“BUT THOU ...”
2 Timothy 3: 10, 14, 15; 4: 5, 6
We are living in a time when we are all being tested as to what kind of persons we are individually, as to our relations with God, with the truth, and with one another. In a sense everything depends upon what we are as individuals. If there is to be what is collective locally for the Lord’s pleasure and the service of God everything depends on what kind of persons we are in the locality. We have to realise that we are living in a time of Laodicean conditions when there is generally indifference to the rights of Christ and departure from the truth. It reminds us of the book of Judges when everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judg 17: 6); that is the kind of condition that is all around us.
The emphatic “thou” or “ye” comes into these scriptures we have read. In the first the Lord is condemning hypocrites. Hypocrites are persons who act a part, and we are all in danger of acting a part. The test is as to reality, whether we just act a part, whether we just put on appearances, or whether we are real in secret. This verse in Matthew 6 speaks about what we are secretly; not what we are publicly. We may pass muster publicly, but the test is what we are secretly, what we are in the presence of God. If we are right secretly we shall be right publicly, but the danger is of attempting to keep up appearances publicly and not being really basically right in secret. The Lord says the hypocrites love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets so that they should appear to men. “But thou”, He says, “when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret”. It would be a challenge as to what are our secret links with God. You cannot make up in other ways for the lack of secret links with God; nothing replaces it; it is of inestimable value.
The most valuable possession any believer has is his knowledge of God. How do we know God? Secretly, by our secret relations with God. The Lord takes account of the pharisaical, hypocritical attitude and He is concerned about His disciples; “But thou”, He says; they were to learn to know God secretly. What are we in secret? I would take home to myself, and I trust every one here would take home to himself and to herself, the challenge as to what we are secretly with God. Are we growing in the knowledge of God secretly? It is intensely individual, “Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret”. It is the believer and his Father. It is something direct between the soul of the believer and his Father, “and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render it to thee”. It is a question, dear brethren, of what we are secretly. This secret link with God, secret intercourse and communion with God, puts something into the soul of the believer that men do not understand, and even Satan himself has not the ability or the capacity to appreciate. Satan does not know what is there; it is something beyond his reach. That does not mean to say that we will not be within his reach in temptation and that kind of thing, but something is built into the soul which is mysterious.
You see it in a man like Job; Jehovah said to Satan, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth ...?”, Job 1: 8. Satan in effect said to Jehovah that He had been very good to Job. But Jehovah knew there was something in the soul of Job that Satan did not know about and had not the ability to appreciate. Satan knows the actings of the flesh, he understands lust, envy, and all these things, because he was the source from which these things came, but he does not understand what is built up in the soul of the believer by secret communion with God. What results in the soul of the believer is something that is mysterious; it is built up in this secret link with God resulting in the knowledge of God. May the Lord encourage every one of us to see to what we are in secret with God—“thou”, “thy chamber”, “thy door”, “thy Father who is in secret”.
I suppose we all know that 2 Timothy was written in view of the time of public breakdown and public confusion, with all kinds of conditions to be met by believers. Immediately preceding the verse we read in chapter 3 Paul writes about Jannes and Jambres withstanding Moses; they were men who could imitate. They had to retire before the presence of life but they could imitate up to a certain point and we are surrounded by the element of imitation. Paul says to Timothy, “But thou hast been thoroughly acquainted with my teaching”. On the one hand we need to maintain our secret links with God, but along with that we need each one of us to be genuinely interested in the truth. There is a need for interest in the teaching, for persons to be really instructed. That does not come if we are not committed, if we are not devoted, and if we are not intensely interested to be taught, to become intelligent.
Believers are meant not only to be affectionate towards the Lord Jesus—it is true that the Lord Jesus looks for affection—but He also would help us to be intelligent. There are many believers who have genuine affection for the Lord Jesus Christ—and thank God for every one of them—but how many are intelligent? How many know where they are and why they are there? How many are concerned about knowing this? We need, dear brethren, to commit ourselves with genuine interest, as Timothy had done. Paul says to him, “But thou hast been thoroughly acquainted”. Timothy did not arrive at thorough acquaintance without intense interest and without devotion. If there is one thing needed at the present time it is an increase in devotion. Perhaps many believers who do not have the opportunities we have are more devoted, “But thou hast been thoroughly acquainted with my teaching”; the note says, ‘hast followed up’. Oh there is a need to follow up! There is a great need of teaching, on the other hand there is much valuable teaching available if only we are devoted to go in for it and take it in.
How important this is, for young people especially, to be thoroughly acquainted with Paul’s teaching. You find it in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the great divine standard, the great test for everything. You will find the unfolding of Paul’s teaching in accredited ministry. Are we all thoroughly acquainted? Maybe we are not all thoroughly acquainted, but I wonder if you are interested, I wonder if you are concerned to be thoroughly acquainted with “my teaching, conduct ...”. Teaching involves the truth, the understanding of the truth, and the truth is to govern conduct. Truth is not only to be held mentally but it is meant to govern our conduct. “My teaching, conduct”, he says, “purpose”. Think of Paul’s purpose. He had a purpose in life, he surely had. Would we have the same purpose? Timothy was thoroughly acquainted with Paul’s purpose and was to continue the same purpose. We are all well aware I am sure that there is always a tendency for deterioration. How important for young people to have purpose in life; may we all be more purposeful with the great purpose that Paul had, the purpose that beloved Mr Darby had, and others that followed him who were specially helped of the Lord; they had purpose and they maintained that purpose. The Holy Spirit would help us to be maintained in this purpose, that there may not be another drop.
There has been a certain purpose that has marked those who have gone before us; is it being maintained in the present generation? Is it being handed on to the following generation? That is one of the tests that confront us in this day. Paul says, “thou hast been thoroughly acquainted with” (or ‘hast followed up’) “my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings”. What a list this is, and Timothy had fully followed these things. When things seemed to break down and Paul’s teaching was departed from, Timothy seemed to lose heart, but Paul gives him a mild rebuke. He says, “For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of wise discretion”, 2 Tim 1: 7. Things may seem difficult and fragmentary compared with what we used to know, but Timothy is to be encouraged that God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of wise discretion. “Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord”: the testimony of our Lord is going through; the question is whether I am committed to it, whether I am sufficiently interested and sufficiently devoted to maintain this purpose in life.
Later in the chapter Paul says, “But thou, abide in those things which thou hast learned”. We are living in a time when many are giving up things. How sad it is! Many who seemed to appreciate the truth are giving things up. “But thou”. Paul says, “abide in those things which thou hast learned, and of which thou hast been fully persuaded, knowing of whom thou hast learned them”. O, dear brethren, there is a need to abide in these things, to hold fast these things, no matter who gives them up. Maybe some friend gives up, or somebody we know well gives up, “but thou”—it is a question of each person maintaining, being set to maintain—“abide in those things which thou hast learned, and of which thou hast been fully persuaded”.
Much was committed to Timothy which he was to entrust to faithful men, 2 Tim 2: 2. There was a charge laid on Timothy, but there was the wherewithal in the Spirit of God to maintain the charge that was committed to him, 2 Tim 1: 11. It would seem that Timothy did accept the charge and fulfilled it. “Abide in those things which thou hast learned”, that was one of the charges committed to him. The question is whether we accept the charge and are concerned to fulfil the charge that is committed to us, for something has been handed down to us from those who have gone before. What an unfolding of the truth there has been, dear brethren; the question is whether we appreciate it, whether we are concerned to abide in those things we have learned.
Then Paul says to him in 2 Timothy 4, “But thou, be sober in all things”; the note says, ‘This implies, not watching actively, nor being awake, but that sober clearness of mind resulting from exemption from false influences—not muddled with the influence of what intoxicates. So we think of one when we say, He has a sober judgment’. There is a need for being sober for there is a certain solemnity about the day in which we are when there is public confusion and many departing. All is meant to have a sobering effect upon us. “Be sober in all things ... do the work of an evangelist, fill up the full measure of thy ministry”. There was something committed to Timothy and he was to fill up the full measure. Paul says, “For I am already being poured out”; he had filled up the full measure of his ministry and now he is being poured out. One has to be filled up before he is poured out. The whole life of Paul, a life of devoted service, had been filled up and he was being poured out. Timothy had some time before him and he was to fill up the full measure of his ministry, the full measure of what was committed to him.
Now there is something committed to each one of us; it is measured; what is committed to each one is measured and the Lord would encourage us, and the Spirit would help us, to fill up the full measure of the service that is committed to us. Everyone is meant to have something to do, some part in this great work of the testimony that is going on to completion. Each one has a measure; “fill up the full measure of thy ministry”. We were speaking recently about Romans 12: 3, “God, has dealt to each a measure of faith” , and that measure of faith operates in the one body in Christ. The word ‘proportion’ comes into that chapter, everything is proportioned; one has not got everything, but each one has something and it is proportioned with a view to the operating of the one body in Christ. And in Ephesians 4: 7; “to each one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ”. Therefore each one has something in the way of measure. The great question is whether we are prepared to fill up the fulness of the measure that is given to us. This again calls for devotion and committal, not being indifferent, callous or careless. May the Lord help each one of us individually to take on these matters that are emphasised by the expression “but thou” occurring in these scriptures.
Now in the book of Jude we find not “thou” but “ye”. It is “but ye”, that is a company of persons down here. “But ye, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith”. This would work out locally. I think it must come through this moral way, it must come through our secret communion with God, our growing in the knowledge of God. It must come through committal to the truth, and through our conduct and our purpose; it must come through the way we have indicated, and persons like that are together in localities. The exhortation is, “But ye, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith”. We are meant to be builders up of one another, edifiers of one another. The individual we have spoken of according to Matthew 6 and 2 Timothy 3 and 4 will be building himself up, but then each takes responsibility in the locality and there is a mutuality about building ourselves up.
This is a great test and challenge for us as to how we get on locally, how we build ourselves up locally, how we edify one another. We have not chosen one another; maybe we would not have chosen one another; but we were put together not on the basis of our selection but on the basis of divine selection. We may have different temperaments, old and young, different upbringings, we are different in many ways, but we are put together to be builders up of one another, “building yourselves up on your most holy faith”. We find tests and difficulties, and many things may come in, but we need to consider for one another, value one another, appreciate one another, love one another, and so answer to “building yourselves up”. It is the practical working out of the edifying of the body of Christ which Paul speaks about in Ephesians, “connected by every joint of supply, according to the working in its measure of each one part, works for itself the increase of the body to its self-building up in love”, Eph 4: 16. It would result in that kind of activity as we build ourselves up on our most holy faith. Then “praying in the Holy Spirit”; what a resource we have in the Holy Spirit! This building up would not take place without dependence on the Holy Spirit and on help from the Lord.
You know, dear brethren, what Satan is most against is believers working together in local companies. Satan’s activities are applied specially towards those who represent what is collective for the heart of Christ and the pleasure of God. He will use to his own purpose many little things which come in, but let us be all set, as persons who have come this moral way, to be the builders up of one another. There is a great need for mutual brotherly confidence. I think there is in fact much evidence of mutual brotherly love and confidence at the present time. Let us be concerned that this may continue and increase and deepen as we build ourselves up on our most holy faith. “Praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God”—what an area to keep ourselves in—“awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life”.
I trust we may be encouraged. I have not spoken as I have to depress anyone; there is no need for any one to be depressed. But there may be a need for each one of us, the speaker included, to answer the challenge and be more definite and more devoted in these relationships I have spoken of, resulting in local conditions of confidence and love and edification, being built up in our most holy faith. May it be so for His Name’s sake.
BROOKLYN NY
18th March 1978
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