Hope Church LV Sermons
Colossians 2 :: CHRIST OUR IDENTITY
Last Sunday morning, the headline of the newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, simply read this, "Freedom. Gratitude now fills the lives of wrongly convicted ex inmates." The article went on to read last Sunday morning in the Columbus dispatch to tell the story of five men, five men who had been wrongly convicted of crimes and had served collectively 99 years in prison, but through new evidence and primarily the discovery of DNA evidence, all five of these men were set free. They were exonerated. One of them was named Ray Tyler, and I put a picture of Ray up on the screen for you this morning. As he had been set free and you can see the joy just in his face, can't you? Ray was a man that was wrongly convicted of a crime in 1981 and he served 29 years in prison before DNA evidence cleared him. And another article telling his story, here's what the article said, quoting him when he came out of prison, "This is the greatest day of my life and it's pure joy. I have no hate for anyone. I get to start a new life and it doesn't get much better than that." That's a pretty good perspective, huh? He tells the story of how Ray now goes back into those prisons and he tries to connect with men who found faith and who want to change their life and he serves them and ministers to them in a way to try to help them get a new foundation in life. I don't know Ray Tyler, I've never had the privilege of meeting him, but let me tell you one thing I know about him for sure, to Ray Tyler, truth matters, truth matters to him. I can tell you on that day when he found out that the truth had finally come out and he was being set free, he rejoiced in the truth, truth matters. The importance of truth is not just a reality in judicial proceedings, it's a spiritual reality as well. That's why Jesus said in John chapter eight, the very famous quotation that you've probably heard many, many times before, he said, "You will know the what, truth, and say it with me, and the truth will set you free." Ray Tyler experienced that in a physical judicial sense, but what Jesus is talking about here is something far greater. He's talking about a spiritual reality. You will know the truth, the truth will set you free. Notice that he did not say an uplifting experience at church will set you free. He did not say that a great speaker or sermon will set you free. He did not say that inspiring music or spiritual discipline will set you free. He said, "The truth will set you free." The Apostle Paul in the New Testament was passionate about the truth. As the church family last fall, we were studying through the book of Colossians and we took a short break and this weekend, we're picking back up our study, walking verse by verse, through the book of Colossians. We're going to begin this morning in chapter 2, verse 1. If you have your Bible, you can go ahead and open to Colossians chapter 2, verse 1. The book of Colossians is a letter that Paul wrote to the church in a little town called Colossae. Now, let me tell you why Paul wrote this letter. Paul personally himself did not plant the church at Colossae. Many of the churches that Paul wrote to in the New Testament were churches that God used him to go in and preach the gospel and see the church planted. That's not the case with the church at Colossae. You say, "Where did that church come from? Why did Paul have a relationship with them?" When Paul was living for two years in the city of Ephesus and he was conducting his ministry in Ephesus, Paul was sending people out from Ephesus to go to other regions of the area or other parts of the region and plant new churches. One of the places that he sent someone was the city of Colossae, a man named Epaphras. Epaphras was used of God by the apostle Paul to be sent out while Paul was in Ephesus and he went and planted the church there in Colossae. He preached the gospel. People came to Christ. A new church was born. It began to connect in Paul's ministry and to join in what God was doing to expand his kingdom through the ministry of the apostle Paul. But something happened over time there in Colossae. Paul's teachers came into the city of Colossae. They began to take the truth that Paul had poured into Epaphras and the truth that Epaphras had taught and preached in Colossae. These false teachers came in and they began to ever so slightly twist the truth and bend the truth and distort the truth to the point where Epaphras became greatly concerned so that he went all the way back to visit Paul who was now in prison and he goes back to Paul and he says, "Paul, I need you to write me a letter. I need you to speak to the people in Colossae and I need you to exhort them in the truth." And so Paul writes the letter that we're reading from this morning. The letter to the church at Colossae and the whole context of this letter is Paul's response to the burden of Epaphras over these false teachers that had come in and begun to distort the truth. So with that context, I want you to hear Colossians chapter 2 beginning in verse 1. He says, "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf. And for those who are at Laodicea and for all those who have not personally seen my face." You hear what he's saying there? He's writing to these people that were not a part of a church he planted. Paul had not been to Colossae. He'd never seen them face to face, but Paul says to them, "I have a great..." It's a word of exclamation. If you were just saying it out loud, it would be a word that you shouted. Paul here is expressing a deep, passionate concern. He says, "I have a great struggle." The word struggle is the Greek word agon. We get our English word agony from that word. The word agon is a word that described an athletic competition, and it was describing the athlete who's going to the very end of who they are stretching with everything that they have to complete the competition. Paul writes here, and he says to this church, to these people, "I have great. I have intense struggle in my heart for you." You see, Apaphras had brought in the news that they were beginning to be misled, that others had come in and begun to teach a false gospel. They'd using some of the same terms, using some of the same words, but twisting them ever so slightly, and Paul, even though he'd never met them, even though he'd never been there, you hear in verse one, Paul's heart breaks for them. Look at verse two, "That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery. That is Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Listen to what he says, verse four, "I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument." You see, Paul knew what was going on, and Paul says, "I want you to know the true knowledge of God's mystery which is Christ himself, so that nobody can delude you with persuasive argument." Verse five, "For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ." Reaching passage of Scripture that we've read this morning, and we're going to unpack it today with two questions that this text of Scripture answers. Here's the first question, what is Paul's passion? I mean, here we're reading of the apostle Paul, and you're really getting a glimpse into his heart this morning as we read these verses. You hear him describe this great struggle, this agony, this burden in his soul that is aching on the inside, and what is that passion that he's writing about? Well, I want to give it to you in two statements. First of all, he was passionate about the truth of the gospel. Paul here is writing about the truth of the gospel. That's what he says at the end of verse number two. He says, "I'm writing this so that you can have a true knowledge of God's mystery that is Christ himself." Paul is writing here with a passion about the truth of the gospel, who Jesus is and who I am because of who Jesus is. That's the real core of the gospel. The gospel rests and who Jesus is and then who we are because of who Jesus is. The climax that the centerpiece of the entire letter of the book of Colossians is Colossians chapter two, verses nine and ten. We're going to get there in a couple of weeks. Let me read it for you. Look what it says. For in him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. Do you hear it right there? He's talking about who Jesus is. In him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, but then verse ten. And in him, you have been made complete, who I am because of who Jesus is. Jesus is God. That's what Paul says here first. For in him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. If you weren't here in the fall, I encourage you to go online. We did seven weeks through a section of scripture in chapter one of Colossians called the incomparable Christ where Paul unpacks this great doctrinal dissertation about the person and work of Jesus Christ. He affirms over and over and over again that Jesus is one hundred percent God in the flesh. He's so much God. It's as if he were not man at all and so much man. It's as though he were not God at all. He was the God man. Jesus is God. That's why Paul says for in him, all the fullness of deity. It means all that God is, Jesus is in the flesh. But then he says, and you are complete in him. You see, because of Jesus, both my sufficiency or my standing before God and my life of serving God are all wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. We're going to get there in a few weeks, but over in chapter three, Paul talks more about this. Look over at chapter three, verse number three. Listen what Paul says, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Do you hear the past tense language that Paul is using here? You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. He's talking here about our standing before God. Everything that needed to be done to make us right with God was done in the person work of Jesus Christ. And now the Bible says we've died and we are hidden with Christ in God. It's talking about our standing before God, but then look at verse number four. He says, "When Christ, who is our life is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory." You hear the present tense there? He says our life is hidden with Christ in God, but then he says Christ, who is now presently our life. You see, he's talking about two aspects of our salvation. The fact that we're already saved, we've been born again to a relationship with God, meaning this, that I'm as saved before God as I'm ever going to be. My position before God is secure in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of what Jesus did, I am saved, but he's also talking about my sanctification or my growing in Christ's likeness, Christ who is our life. As I live out my life, moment by moment, independence on him, Christ manifest his very life through me. Look what he goes on to say, look at verse five. How does this happen? Colossians three, verse five, "Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil, desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience and end them. You also once were a-walked when you were living in them, but now also put them all aside. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abuse his speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have laid aside the old self with its evil practices. And have put on the new self, who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created him." You hear what Paul's talking about here? Yes, I'm saved. Yes, I've been forgiven of my sin. Yes, I'm hidden with Christ in God. And now moment by moment, it's not up to me to live for him. The life of Christ is now being lived in and through me as I day in and day out, died of myself, surrendered to the control of Christ. Take off the old, put on the new, which is Christ himself, living his very life in and through me. Paul here is writing about his passion for the truth of the gospel. And the truth of the gospel is more than I go to heaven when I die. The truth of the gospel is that Christ is my very life today. I'm not saved to live for Christ, I'm saved that Christ may live in and through me. That's what Paul is writing about here. This passion for the truth of the gospel, but then there's a second thing that he's writing about. His passion is for truth's impact in the lives of people. Paul's heart here is not just broken over the reality that people have begun to teach things contrary to the truth. Paul's heart here is broken for the people that truth is impacting. You see, Paul was not just passionate about right doctrine and pure teaching. He was passionate about right doctrine and pure teaching because of the impact it had in the lives of people. I know some people who are passionate about doctrine and listen, I'm somebody who's passionate about the truth. I believe one of the reasons that hope we study through books of the Bible as our pattern in practice is because we are passionate about the truth of God's Word. We're passionate about the truth of the gospel, but we should not be passionate about the truth just for the sake of truth. Paul was passionate about the truth because of its impact in the lives of people. He understood what Jesus said when Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." An authentic passion for truth will always produce a genuine passion for people. Let me tell you what Paul is expressing here in Colossians chapter 2. He's expressing the real heart of every genuine pastor. That's what Paul's expressing here. I want you to hear me say something today. The pastors at this church have like Paul a great struggle for you. We hurt. We long for you to encounter the truth of the Word of God. Listen, you do not need our opinions. You do not need our philosophies. You do not need our ideas. If all we're peddling for you is philosophy and ideas and self-help material, listen, you don't need that. But let me tell you what you do need. You and I both need the truth of the gospel because it is the truth of the gospel that sets us free and as pastors, our heart breaks for you to hear the truth. One of the reasons that we labor, weaken and weak out and study for hours and hours and hours, laboring over a passage of Scripture is because as pastors, we long for you, weaken and weak out to encounter the truth because here's what we know. If we'll stand up here and dispense the truth of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will take the truth of God and speak right into your life in a way that we never could. That's what Paul is writing about here. I want to read you a little excerpt from an email I got this week that so articulates what we pray and hope and we don't, I wish we get more emails like this. It's such, I probably shouldn't say that when I were going to get 1000 emails, but it's so encouraging. Listen to what this lady writes, "Dear Pastor Vance, after listening to your last sermon and hearing your continued love and passion for the church, it reinforces the reason why the Lord led me here. This month marks a year since I first went online with hope. It is very hard for me to express exactly how the Lord has dealt with me since then. There's no way that I can express how much all of you have meant to me. You were and are my last hope in the experiences that I've had in churches in the last 42 years. Even though I knew deep down that God had to be real, every church I went to, let me read that again, even though I knew deep down that God had to be real, every church I went to since receiving him at 21 years of age had felt more like a bondage and so confining that I felt either smothered or manipulated in some way. When I left the last ministry, that was the worst heartbreak of my life. I swore I would never step in another church again. I guess God was waiting for me to stop looking so he could lead me where he wanted me to be. Pastor Tom was the first one I spoke to and as he listened to me tell how afraid I was in taking this step and how I didn't trust anyone anymore, especially pastors, I could feel and see the compassion in him for me. I have not met a person yet at hope that has expressed anything different. I know that you warned me hope is not perfect and that I can expect to be let down from time to time, but you have yet to prove that to me. You truly live the life of a Jesus follower from everything I have seen, not only from the pulpit but from the inside out. What has worked miracles in my life since I've been here and I can see that there is more ahead. Thank you for sharing Jesus with me in a way that I always truly felt like he was. God bless you. Amen. Listen. That is why we're passionate about the truth. John wrote it this way in third, John, listen what he said. I have no greater joy than this to hear of my children walking in the truth. Paul had a passion for truth, the truth of the gospel, all that Christ is and all that I am because of who he is and he had a passion for that impact in the lives of people. So before I move on to the next question, let me just ask you a question this morning. Do you have a passion for the truth of the gospel? Not just for an experience, not just for a pick me up, but do you have a passion for the truth of the gospel and is that passion driving you to concern for other people? Paul had a passion for the truth and a passion for its impact in the lives of others. But let me ask a second question, why is Paul so passionate? Why is Paul writing with such passion here about the truth of the gospel? I mean, he tells us by his own testimony, he'd never met these people, he'd never even seen them before. They'd never seen his face, he hadn't even been to Colossia. How is it that Paul was so passionate about the gospel in their lives? Well, Paul gives us three reasons why he's so passionate about the gospel and we'll close with these. Number one, he says because there's power in the truth of the gospel. Paul wrote in another letter, he said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation." Paul in verse number two here in Colossians chapter two unpacks several reasons why the gospel is so powerful. Let me give him to you. First of all, he says the truth of the gospel encourages the heart. Look at verse number two. He says, "I want you to know this that your hearts may be encouraged." The word "encouraged" here, it's an interesting Greek word, it's the word "parakaleo." It's a word that is often translated "paraklete," it's a name for the Holy Spirit of God himself. It literally means to come alongside and encourage, to come alongside and strengthen. This word always carries the idea of enabling a person to meet some difficult situation with confidence and bravery. William Barclay tells the story of a Greek historian who used this very word. And the way he used this word, there was a Greek war going on, and there was word got back to the general about a truth that was very discouraged. They'd face much hardship, they'd face much difficulty, things looked bleak, and this particular truth became extremely discouraged and despondent. The Greek historian writes that the general sent a man to them, and this man came, and he spoke to them, and he encouraged them, and he inspired them, and they became again a heroic troop ready for action. The word that he used to describe what this leader did when he came into that troop and spoke to them is the same word that Paul used in Colossians 2 verse 2, the word "encouraged." Here's what he's describing. There are times in our lives when you and I, as Christians, get discouraged. There are times when we're living our life, we're following Christ, and sometimes it's the allure of the world. Sometimes it's the temptation of our own flesh, sometimes it's the devices of the enemy. But we're living our life and trying to pursue Christ, trying to live an intimate fellowship with him and things just don't appear the way we think they should appear. We look at our old flesh and we see the struggles that we have. We get frustrated with the things that continually trip us up and the thought patterns and the old garbage from the past that'll jump up out of nowhere and grab your attention. The attitudes, the actions, the thoughts. I know we're at church and everybody's got their "I'm at church" face-on, but if we'll just be honest, there's a lot of days we don't really feel saved. We don't feel godly or holy or righteous. Sometimes we just don't feel worthy. Here's what Paul's saying. In those moments, it's the truth of the gospel. The Holy Spirit of God comes into our lives and brings us back to the reality of the truth of the gospel. You see, if I start thinking it's all about me, if I start thinking it's about my performance and my ability to be faithful and my goodness and my ability to please God, I can get so discouraged. But then the truth of the gospel, the Spirit of God comes into my life and he brings the application to the truth of the gospel that it's not about my performance, it's about who Jesus is and all that he did and it's about who I am because of who Jesus is. It's not about my worth, it's about his worth, it's not about my value, it's about his value, it's not about my faithfulness, it's about his faithfulness and when I can be so discouraged, the Spirit of God brings the truth of the gospel into our lives and Paul says he encourages our heart. He lifts us out of that my repeat and sets our feet on a rock. The Spirit of God reminds me, based on the truth of the gospel, that I am accepted by my Father. Let me read you a quote by John MacArthur, look at it on the screen. God knows how we were, how we now live and how we will live the rest of our lives. He sees everything about us in stark, naked reality. What he says, I am satisfied with you because I am satisfied with my son to whom you belong. When I look at you, I see him and I am pleased. Listen, that is the truth of the gospel and the reason Paul was so passionate about it is because if you don't understand that, you can get all wrapped up in the bondage of legalism, trying to somehow prove your worth to God, trying to somehow prove your love to God, trying to show God your obedience. But when you know the truth of the gospel, you can be encouraged and rest in who he is. Paul gives us the second reason why the gospel is powerful. He says because the truth of God unites believers. Look at verse two, that their hearts may be encouraged having been knit together in love. Describes a weaving together, it's a term of sewing, it's that kind of a picture here. And the Bible says it's the power of the gospel that weaves us together in love. I want you to look around you for a minute. Just look around you. I want you to do it. Look around for just a minute, just look around. There's a lot of different kind of folks in here, right? I mean we're black and white and every color in between, right? I mean we're all spectrums when it comes to color and culture. There's rich and poor, there's educated and uneducated, there's tall and short, there's skinny and well we won't even talk about those, right? There's old and there's young. And yet we've been woven together. What in the world brings this group together? And not just together for an event, I mean what the Bible says our hearts have been woven together. Here's what that means when one of us hurts, we all hurt. And one of us rejoices we all rejoice. This week our staff team on Wednesday morning took an extended period of time and we just spent time praying for many of you. Some of you are walking through very difficult disease and illness. Some of you have just lost loved ones and we just spent time weeping and praying for you. Why is it that we've all woven together, that we love one another, that there's a unity? Let me tell you what that is. It's the power of the gospel. You see we all understand that at the end of the day we're sinners. We are sinners that broke the heart and law of God. We are sinners that deserve to spend eternity in hell. But because of the gospel, because of Jesus, we have been forgiven of our sins. We've been by grace ushered into the family of God. And here we stand together united because of the truth of the gospel. The most passionate about the gospel because it's powerful, third reason it's powerful is because the truth of the gospel assures the soul. Listen what he says, that their hearts may be encouraged having been knit together in love. Then he says, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding. The word full assurance here is a word that means firm conviction or confidence. He's talking about the confidence and security we have in our relationship with God. There's another place in the Bible where this phrase full assurance is used, it's in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 21 and 22, look what it says. And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near way with a sincere heart in full assurance. You know what he's saying here? He's saying that it is the truth of the gospel that gives us confidence in the very presence of God himself. You see when I understand the gospel truth that is only about Jesus and all that he did on our behalf and that who I am is wrapped up in who he is and my identity now rests in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul says when I understand that, I can have confidence in going into the very presence of God. Paul's passionate about the gospel because there's power in the truth of the gospel. One reason is because there's value in the truth of the gospel. Look at verse 3, "In whom are hidden, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." That little verse there, Paul is describing our relationship with Christ as though it were a treasure chest. Paul says I'm passionate about the gospel because of the value. He describes it here as a rich treasure, a treasure chest of wisdom. The word wisdom, the amplified Bible, translates as comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God. Then he says knowledge. The word knowledge is an enlightenment to God's truth. That's what he's saying. The deeper we grow in our relationship with Christ through the gospel, the more we understand God and His word. How many of you are thankful for salvation? Let me see your hand. Thankful that God saved you, say amen. Did you know that salvation is just the beginning? That just unlocked the treasure chest. There's a treasure chest full of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. And every morning your father is waiting on you to approach him. And as you intimately approach God, the Bible promise here, what Paul is writing to us is that we are able to tap into the wisdom and the knowledge and the resources of all that God is. Paul says he's passionate about the truth of the gospel because it has value. But then finally, Paul is passionate about the truth of the gospel because they're enemies to the truth of the gospel. Not only is he passionate because of the power of the truth of the gospel, because of the value, but Paul's passionate because there are enemies, and that's really why he's writing this letter. Paul in verse 4 says I say this so that no one will delude you. The word delude is a word that means to deceive or to reason falsely to mislead. Paul says I'm writing this to you so that nobody will deceive you. I want you to know the truth of the gospel. Paul says he doesn't want anybody to do that with persuasive argument. That phrase persuasive argument means enticing words. It would be the same as if we wrote the phrase to talk somebody into something. Paul says I want you to know the truth of the gospel because they're enemies to the truth of the gospel. They're enemies who in the cloak of truth, under the banner of spirituality and even Christianity at times, who with persuasive words, good sounding words, will try to mislead you from the truth of the gospel. Let me give you a warning, Church. Measure every preacher by the truth of the gospel. I'm going to say that again, and I'm including myself in it. You measure every preacher including this preacher. You measure us by the truth of the gospel. If what we are saying is not consistent with the truth of the gospel, do not listen to anything they have to say. We are living in a day when there are many voices. There are many who claim to be speakers and preachers of the truth. It's imperative that you and I be people that know the truth of the gospel so that we are not misled by those who are preaching a different gospel. Now, what I want to do in the few minutes that I have left is I want to just give you a quick summary of what I believe to be the two most common lies that are out there. There are two. There's a lot under these two, but there are two lies that are out there today that are being preached, that are being spoken, and I think most all the other lies find their way back to one of these two. The first one I simply call less Jesus. Here's what I mean by less Jesus. They preach a gospel that Jesus is less than God. He's a good teacher, he's a spiritual leader, maybe he's even a man who became a God, but they teach a gospel that he is less than God. Listen to me, any gospel, any preacher, any messenger that would tell you Jesus is less than God is preaching a lie and trying to deceive you. That's why Paul in Colossians said, "I want you to understand something." In him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. Jesus is and always has been and always will be God and any messenger and any preacher that would say less than that, see what was happening in Colossae. His teachers were coming in and they said, "We're one of you. We believe in Jesus like you believe in Jesus, but we don't believe this, that he's God. Oh, well, he's God's son, but you can be God's son, I'm God's son, we're God's children." Paul writes to them and he says, "Listen, I want you to be careful. I want you to understand something." He's not a God, he's not a man who became God, he's not just a teacher that tells people about God, he is God, in him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. And listen to me, it doesn't matter what they say after that, if they don't say that, stop listening, because let me tell you what the rest of it is, persuasive argument. Common lie, the first one's less Jesus, here's the second one, Jesus plus. Jesus is not enough. You need Jesus and then you've got to be faithful. You need Jesus and then you have to perform the works in order for him to continue to accept you. You need Jesus and you need this specific church. You need Jesus and then you need the rituals and the regulations and the do's and the don't. Let me tell you what Paul said, "In him, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form and in him, you have been past tense, made complete." Jesus on the cross did not say it is almost finished. He said it is what, finished meaning everything that needed to be done to satisfy God on my behalf was finished in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I am secure and the Bible said Paul said I am hidden with Christ in God. Do you hear what that says? I'm hidden with Christ in God. If I'm standing here today in a black plastic bag, when you look at me, what do you see? Why? Because I'm in it. Listen, I am hidden with Christ in God. You cannot get more righteous than that. Don't misunderstand me. Not because I deserve that. That is the truth of the gospel that Jesus gave me what I did not deserve. That's why they call it amazing grace. Jesus plus anything is heresy. If they say anything after Jesus, don't listen because the rest is just persuasive argument. Just Jesus plus Jesus. All the other lies basically stem from those two. Paul was passionate about this. Let me tell you how passionate he was. At the end of his life, Paul wrote his last letter and Paul's last letter he chose not to write to a church, Paul's last letter he wrote to his personal disciple, this preacher named Timothy. And in the last chapter of his last letter, I want you to listen to what Paul wrote. Timothy 4 verse 1, he's going to die very shortly after writing this letter. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and I mean, Paul's laying it on thick here. Timothy, I'm charging you. I'm solemnly charging you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. Who's to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom. Here's what he's charging in verse 2. You preach the word. You be ready in season and out of season. You reprove, you exhort and you do it with great patience and instruction. In verse 3, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and they will turn away their ears from truth, and they will turn aside myths, but you, young man, you be sober in all things. You endure hardship. You do the work of an evangelist. You fulfill your ministry." Paul, to the very end of his life, was passionate about the truth of the gospel and its impact in the lives of people. May we be people who are passionate about the truth of the gospel. [BLANK_AUDIO]