"Guard the Eternal" - 2 Timothy1:13-16 - August 28, 2011

"What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." NIV

a. by hearing it

Psalm 19:1-4

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world." NIV

Joshua 1:8

"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." NIV

Psalm 119:15-16

"I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your word." NIV

b. by teaching it

2 Timothy 1:13-14

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." NIV

Deuteronomy 4:9

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." NIV

Psalm 78:4

"We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done." NIV

2 Timothy 2:2

"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." NIV

2 Timothy 1:13-14

James 1:22

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." NIV

1 Corinthians 13:1-2

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." NIV

c. by valuing it

2 Timothy 1:13-14

Psalm 19:7-11

"The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward." NIV

d. by relying on the Holy Spirit

2 Timothy 1:13-14

2. Guard the people of God

a. by building relationships

2 Timothy 1:15

"You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes." NIV

Matthew 22:36-40

"'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'
Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" NIV

b. by understanding that people will desert you

Matthew 7:13-14

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." NIV

c. by meeting their needs

2 Timothy 1:16

"May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains." NIV

1 Kings 18:46-19:11

"The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, 'May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.'
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, Lord,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.' Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat.' He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, 'Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.' So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the Lord came to him: 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'
He replied, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, broken down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.'

The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.'" NIV

d. by using extraordinary effort

2 Timothy 1:17

"On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me." NIV

2 Timothy 1:18

"May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus." NIV