Be Strong in Grace

Be Strong in Grace
2 Timothy 2:1-13
July 19, 2026

We are continuing our study in the book of 2 Timothy which Paul wrote from prison to his son in the faith, Timothy who is now the leader of the church in Ephesus.

We see that Paul does not write from a place of defeat. He has been encouraging Timothy not to be fearful.

Timothy had every reason to be fearful. Caesar Nero had just outlawed Christianity and was persecuting Christians horrifically throughout the empire. Timothy was the leader of the well-known growing Ephesian church.

Yet in the Middle of these troubles, we see Paul telling Timothy to be strong.

We all have problems and hard things we are going through. Yet when compared to what they were facing,  some of the things we might be facing seem like first world problems.

They were going through life and death situations with the threat of persecution all around them.

History tells us that for more than 2000 years Christians have been persecute, and even today all around the world there are persecution of Christians.

We are even seeing the persecution of Christians drawing closer and closer to home, and there might even be a time where we might be confronted with being persecuted for being followers of Christ.

Although we might not be facing physical persecution now, we are definitely already in the age where Paul says the spirit of the Antichrist is at work and as such, we are experiencing intense spiritual persecution.

That is why this section that we are studying tonight is so relevant to every Christian who follow God with sincerity.

How do we stand strong even if we might have to suffer hardship?

Although we are more than overcomers in Christ and God’s heart towards us is good, we do see in spreading and living the message of the gospel that there are sometimes suffering and hardship.

This is not a popular message if you see the gospel of Jesus Christ only as a prosperity gospel.

There is a calling for us to stand strong, to endure, even in the midst of adversity. It doesn’t mean that we will always have adversity, but if we are facing it, we need to stand strong.

And this is why Paul has been challenging them in first and second Timothy, and in many of his other letters, to be focused on eternity and the Kingdom of God which is not limited to this world or ends when we die on this earth.

There is an eternal perspective that we should be grounded in.

Death where is your sting? What can man do to me? In the midst of … we are more than overcomers.

This is not an easy word, but it is a sobering word that galvanizes our faith so that we can say just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: we will serve the Lord.

I. Be Strong in Christ

• I’m so glad that Paul didn’t tell them just to be strong. If someone from an earthly perspective tells you just to be strong, it normally means that you need to dig deep inside yourself and find something to build your strength on. It normally means that you need to be strong in yourself.
• But this is not what we are called to. As I said last week, if you are not in Christ, you have much to be fearful of. Because in your own strength there are many, many, things that are much stronger than you that can easily overwhelm you.
• There are many systems, many giants, and many mountains that are much bigger than little insignificant you and me.
• Paul tells them to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Grace means the unmerited favor that we have in Christ Jesus. That which we did not deserve, but which is our inheritance in Christ Jesus.

A. Put on Christ

• We become strong when we put on Christ.

Romans 13:14, But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, … and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

• When we realize that our strength is not from us, but from Him, He strengthens our inner man through His Spirit that is at work in us.
• Everyone who has ever tried to stand strong in their own power and has failed, will know this to be true.

Psalm 72:26, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

• I don’t know how people make it and survive without Christ. In fact, I submit to you that they don’t. That is why anxiety and depression are rife in society.
• If our lives are not anchored in Christ, the potential is there for Christians to also be overwhelmed, especially as we see the times getting darker.
• This is why we need to put on Christ. It is a choice, a mindset, a conviction and understanding of necessity.
• How do we do this?

B. Put on the full armor

• Verse 4 – Paul uses the image of a soldier.
• In the letter to the Ephesian church, Paul specifically practically described this when talking about the armor of God. We need to note that every part of the armor points to someone else, not our own strength.
• It is all a description of the power of the grace of God. It is all a description of putting on Jesus.
• Breastplate of Righteousness. Jesus is our righteousness, and it is a gift of righteousness we joyfully receive. He makes us righteous and our efforts add nothing to it. Note that the breastplate covers the essential organs; the heart, the lungs. There is nothing that disturbs the heart of a believer more than not being secure in being right with God.
• Security of righteousness, meaning having the right to stand before God, strengthens the heart beyond measure. It gives you a lion heart.

App – Come on my soul don’t you get shy on me….

• Helmet of Salvation – He brings healing to our minds as it is renewed and transformed by the word of truth. “Sozo” – heals our whole being.
• Belt of truth – Truth is what our weapons hang on. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If you are not grounded in truth, your weapons are not secure.
• Sword of the word – Jesus is the living word. The word works in synergy with the truth, because it is the truth. It is also called the sword of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one reminding us of the truth and the word of God. You have to ingest the word so there is something the Holy Spirit can remind you of.
• Feet shod with the gospel of peace – Where we walk, we walk in the name of the Prince of peace, that peace that brings peace with God. Not like green peace, and peace for humanity, but the Gospel of Peace impacting others around us.

C. Be a good soldier of Christ

• A good soldier of Christ might suffer hardship for the gospel. This was part and parcel of Paul’s, and a multitude of other believers’ lives.
• That experience forced them to solidify their faith and what they stand for. When you go through trials and persecution, making life and death decisions, for the gospel, it really confirms what you stand for and what you are willing to die for.
• It brings real clarity of your values and what is really important. This is what Paul refers to when he says that a soldier in active service does not entangle himself in everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
• We are all enlisted into God’s special forces. There is no demilitarized zone. You are either working actively for, or if not working actively for, aligned with the principles of Satan who is the god of this world, or you are cowering in fear somewhere in the middle, or actively standing for the kingdom of God.
• You need to solidify what you stand for. There is a saying that says that he who stands for nothing will fall for everything.
• Joshua made this pledge, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• Elijah told the nation, choose today who you will serve. If Baal is God, serve him, if God is God, serve Him.

Illus- I love the way we do baptisms in this church and I think it is critically important to have people publicly share their testimony and their faith in Christ. If you are not willing or able to take a stand and proclaim your faith in front of a friendly crowd of believers, how will you be able to stand for Christ in a hostile world?

• The word “entangled” is very important. What in this world is entangling you? It isn’t necessarily only sin. It can also be things and worries that entangle.

Illus – I like reading novels or watch documentaries that has to do with special forces. One thing that I noted was that those who are deployed don’t carry heavy baggage. They travel light and pack with purpose. There is no place in their bags for a lazy boy and a 75” TV.

• We should also have that heart condition. Living with purpose. Yes, we are still in this world, but not of this world. We have a different objective. Hold on loosely to the things of this world.

II. Compete Well

• Paul then uses another example. An athlete that competes does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
• Again, remember who is writing this letter. It is the apostle of grace who said emphatically, stating over and over, that we are not save by upholding the law.
• So, what does this refer to? It is not about upholding the law to be righteous, but it has to do with following God’s commandments. His way of living. His statues, being aligned with His heart as we discussed in 2 Tim 1.

Romans 13:14, But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, … and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Illus – When an athlete competes, they follow strict rules. They live on a strict regimen of training, eating , mental preparation, and whatever will give them the edge. I recently heard that F1 drivers go so far as to do blood tests in between their practice sessions to see how their bodies respond to their eating program, supplements, water intake, etc., All to be in the optimal condition to function at their peak. They do not sit on the couch for a week eating chips and chocolates, watching other people drive around the track.

• I heard someone the other day tongue in cheek saying that the only exercise some Christians get is:
  • Jumping to conclusions
  • Running down their friends.
  • Sidestepping responsibility
  • Pushing their luck
  • Climbing over others to get on top.
• Great personal sobering questions are: What can I put in place to be more effective? What habits are distracting? What habits are uplifting? What strengthens my spiritual walk?

Illus- When I go to the gym, I have a calorie burn tracker….Is that one packet of chips worth it?

• Sometimes I eat a packet of chips. But if it becomes a big bag every night, something will go wrong.
• Spiritually you should ask, ‘what makes me weak, what makes me strong’. We all know what those things are. It might be things that are not necessarily sin, but that is not conducive to spiritual growth if done in excess.

A. Endure all things for a purpose

• Paul said he endured all things, not just for his own eternal wellbeing, but so others can obtain salvation.
• Verse 10 – What can we take with us? People. The harvest is great. We want others to also have part in eternal life and eternal glory.
• I said in the beginning that we are enrolled in God’s Special forces. Many times, the purpose of sending in the special forces is to rescue prisoners of war. That is also our mission.

B. Those who endure will reign

• If we died with Him, we will also live with Him. To live is Christ, to die is gain. We are secure in our salvation.
• However, it seems that there is a distinction in rewards when you get to heaven.

1 Corinthians 3:13-14, Each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 

• We will all appear before the Bema seat, not for judgement to heaven or hell, but our works will be judged. It seems that the scoreboard will not be equal at the Bema seat.
• After justification, behavior matters.
• Paul says that if we endure, we will reign with Him(Christ). Not everyone will reign.
• This is specifically reserved for who endure under hardship, endure under distress, hold on to Christ in the middle of adversity.

C. God stays faithful

• If we deny Him, He will also deny us. This is a troubling verse. Many have had their faith shipwrecked by not understanding this. What if I fail Christ? What if I mess up? Is there no hope left for me?
• This is not the meaning of this verse. I know this because we have the example of Peter who denied Jesus three times, yet Jesus restored him.
• We have the example of Israel who actively walked away from God multiple times, yet God saved them and kept calling them back for HIS NAME SAKE. Because of whom He is. He is faithful!
• This denying Christ speaks of a continual denial, actively resisting and turning away from God, rebelliously renouncing Jesus and dying in that state. Without Christ, there is no hope left in the hereafter.
• But the beautiful promise we get from this, is that even when we are unfaithful, God stays faithful. He is a faithful God. He cannot deny Himself. He cannot turn against His own character.
• He is the one who stays faithful. He is the one who keeps pursuing even the one who denies Him. He is the one who goes out to find the lost sheep.
• Sometimes you might be faithless, sometimes you fail. Thank God that we are not leaning on our faithfulness, but on His faithfulness. He who promised He will never leave you, nor forsake you, He will keep what you entrusted to Him; your soul.
• Maybe this is you. Maybe you feel like you are all alone out in the cold. You thought you were a strong, do it yourself goat, but you are finding out that the wolves out there are stronger.
• Come to Jesus. He is the one who will put you on His back and carry you home.

Luke 15:4-5, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 

• I love that picture. He doesn’t put a rope around your neck and half straggling you pull you to the herd while you weekly stumble along behind him. He carries you.
• Surrender to Jesus. Surrender to His Spirit. He will carry you and strengthen you with His grace, enlisting you in His army, make you part of His family, and strengthen you with His Spirit empowering you from within to live a life for His glory and purpose.

Zechariah 4:6, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. 

• Be strong in the Grace of Jesus Christ.