2 10 says for we are created as his workmanship created for Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk therein we're created for the good works of Jesus and our responsibility is to fulfill
our God given ministry that the Lord has given us you have a purpose we all have a purpose and we must ask ourselves what is that purpose and am I fulfilling my ministry am I doing what God created me to do be a school teacher
be an industrial engineer be a pastor be a coach whatever it may be ask yourself are you doing what God has called you to do because we all have a purpose
and then my final statement that I'm going to say is I'm sort of reading here as Paul's talking it's almost like Paul was saying this Timothy you're my beloved son in the ministry you're my closest disciple you never
Encouragement for Future Generations
failed me you never left me but Timothy don't be me Timothy don't be the next Paul we've already got one Paul
we've already got an apostle Paul we need a Timothy we need a James we need a Jason we need a Stephanie we need someone to go out and be yourself and do what God has called you to do because so often we want to say
I'll never be a Billy Graham and God says that's wonderful I don't want you to be a Billy Graham I already had a Billy Graham I need a Scotty Green
I need a Scott Green I need a Bob Green I need a Caleb I need these men and women that are going to step up and say I want to do what God is calling me to do
but in your name in your name we pray amen thank you again for taking your time to listen to the sermon audio of Clever Grove please subscribe to get our latest sermons each week to and do itoruoruoru Thank you.