Shabbat Shalom. Open our Bibles and let's turn to the book of 2 Timothy today. We are going to continue in the study of 2 Timothy chapter 2. And we are going to read from verse 9 to verse 18 for today. I really want to emphasize a few things, a little bit more on verses 9 to 13. So please have your Bible open. Very, very important verses that help us to understand what the Apostle Paul was sharing with his spiritual son by the name of Timothy when he was in prison, ready to depart out of this world. And so he continued to write to Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 9, and he said, Wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound.

Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying, for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we believe not, yet he abides faithful, he cannot deny himself. Of these things, put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord, that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, but shun profane and vain bubblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness and their word will eat as doth a canker of whom is Hemeneus and Philetus who concerning the truth have erred saying that the resurrection is past already and overthrew the faith of some.

Now I'm going to stop with the reading here in verse 18 and today is really a message number two on the walk of the man of God in the writing of Paul to his son in the faith Timothy. Now let me remind you again brothers and sisters that when Shaul Paul wrote this letter these are the last words that Paul wrote the last record that we have in the word of God of the writing of Shaul Paul. He was in prison in Rome. He was really anticipating death. He knew that the Roman emperor is going to kill him. He knew that he's going to die and he was ready for that.

And so he's writing now this final letter to a younger brother. He was Jewish. His mother was Jewish. Timothy was ministering already among the believers, specifically in the city of Ephesus, and Paul is writing to him what he call a pastoral letter. It is a letter of care. He knew Timothy was going to face problems. When you become a believer in Yeshua the Messiah, things are not going to be always easy. There will be opposition. There will be rejection. There will be misunderstanding. People will not always appreciate you. And if you are going to be a shepherd and a pastor in a sense a caregiver of the spiritual welfare of the people of God Timothy I know what you are going to experience you're going to face a lot of opposition and a lot of trials in your life and so he's writing to him and you remember that we mentioned in our previous meeting together, that here he gave him seven lives experiences that all men experience in their life.

He called him a son in verse one. He called him a soldier in verse three. He called him an athlete in verse five. He called him a farmer in verse six. He will call him a workman in verse 15. He will call him later on a vessel in verse 21. And finally he will call him a servant in verse 24. We gave you the Hebrew name. A son in Hebrew means Ben. A soldier in Hebrew means Chayal. An athlete in Hebrew means Sportai. A farmer in Hebrew is Ikar. A workman it is Poel. A vessel, it is Klee, and a servant, it is Mesharit. Timothy, Paul is saying, if you are going to serve the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, you have to realize just the same like I experienced in my life, challenges that a son experienced, challenges that a soldier experienced, challenges that an athlete experienced, challenges that a farmer experienced, challenges that a workman experience challenges that a vessel for the lord is experiencing and ultimately challenges that a servant experience if he want to serve among the people of god well we covered the first eight verses in our previous ministry and i would like today just to labor a little bit from verses 9 to verse 18, which we have an additional statement that the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy.

Now remember that verse 9 really flowing from verse 8. He said to Timothy in verse 8, remember Yeshua HaMashiach of the seed of David, who was raised from the dead according to my gospel. And you know, it is very interesting because if we are going to continue to follow the Lord we got to remember the person of Yeshua the Messiah. Remember that we are following him and we are not following men and we are not following some ideas that somebody provided for us. We are following the person of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and especially as Jewish because Paul was Jewish and Timothy was Jewish and they were opposed by their own nation who oppose us from following Yeshua, the Messiah.

He is from the seed of David, Zerah David. He came out of the King David. He is an offspring of David. He is a descendant of David. And not only that, Timothy, don't forget that he was resurrected from among the dead. He is no longer in the tomb. He is no longer on the cross. He is no longer even alive. Here in this earth, in this world, he finished the work on the cross, on the tree. He said, it is finished. And he died, he was buried, and he was resurrected. Just the same like the Hebrew prophets said, Thou shalt not leave my soul in Sheol, neither leave thy Holy One to seek corruption.

Psalm 16 and verse 10. This is David that said prophetically about the Messiah that he will not remain in the tomb. His body will not see corruption, but he will be resurrected. And then continuing, Isaiah said that he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Isaiah 53 and verse 11. That the Messiah will not only die, not only will be buried, but he will see the travail of his soul and he will be satisfied. Well, if he's dead, he cannot see the travail of his soul. God will raise him and God will place him at the pinnacle of the universe. So Timothy, don't forget that he was raised from among the dead.

He is no longer on the cross or in the tomb, but he is risen. If you will ever make a visit with me to Israel, we'll go to the land of Israel, to the city of Jerusalem, to the garden where the Messiah was placed in a tomb. Above his tomb, there is a sign that says, He is not here. He is risen. He is no longer in the tomb. When Miriam came to look for him, The angel said to Miriam, he is not here, but he is risen. And so Timothy was discouraged. When there are opposition, brothers and sisters, you get so discouraged. And you don't look anymore to the person of Yeshua.

You look at people and you get disappointed. And in reality, we oftentimes disappoint each other. We fail each other. We're not always what we should be. And we not always live our life in the way that we should be. And we get discouraged. But you see, we should look to Yeshua. Looking unto Yeshua, the author and the finisher of our faith, the writer of the book of Hebrews said, who for the joy that was set before him despised the shame, endured the cross, and is sitting now at the right hand of the majesty on high. That's the only way. If we are going to continue on in a path of following the Lord, We must look on to the Lord.

Realize that it is according to the Hebrew scripture. He was born, he lived, he died, he was buried, and he rose again. And it is according to the word of God. We don't have some imagination. Somebody tell us something unique from somewhere. We read the word of God, we read the Hebrew scripture, we read the Bible, and the Bible teaches us that the Messiah will come, he will live, and he will die for our sins, and he will be resurrected for our justification. That's why it is so important, beloved brothers and sisters, to understand what Paul is saying to Timothy. So now let's move on, please.

In verses 9 and 10, Paul reminds Timothy of his own suffering on behalf of Yeshua. Now I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, we have no idea what the Apostle Paul has experienced in his life. He says to Timothy here in verse 9, Wherein, for or in light of what the Messiah has done for us, for me, I suffer trouble as an evildoer. And even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound. Timothy, look, I have suffered so much in my life as if I have done something wrong. Paul didn't do anything wrong when he had accepted Yeshua the Messiah. But people looked at him and said, he's an evil man.

He has done something wrong. He's teaching something that is not right. And especially, beloved brothers and sisters, he has experienced misunderstanding from his own nation, Israel, whom he loved so much. But because he believed in the Messiah, he was rejected by our own brethren. And you remember how he was captured in Jerusalem and he was placed in prison in Jerusalem Acts 21 and 22. Then he was taken to Kessaria. He was there in prison. He was in prison in Philippi. And again, he's in prison in Rome. He suffered like no one ever suffered except the Messiah, Yeshua, who suffered for our own sins even unto death. But Paul said to Timothy, Are you going to continue to serve the Lord?

Look, I want you to see in my own experience. I have suffered trouble as if I've done wrong. He says, even unto bonds, even unto imprisonment. If you just go back to chapter 1 of 2 Timothy, and notice what it says in verse 8. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. But he never considered to be a prisoner of Rome. He says, I am Jesus' prisoner. I've been imprisoned because of my faith in Yeshua, the Messiah. Notice verse 16 of chapter 1 of 2 Timothy. There he says, the Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain.

What chain is he speaking about? He was in prison. So, Paul is speaking to Timothy, and he's saying, Timothy, listen, I myself want to show you what it means if we are going to serve the Lord, some parts of our life will experience some opposition, some trials. And so indeed, the Apostle Paul suffered so much, and he was in prison, but notice that, brothers and sisters, even though he was bound, Yet he said, but the word of God is not bound. In other words, even if you lock me in a prison and you will put a believer in prison, for example, if you remember in Acts chapter 16, when the Apostle Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi, they were singing.

And as they were singing, they were sharing with the prisoners about the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. In other words, you can never limit the Word of God because God's Word is not bound. We can speak about the Lord at home. We can speak about the Lord at work. We can speak about the Lord at school. We can speak about the Lord on the bus, in the taxi, when we walk by the way, wherever we are, including at the meetings where the saints of God gather together. The Word of God is not bound. You can't tie the word of God. And this is very precious because the Bible teaches us, God said it to Israel, our people in Isaiah 55, so shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth.

It will not go out in vain. In other words, it will produce fruit. God's word will produce. We cannot tie God's word. You know, today, beloved brothers and sisters, in the Iron Curtains, like in the former Soviet Union, and in China, and in many other places in the Islamic world where they give a difficult time to the believers in Yeshua, yet the Word of God still continues on. Heaven and earth will pass away, Yeshua said, but my word will remain the same. In Matthew chapter 24, verse 35, God's word will continue to be presented in this world. And the proof of this is you and I today.

You and I became believers in Yeshua the Messiah because God's word is not bound. God is still using His Word. And therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, when we have an opportunity, we should not preach religion, we should preach the Word. We should not preach our own views, but we should preach the Word of God. We should present the person of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, because there is no other way whereby man can be saved unless they come to know the person and the work of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah who said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me in the Gospel of John chapter 14 and verse 6.

So while Paul was in bonds, God's word was not bound. The word of God still can be proclaimed. And what a privilege for us to proclaim the Word through the radio, for example, in the ministry that the Lord has entrusted unto us, where we can teach the Word. I'm so privileged to get some remarks and emails and letters, including some who are in prison, who are telling me, Dear Brother Gideon, thank you so much for the privilege of listening to the Word of God over the airwaves. And they can hear the Word of God And God's word, it's so precious because God is not limited to anyone or anybody.

God's word can still go forth in the power of the Spirit of God to convict souls and tell them you have sinned and you need forgiveness. And I provided for you the Mashiach, the Messiah, in order to forgive your sins. So Paul is sharing with Timothy his own life experience. But notice that what Paul also says. In verse 10 now, not only did Paul remind Timothy that he suffered imprisonment, but God's word is not bound, then he also said to Timothy the reason that he endured all this. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 10, he says, therefore I endure all things, for who? For the elect sakes. In other words, Paul says, do you know why I'm going through the trials that I go through, Timothy?

It's not only for me and my salvation, but it's for the benefit of those whom God has elected for the elect's sake. Paul says, I do not know whom the Lord has chosen, but I can tell you, Timothy, that if I will continue to minister the Word and to teach the Word of God, there are those that ultimately, whom God has chosen, who will ultimately come to faith in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Again, I would like to suggest that you and I are reading today this Word that Paul wrote 2,000 years ago, at about 66 AD, And you and I, in the last day of 2016, we are reading this text.

And many like you and I read this 2 Timothy. You and I were not even born. But God, in His wisdom, has chosen us in the Messiah before the foundation of the world, Ephesians chapter 1. And in time, He worked it out in our own lives using the Word of God and the Spirit of God to convict us. So we will come and repent and turn to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and accept Him as our Lord, our Mashiach, and our Savior. You see, this word elect is very interesting. I know there are many views about election. Some people say, no, we don't believe in election. Well, listen, I did not write a Bible.

Paul was writing what the Spirit of God have instructed him to write and he does teach of the fact that there were those who had been elected by God. He had chosen them before the foundation of the world and in time he brought them to accept him. Turn to Romans chapter 8, verse 33. Paul writes to the Roman believers and there he tells them, Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. No one is going to be able to lay hands against those whom God has chosen in eternity past and in time He has led them to come to accept Yeshua the Messiah.

People will accuse us because we are not always obeying the Lord. and not always perfect that we live our life as the way we should be, and we're failing a time, yet God said that no one will be able to lay charge against those whom he has chosen, the elect one. But he said, ultimately, God is the one who justifies, not men. God is the one who declares the believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, just. But he has chosen us in time past, and in time here, in present, he has ultimately led us to come to know Yeshua the Messiah go to Colossians chapter 3 and notice what it says in verse 12 he says put on therefore as elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy and kindness humbleness of mind meekness and long-suffering well you are an elect you've been chosen by the Lord well practice this in your life put on bowels of mercy and kindness and humbleness of mind meekness and long suffering God has chosen you to become part of the family of God don't you practice things in an unbecoming way be humble be broken before the Lord live a life that is pleasing to the Lord and then one more verse I want to read is 1st Peter chapter 1 Peter wrote in verse 1 and 2 Peter an apostle of Yeshua the Messiah to the strangers to the scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus the Messiah grace be unto you and peace be multiplied.

Well, Peter knew that the believers were elected Paul knew that the believers were elected And in time, God worked it out that we would come to know him and repent and recognize that we need him as our Savior. Even the thought of Israel called the chosen people. Israel is not chosen because Israel is a superior nation or a more obedient nation. but Israel were chosen because God have chosen Israel. You and I are chosen because God have chosen us in a Messiah before the foundation of the world according to Ephesians chapter 1 and the first few verses. Not because we are better than our neighbors and better than those that are around us.

It is truthfully the grace of God and he is the one that does so. So Paul, in verses 9 and 10, reminded Timothy of the suffering that he had experienced. But now, brothers and sisters, from verse 11, 12, and 13, there is another thing that I would like to highlight here today in this ministry. Notice, there are four ifs, and there are four sure facts in verses 11, 12, and 13. Now, when I was reading these verses and praying that the Lord will give me help to know how to explain this many people have a problem with these verses because it says if we deny him he will also deny us so immediately the thought come to one's mind and that's where even bible teachers do differ here what does that mean that if i was saved and i've accepted the messiah and he forgave my sin and now if I will deny him at some point of time in my life does that mean that now he will deny me in other words I will be lost now because I was saved until the point of not denying him the moment I've denied him I all of a sudden lost my salvation is that what the scripture the text teaches us here in second Timothy 2 verses 11 12 and 13 well let's look over that a little bit.

There's a few things. Remember, beloved brothers and sisters, that text without context is a pretext. In other words, if you want to understand a text, you have to make sure that you understand the context. To whom the writer writes, what is the subject, and what he's trying to communicate with the one to whom he wrote or about whom he wrote here it is very important to understand that shaul paul is in prison a believer a child of god he's writing to timothy his own son who have accepted the messiah both of them are children of god and servant of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you notice he used the word we he doesn't say if they but he's speaking about himself and about Timothy if we four times if we Timothy and I he's speaking specifically to himself and to Timothy but of course he's including believers to whom Timothy was going to minister to so look at this first of all verse 11 the first if it says if we die for the Lord's sake, we will live with him.

Here's an assurance that a believer has. You know, sometimes, and it's all true, isn't it? We like to be believers. We like to be messianic or Christian, believe in Yeshua HaMashiach. But when we think about death, we don't like the thought about thinking of dying. Of course, humanly speaking, death is not something that we are looking for because we want to live a long life. We want to raise family, be with our wives and our children and our friends and have so-called happy life. But brothers and sisters, we learn from here that death become like a servant. When a believer dies, it is a biblical truth.

When a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah, dies, as 2 Corinthians 5 says, he is absent from the body and he is present with the Lord. I know that we are so finite, we are so down here on earth. We don't grasp these truths in our own conscience, in our own hearts, in a full sense of the word. We still want to live long here, we want to live happy here, we want to have things and carry on with life here. But Paul's saying to Timothy, listen, I'm ready to die. Chapter 4, he says, I'm now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand.

2 Timothy 4, verse 6. So he says, if we die for the believer, we're going to live. He says, if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. We're going to be with Yeshua. We're going to be in heaven. We're going to be living forever and ever, never more to suffer or to sin and to dishonor the Lord anymore. The believer who dies, he's going to be absent from the body.

second Corinthians chapter 5 and present with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you notice he's emphasized that we shall live with him we're going to be with Yeshua the Messiah who loved us and gave himself for us then secondly he said in verse 12a he said if we suffer notice this the second eve we shall reign with him again Paul reminding Timothy of his own suffering and Timothy already experienced a lot of suffering in his very own life as he served the Lord and what does that mean to reign a king reigns we're going to be a people who are reigning with Yeshua the Messiah one day when we are going to be with him

we are no longer going to be reigned by somebody else we're going to reign with him over the whole universe turn to revelation 5 for a moment john received revelation from the glorified messiah who gave him this specific revelation about future events and he said to him notice after he told him about certain things he revealed to him in chapter 1 2 and 3 4 and chapter 5 he shows him the people who are in heaven around the lamb the Lord Jesus is in glory it says in verse 6 and behold and lo in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as

it had been slain then verse 9 and they sung a new song and they said thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongues and people and nation and listen to this verse 10 of Revelation chapter 5 and you have made us unto God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth the believers will reign with the messiah that's what the bible teaches us you can later on read in revelation chapter 22 verses 4 and 5 we are seen as a people that are reigning with the messiah what a wonderful

future is awaiting the believers in yeshua so paul said timothy if we die we're going to live with him.

If we suffer, we are also going to reign with him. But here's the next thing, brothers and sisters, verse 12b, that produce a lot of problem in the teaching of the word of God that we need to sort it out. And every one of us going to have to make their decision. And to understand, Lord, show me, what do you mean by this? Because it says here, if we deny him, He also will deny us. What does he mean here when he says it? You see, that's why I was struggling in the reading of this text. The word here for deny is the Hebrew word lekachesh.

In the Greek it says arneomai. Simply mean also to deny or to neglect continuing on or believing in that person. It is to simply deny that we believe in God, in Yeshua the Messiah. So immediately it says, when you read the text, it says, if we deny him, he will also deny us. In other words, if you're not taking the text into consideration, then it's not really simply, if you deny that Yeshua is your Lord and your Savior and your Messiah, you will be denied by him when you're going to have to stand one day before God. But in light of the context, dear brothers and sisters, we can understand that it speaks much more than just believers denying the Lord and losing their salvation.

You see, we just read earlier and we talked about the fact that Timothy was a son. Timothy was to be like a soldier to fight. Timothy was to strive like an athlete. Timothy was like a farmer. Later on, we're going to talk in a moment, he's going to be like a workman. Then later on, he's going to be like a vessel and ultimately like a servant. He has a race. And at the end of the race, he got the prize. And you see, you and I, all of us are in a sense like in a race. We became believers. We have accepted the Messiah. We have been born from above.

We have been born again. Our salvation, and I want to make it very clear, our salvation does not depend for a moment upon our performance. And the reason I'm saying it, because God demands 100%, not 99.999. 100%. And every time we sin, even if it's a little sin that we have, a little bit of anger and a little lie and a little this and a little that, only prove our condition that we are sinners. And don't forget for a moment, if any one of us assume for a moment that we haven't sinned since we became a believer, you are lying, you are not saying the truth. And you'll have to answer to the Lord for that.

But what he's saying here that a time in our lives as believers we fail the Lord. I'll give you a great example. Turn to Matthew chapter 26 for a moment. I think it's one of the best example to show us that a believer at times can fail the Lord and yet his salvation does not depend upon his faithfulness but upon the blood that the Messiah shed when he was on the tree. Notice Matthew chapter 26 verse 31. Here the Lord Yeshua is in the upper room with the disciples. He's ready to go to the garden of Gethsemane, to Gatshmanim, and then to the tree, to the cross. It says in verse 31, Jephas said to them, all ye shall be offended because of me this night.

For it is written, according to the Hebrew scripture, I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I'm risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. You know, Yeshua said, I know what's going to happen. You disciples who are sitting all together in the upper room in Yerushalayim, I'm telling you that tonight you're all going to be offended because of me. You're all going to run away because of me but you see someone there has to say no, no, no it's maybe them but not me so Peter said to him in verse 33 notice that brothers and sisters he answered and he said unto him though all men shall be offended because of thee yet will I never be offended Peter of course was a believer you have accepted the Messiah just earlier he said you are the Messiah the son of the living God chapter 16 and Yeshua had to tell him you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church my assembly in other words he said to him listen it was not a revelation that you received on your own my father which is in heaven revealed this truth to you Peter but Peter thought that he's not going to deny the Lord you see he's a little bit you might say more faithful than the others well the lord said to peter notice that in verse 34 yeshua said unto him verily i say unto you unto thee peter that this night before the cock crow thou shall deny me thrice peter i want to tell you something i know your heart better than you know your own heart.

Peter, I'm telling you before tonight, even tonight, before even the cock will crow you will deny me three times. And of course Peter wanted to justify himself. And Peter said to him in verse 35, though I should die with thee, notice the word, yet will I not deny thee, likewise the rest of them, all of the disciples said the same thing. So we don't look at Peter only and blame him because the rest of them said, Lord I will never deny you. I am so committed to you. I am so faithful. I am a godly person. I will never deny you.

But you see brothers and sisters because Peter was still here in the flesh and because you and I are still here in the flesh like the disciples of all we are people that need much grace and help from the Lord to enable us to walk with Him and to live for Him and to follow Him but if we trust ourselves and we think that we're going to do it on our own we will find ourselves failing because notice now a little bit later in the very same chapter in the book of Matthew chapter 26 just turn the page towards the end to verse 69 now here is what the Lord said came to pass because

it says after Yeshua the son of man was taken and he was brought into the high priest in Jerusalem the council and the elders all of them were there then Peter was without notice it says here in verse 69 now Peter sat without in the palace and a damsel came unto him and she said thou also was with Yeshua of Galilee but notice what it says in verse 70 but he denied here's the very same Greek word denied just to say like in Hebrew here Peter denied the Lord that he didn't even know the Lord he denied and he said I know not what you are saying and again verse 71 and when he was

gone out into the porch another maid saw him and said unto them that were there this fellow was also with Yeshua from Natseret and verse 72 said and again he denied with an oath I do not know the man and you notice if you read the third time in verse 74 then began he to curse and to swear saying I know not the man this is the third time that he denied the Lord and you see brothers and sisters does that mean that Peter lost his salvation does that mean that the Lord now will deny him before the Father with respect to his salvation?

The answer is clearly no. But what happened is that we find out that it was not something that Peter did habitually, continually, all his life, denying the Lord that Yeshua is the Messiah. You see, for those that will deny that Yeshua is the Messiah, already from the start and continue with it the rest of their life, these are the people that will be denied by the Lord when the day coming and judgment will come and they will have to ask that they would like to enter into the presence of God and the Lord said, you refused me in your life. You denied that I am the Messiah, the Mashiach, the Savior of this world and therefore you will be denied to enter into the presence of God.

But for the believers who failed the Lord at times the Lord will deny from us the various rewards that he intended to give for his own people and when we deny him it's not something we deny him on an ongoing basis a time like Peter one fail and praise God that our failure does not mean that our salvation depend upon our performance but our salvation depend upon the work that Yeshua had accomplished on the tree. Does that mean that we have been encouraging others to deny the Lord? The answer is definitely no. We are to speak for the Lord. We are to share the word of God.

We are to tell our families and our friends. By the time we are weak, we are failing the Lord like Peter did who thought that he's stronger than anybody else. And the Lord told him, Peter, you trust yourself? You think that you are able to defend yourself with your own strength I'm going to show you that before the morning going to come you're going to deny me three times and so notice what it says you can see that Peter was a child of God because immediately the cock crow and notice what it says here just read with me verse 75 and Peter remembered the word of Yeshua which said unto him before the cock crow thou shall deny me thrice and he went out and he wept bitterly he was saddened by the fact that he denied his master and the lord looked at him and he realized that he failed the lord and the lord helped him to realize that and later on we find out that he restored him and you remember in the gospel of john he says loveth thou me and so on.

The same three times that he denied the Lord, the Lord wanted to test him whether he loves him and he want to serve him. And Peter at the end confesses, he says, Lord, you know me, you know, I love you, but you know my weaknesses, you know my need. And the Lord told him, you continue on, you feed my sheep, you shepherd my flock, you take care of my people. I will give you strength to continue to follow me. And so brothers and sisters, please go back to our chapter and we are in second timothy chapter 2 and verse 12 if we deny him he also will deny us and we must understand the context the context shows us that he doesn't speak about salvation he's speaking about the issue of the rewards and the things that he was already speaking about that a person a believer that will fail in denying the lord he will deny him to receive certain of the rewards that he deserved, that he would have gotten if he would have been faithful to Yeshua the Messiah.

Now notice why I look at it in that way, because notice verse 13 said, if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. In other words, when the people of God have a lapse in their lives, Abraham had a lapse in his life, Moses had a lapse in his life. David had a lapse in his life. And don't you tell me that you don't have a lapse in your life. What do you think the Lord is going to do? Because we fail in our faith at times. We are called to be faithful with the Lord. And we know very well in our own personal life that we haven't been always faithful.

But you see the difference is that even if we are unfaithful at times, He is faithful. In verse 13 it says, He abideth faithful. He is not going to change, though we at times change. Sometimes we are hot, another time we are cold. Sometimes we are on the mountain, another time we are in the valleys. Sometimes we are going for the Lord and I'm going to read the word and I'm going to serve the Lord and I'm going to share. Other time we are discouraged, and dismayed, and disappointed. What do you think? That because you and I are unfaithful that he will change? No, because he says here, Paul said to Timothy, Timothy, I know what you're going to go through.

I know the experiences that you're experiencing. Even if we, and notice Paul applied to himself, if we, Paul and Timothy, believe not, yet he, this is Yeshua, he abides faithful. He can not deny Himself. If He had called us to be part of His family, if He had paid the price to save us from our sins, what do you think? He gave us a gift and He's going to take it back? He gave us salvation and He's going to take it back? And He said, no, no, no, wait a minute. I was thinking that all your life you're going to be on a cloud, on a mountain and always hot for me.

Well, just read the seven churches of Asia Minor, Revelation 2 and 3, and you'll find there is always charges and challenges against the people of God, but it's always in view of restoring them to a walk with the Lord, not of losing their salvation, not of losing their relationship with God. Beloved brothers and sisters, listen to this, and I believe it from all my heart. If our salvation depended upon how faithful we are to the Lord, none of us will ever be saved. We can't keep ourselves saved. We are kept by the precious blood of Yeshua, the Messiah. And He, day by day, drawing us after Him.

Day by day, He's appealing to us, walk with me and be close to me. Read the Word, pray, spend time with Yeshua, the Messiah. So you can be charged and you continue on to live for me here in this world. That's the way it is, beloved brothers and sisters. And that's how we learn this in this passage. By the way, here is people who deny the Lord, who are unsaved. Look at this, what he's saying of individuals who were totally different than what Peter have experienced. Acts chapter 3, verse 12, 13 and 14. Peter is now preaching to his own brethren. And he said, And when Peter saw it, he answered and he said to the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?

Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we have made these men walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Son, Jesus, Yeshua, Whom, notice that, he delivered up and denied. Here's the word denied again. Him in the presence of Pilate and he was determined to let him go. Verse 14, but ye denied the Holy One and the Just One and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. You see, here individuals that denied that Yeshua was the Mashiach. It's a different denial altogether. Peter denied him as a believer who was tested and failed, repented and turned back.

But those who deny him, whether it is in the past or in the present or in the future, who will deny that he is the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord, they will be eternally separated by God and they will be eternally denied by the Lord himself. I hope I made it clear, and we grasp it, and we all have that clear before us, but each and every one of us will have to make a decision. How do we understand this text? But for me, in light of the context, I understand that it is a denial of reward for those that will deny the Lord a time in their life.

Now let's go back to our chapter. 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 14 to 18. Here is the need of the workman to be diligently labor as he continued to follow the Lord. Here he used the fifth time another usage of the word that encouraged Timothy to be this time like a workman. Verse 14, of these things, put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Notice in verses 14, Paul tells Timothy, listen, you remind the people and charge them before the Lord that they strive not. What to strive about? About words to no profit, but to the ruins of the one that hears it.

Sometimes, brothers and sisters, you have in local fellowships, local congregations, things that happen that people are constantly striving. And he says, listen, you better tell them that they will strive not about words that have no profit. It doesn't profit the hearers. It's only discourage the hearers. Tell them to stop it, he said. You see how clearly he said, tell them that they should not strive about words that have no profit because what do they do, those words? Eventually it ruins the people who listen to that. Brothers and sisters, let me ask you, how do we use our words and our speech and our thoughts that we communicate with one another?

Do we open our mouth to build each other, to help each other to grow? No, we're going to start a new year. People make new year resolutions. We should search our heart and ask ourselves, Lord, am I striving with all kind of words that ultimately have no profit? Or do I want to profit the people of God? Timothy was told to give a warning to them. He says, you charge these people. You remind them, put them in remembrance. Because what's the use, brothers and sisters, to speak and have my own ideas that end up to discourage everybody else? Why don't we speak about the Messiah and His goodness and His glory?

Why don't we use our words for edifying and building up? Because I'm telling you, the same Lord that we claim to follow and when we use words that are discouraging people, God will hold us accountable for that. He will have to deal with us. Notice in verse 15, the opposite he says, He says, listen, but study to show yourself a proof unto God. And here he used the word workman. This is word number five. A son in verse one, a soldier in verse three, an athlete in verse five, a farmer in verse six, and number five, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Timothy, listen, you, instead of arguing with words that have no profit, learn from the word. Study to show yourself a proof unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed. And rightly dividing the word of truth, cutting the word of truth apart to understand what apply here, what applies there, to be a student of the word and a person that is a workman who works hard and diligently to learn from the word so he can rightly divide the word of truth. And you know, brothers and sisters, again I'm mentioning this, in these last days of the church age, of the ecclesia, there is so much mishmash, so many voices, So much we call it in Hebrew, Israeli salad.

It's a small mixture of tomatoes and cucumber and onion and pepper. And it's a beautiful salad. If you enjoy to eat salad with an olive oil and a little bit of garlic. But when it's come to the word of God, we cannot make this kind of salad and mishmash things and mix them up and not rightly divide the word of truth. What's applied to Israel? Leave it for the nation of Israel. What's applied for the body of Messiah? Leave it for the body of Messiah. What applies for the world, leave it for the world. Don't mix them up and not rightly dividing the word of truth.

Let me show you a verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. The Apostle Paul helped us to understand and to distinguish between the Jew, the Gentile, and the body of Messiah. Notice what he said in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 32. Paul said, do not give an offense. Neither to the Jews, this is one group. Neither to the Gentiles, this is the second group. And the third group is neither to the church or to the assembly of God. When you speak about the Jews and the plan of God for the Jews and for the people of Israel, it's a plan that God had for them. When you speak about the Gentile world and God's dealing with the world and the nations of the world, God has a plan for them.

and then Jew and Gentile who become believers in Yeshua the Messiah we are part of the church of the assembly of God and Peter and Paul and John they say again and again study, learn from the word of God show yourself as a workman that does not need to be ashamed rightly or cutting in a straight line the word of truth apply where it needs to be applied unfortunately we live in a church age in the last years that I became a believer many professing Christians have taken all the blessing that God promised to Israel to themselves and they left all the cursing upon our own Jewish people the blessing they took but the cursing

they left in other words they say no more God doesn't have any future for Israel as a nation we have taken the promises of God because the Jews have failed well that is not rightly dividing the word of truth God has a plan for Israel physical, literal, Israel who one day will be restored to the land and God will give them the promised land that he promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but that's not the promises God had given to the believers today in the present day our promises are in heaven in my father's house there are many mentions I go to prepare a place for you in my father's house when the church going

to be raptured going to be raptured to be in heaven with him and we have to understand that and we have to rightly divide the word of truth so we will not make this thing that is not applicable in a proper way and no wonder we just have all these problems because we are not sorting things out not cutting in a straight line and applying what apply to israel to the church to the world we do not do so today and unfortunately brothers and sisters that's the days in which we live in, in the last days.

Notice where he continues and he says in verse 16 now, not only that I want you to stop fighting, not only that I want you to study, but I want you also to shun therefore all sort of vain bubblings. Notice, let me read you this, verse 16, but shun profane and vain bubblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. The word vain, Shlomo, the king of Israel, says, vanity, all is vanity. Vain means empty. And he says, listen, Shanded, you don't need all this profane and empty bubbling. Why? Because it doesn't edify. He says, they will increase, and there will be more and more, and to ultimately ungodliness.

In Hebrew, we call it divrei hevel psulim. There is no value in these kind of words. It really doesn't benefit us. You have this expression of vain bubbling in chapter 6 of 1 Timothy as well in verse 20. O Timothy, keep that which is committed unto thy trust. Avoid profane and vain bubblings. An opposition of science and falsely so-called. This false knowledge, avoid it. This is the last letter that Paul is writing now to Timothy. He is ready to depart. He knows what's going to happen in the last days and he gives him warning. We live in the last days. There's all sort of confusion in theology. And there's a confusion in various manner of the presentation of the Word of God.

And we need to ask the Lord to help us. None of us have all the truth. We are all failing people who need the help from the Lord. But we need to be watchful. Notice verse 17. He says, listen, vain words will eat like a canker or like a gangrene. And gangrene is a disease that inflaming the body which spread. And notice I'm reading verse 17. And the word will eat as doth a canker or gangarin of whom, and then he gives us a name of a twin or two people, Hymenaeus and Philetus. And you remember what I said earlier. In every chapter in the book of 2 Timothy, you have twins.

In chapter 1, we already talked about those individuals that, in verse 15, that he called them Pargillus and Harmonius. He said they are the ones that turn away from Paul, from the truth. Here in our chapter, chapter 2 and verse 17, we have another twins. But these twins are the ones that not only turn away from the truth, These ones, according to this chapter, and it's very difficult to remember, those ones, they erred from the truth. They not only turned away, but they erred from the truth. Why? And notice that the last verse here, verse 18, concerning the truth they have erred because they were saying that the resurrection is past already.

And they overthrew the faith of some. It's already began there that some believed that there is no resurrection. and that it passed already. And what happened? They led others who, believers in Yeshua, who are supposed to be instructed well, they caused them to err from the truth. They caused them to set aside. You know, there are so many questions. You know, some of us ask about, for example, baptism. Some people have said that if you are not baptized through the name of Yeshua, using the name Yeshua, you are not saved. There are certain things in theology today that is so sad that it is so much scattered around among the body of Messiah, among the professing church.

And you can see here are some individuals already there 2,000 years ago, about 66 AD. They are the one that said that, you know, the resurrection is past already and they have overthrew the faith of some. Well, brothers and sisters, if there is no resurrection, if the Messiah was not risen and there is not yet future resurrection, what hope do we have? We have no hope. And you see, they have overthrew the faith of some telling them that the resurrection has already passed. So Timothy was told by the Apostle Paul, be careful to be as a workman, hardworking at studying the scripture, Cutting it in a straight line, rightly dividing the word of truth.

When God says that there is a resurrection, you teach that there is a resurrection. Don't allow these twins, these two individuals, to overthrow the faith of some. You teach the word as it is written, and what God has said, it is indeed going to come to pass. Now, I'm just going to read these verses, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 12. If the Messiah being preached, that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But Paul says, no, it's not past. He said, if there be no resurrection of the dead, then the Messiah was not risen. And if the Messiah is not risen, then our preaching is in vain.

And your faith is in vain. Yea, if we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up the Messiah whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not, if the dead rise not, then is not the Messiah raised and if the Messiah was not raised, your faith is in vain and ye are yet in your sins. Beloved brothers and sisters, these kind of issues already rose 2,000 years ago. And no wonder we also experience these views by some that are not biblical and we are exhorted to be, specifically here, a workman that works hard to study, to learn, to grow, to rightly divide the word of truth that when somebody is going to come and tell us there is no resurrection from among the dead or it is passed already, we will ask them to show us the chapter and the verse and we want to make sure that what they say it is indeed the word of God.

So Paul is very serious when he's presenting these things to Timothy and therefore he charged him and he gave him these serious letters to help him with his growth because he is going to experience a lot of opposition. Well, brothers and sisters, we stop with verse 18 and Lord willing, we're going to speak about next ministry meeting on the walk of the man of God, part 3, as we study 2 Timothy chapter 2.