City Life Starter

I. The Word: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

“10Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, 11persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.“

 

II. Study Questions:

1. To know where Paul is coming from when he writes verse 10-11 take a second and read what happened to him in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra in Acts 14:8-22.

2. In verse 14 he says, “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of…” What does it mean to be convinced of  what we have learned?

3. What is the most needed thing a person needs to discover Christ? How does Paul’s answer in verse 15 challenge you?

Verse 16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” All Scripture means all. Panta is the Greek word translated “all” here and it means….all! That means we need to ponder and meditate on the tough stuff as well as the John 3:16 texts out there. One tough text that is glanced over quickly and is almost never preached on is verse 12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 

Just to make sure you do not ignore or dismiss this idea of suffering in the Bible as a purely Pauline one here is a list of this idea in every book of the New Testament. Please read every one of them and think about what it means to follow Jesus.

 

Matthew: 10:22 – You will be hated by everyone on account of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Mark: 8:34 – if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Luke: 6:24-26 – Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

John: 15:20 – Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

Acts: 14:22 – strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Romans: 8:17 – And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ–if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

1 Corinthians: 15:30-31 – 30And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians: 12:10 – That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Galatians: 6:12 – It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumsized, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

Ephesians: 6:11-12 – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Philippians: 1:29 – For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Colossians: 1:24 – Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

1 Thessalonians: 3:4 – For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.

2 Thessalonians: 1:4-5 – 4therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. 5This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

1 Timothy: 1:18 – This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you that by them you may wage the good warfare.

2 Timothy: 2:3 – Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus; 3:12 – Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted; 4:5 – As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Titus: 1:10-11 – For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

Philemon: 1:3 – I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel…

Hebrews: 10:32-34a –  32But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, 33partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. 34For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property…

James: 5:10-11 – As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider these blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

1 Peter: 4:12-13 – 12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

2 Peter: 2:1-3 – And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.

1 John: 3:13 – So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

2 John: verse 7 –  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

3 John: 9-10 – I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

Jude: verse 8 – Yet in like manner those people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.

Revelation: 2:10 – Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.