2 Timothy 1:13

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and in love, which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Anisophorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

Father, as we open to these last verses of chapter one here, I pray that you would open our hearts and our minds and that we would receive from you your word by your Spirit. God, may this text speak to us in such a way that we would receive application and understand not only what is being said here, but also what you, by your Spirit, want to speak to us today. So God, teach us and continue that work of sanctification, that work of transformation that you do in each of our minds and in our hearts, which ultimately comes out into our lives. God, do a work in us. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, Amen. You may be seated.

The word of Jesus is a medal of an individual, or sometimes it's referred to as their resolve. Sometimes the word applied to it is grit. This is not necessarily observed when things are good. It doesn't manifest or come out when you're in the sunny meadow, if you will. It's something that is revealed in an individual when they find themselves in a dark valley. Oftentimes, that is manifested through trials. In one place, the Apostle Paul speaks of it like this. It's recorded in the book of Romans, in Romans chapter five. He says, "Tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character."

I think everybody here this morning would agree that we live in a world that is broken and fallen. Every single person has experienced adversity, setbacks, and hardship. We all go through those things. Sometimes, we like to try and measure the hardships we've faced by comparing them to the hardships of others. We can look down on some people and think, "Come on, you really call that a hardship?" Then we see others who have gone through great difficulties and wonder, "Man, I don't know if I could ever handle that sort of thing."

We see this resolve in some people. Living in a fallen world, we know there is pain, tribulation, misfortune, trials, and crisis all around us. Some have referred to this as a major component of the human experience. Everyone goes through adversity; everybody experiences it. However, it is true that not everyone endures it well. Not all people persevere through hardship, and this raises the question: Why do some people persevere while others do not? What causes some individuals to press on, endure, and persevere, while others seem to fail? They give up, they give in, and they throw in the towel when faced with hardship.

Is this resilience, this grit, an inherited trait that some people possess more than others? This topic was actually addressed in a book published in 2016 by a woman named Angela Duckworth, titled "Grit." In that book, she discusses this concept, supported by significant research. Studies conducted by various research groups in our nation indicate that most Americans—over 66%, or more than two-thirds—do not believe grit is an inherited trait. Instead, they emphasize qualities like determination and hard work.

We live in a culture in the United States that highly values determination and hard work. Most Americans assert that it is not an inherited talent; it is hard work. You might even call that, as some have, Americanism.

Some have referred to it as the American gene, suggesting that there is a push for hard work and determination. We have this kind of mindset: you have to work hard and press through the difficulties. Life isn't going to give you anything for free. You must determine to go against the currents of life. This is the way that we Americans tend to look at things. Our culture exalts the determined hard worker.

Think about the movies that often do the best at the box office. They typically feature a character whose storyline revolves around enduring some sort of hardship that seems insurmountable. Yet, they press through and overcome these challenges. Consider films like "Unbroken," "Braveheart," and "Gladiator." These stories resonate with us; we long for that kind of resilience. In fact, some of these roles end up defining the actors who portray them to the point where audiences no longer see the actor but the character they played. We aspire to pattern our lives after such figures.

However, as a result of this cultural mindset, there is a tendency among us to look down upon those who do not seem to press through and endure or persevere to the same level as characters like those in "Gladiator." We may stereotype them as lazy, careless, or even fragile. In light of this, many recent books have been written on this topic, and numerous podcasts are dedicated to this discussion. Programs have been created, and articles have been published about this phenomenon.

One recent book that touches on this subject is titled "Anti-Fragile." It raises the question: how can we become anti-fragile as we navigate through life? There is a sense of frustration among a large group of people in our nation regarding the up-and-coming generation, particularly those who are graduating high school, going through college, or just finishing college. They have been in an environment where we often laugh at and poke fun at concepts like safe spaces and trigger warnings. We look at these issues and say, "Come on, suck it up, princess; here's a straw." This reflects our approach to these matters, and we don't believe that this attitude stems from a natural endowment of endurance.

We think that success has to do with hard work and determination. However, we all go through difficulties, face hardships, and encounter setbacks. If it is true that you are more likely to succeed in American culture if you are anti-fragile, determined, perseverant, and unbreakable, then how do we help people endure hardships? This is a lot of what Paul is speaking to in his letters to Timothy. Timothy was someone we might classify as fragile, fearful, and timid. We could come up with all kinds of stereotypes to speak against him, but Paul was saying, "Listen, I want you to press on."

The exhortations that our culture gives are very similar to the exhortations that Paul provided 2,000 years ago in these letters. If you think back to where we were almost a year ago in 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 18, he says, "Wage the good warfare." In chapter 6 of 1 Timothy, verse 12, he says, "Fight the good fight." This is kind of the language of Americanism, isn't it? As we move into the next chapter, which we will explore in the coming weeks here at Cross Connection, we see in 2 Timothy that he says, "You therefore, my son, be strong," as Timothy is tempted to fear.

But is there anything more than just exhortation? Exhortations to stand up straight with your shoulders back or to buck up—can they truly help someone endure the hardships of life and the storms that will come? There has been a teaching among some who classify themselves as Christian, often seen on Christian TV, claiming that if you are a Christian, you won't experience any sort of hardship. I don't know what kind of Christian they are, but I have experienced hardship. I know many of your stories, and many of you have faced far more hardship than I have.

So, how can we make it more likely that we can stand in the day of trouble and endure the storms? The verses we have before us this morning provide some helpful answers. One of the things you begin to discover as you read through the Scriptures is that it is not only the trial that reveals fortitude, but oftentimes it is the trial that helps fashion fortitude. I mentioned the verse just a few minutes ago from Paul in Romans chapter 5, where he...

Paul says there, and not only that, but we also glory in tribulations. Now, how many of you in here rejoice in hard times? You don't need to raise your hand. I don't think we do. When confronted with some sort of difficulty, hardship, or crisis, it's not like we say, "Yes, I've been looking forward to this." No, we don't really glory in tribulations. So how could Paul say that with a straight face? He states that we glory in tribulations. Really? How is that possible, Paul?

He explains that he understands what God is able to do in the midst of these trials. Paul says we glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. The only way that trial helps fashion fortitude is if you are prepared to stand through the midst of the trial. So how do we prepare ourselves to stand?

This passage gives a series of ideas or concepts that make it more likely for us to be able to stand when trials come. Remember, as we've been going through this letter, that Paul is facing hardship. He is in the midst of a crisis that has been ongoing for several years. He has been battling a court drama, if you will. He was arrested in the city of Jerusalem for being a witness of Jesus and for preaching the gospel.

He was arrested, and there was a group of people who had taken an oath. They said, "We are not going to eat until he dies," and they set out to kill him. This was a group of men called the Sakari in Israel, the dagger men, the first-century Jewish assassins. They declared, "We are going to kill you." So that's a nice day, and not only that, we glory in tribulations.

For the next five to six years, Paul's life is completely enveloped in this situation, which ultimately lands him in a prison in Rome, awaiting trial and ultimate execution. That's where he is at this point while writing these things, and he is handing the torch off to Timothy, who will carry on the ministry of Paul after his death. Timothy is aware that this is an eventual possibility for him as well, being persecuted. In fact, in this very book, Paul states that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

So if that's the case, how do we, in a sense, help weatherproof our lives from the storms?

Paul says in 2 Timothy, chapter one, verse 13, "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you've heard from me." Timothy, you're going to face opposition. You're going to experience difficulty in this life, and I know that you are timid. It's not something that you're excited about; the difficulty you're going to face is daunting. You're not running and charging the line here, thinking, "Man, I just can't wait to suffer."

But as you are faced with opposition and difficulty, how can you stand in the midst of it? Paul encourages him to do this: hold fast to the sound words of Scripture. One of the things that will make it more likely for you and me to stand in the midst of the storm is that we hold fast to the sound words of Scripture. Why is this important? Because the Word of God is living, powerful, and useful in our lives.

We will see in a number of weeks, when we get to the end of this book or near the end of this book, in 2 Timothy, chapter three, verse 16, that Paul says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." God breathed the Scripture, and it is useful. It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, so that the man or woman of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Many of those good works come in the midst of a storm. God wants to ready you and me, to equip us for those storms.

So Paul says that to be ready for that, you need to hold fast to the sound words of Scripture, especially when difficulties are coming before us. About 1,400 years before Paul wrote these words, the nation of Israel, which most of the Old Testament focuses on, was preparing to go into their promised land. They had been anticipating this for 400 years. They came out of slavery in Egypt because of the work that God had done through Moses, which is all recorded in the second book of the Bible, the book of Exodus.

They had a 40-year-long wilderness wandering as they were being prepared to enter the promised land. Then Moses died, and Joshua was given the torch, just like Timothy is going to be given the torch from Paul. Joshua took the torch of leadership for the nation, and he was fearful as they prepared to go into the promised land, which would require battle.

It's going to require hardship. God says this to Joshua, and it's recorded in Joshua chapter one, verse eight: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth." You need to hold fast to the word. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night so that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

How is Joshua going to endure the hardships that the whole nation will face as they come into the Promised Land? He says, "You need to hold fast to the word of God, and then your way will be prosperous. Then you will have good success." So we need to hold fast to the word of God.

One of the greatest passages of Scripture that speaks about the importance of the word of God, the Bible, is found in the Psalms. The longest Psalm, Psalm 119, has 176 verses. In Psalm 119, there are many verses that talk about the importance of the Scriptures and the word of God, and why we should hold fast to them. I want to give you just a little seasoning of what's there.

In Psalm 119, verse 28, King David says, "My soul melts in heaviness." Now, you don't need to raise your hand, but if any of you have ever had your soul weighed down in heaviness, that is, if you have experienced mental anguish, that's what he is describing. "My soul melts with heaviness; strengthen me according to your word." Where is the strength going to come from when you're in mental anguish? It comes through the word of God.

In verse 50, he says, "This is my comfort in my affliction." Have you ever been afflicted? "This is my comfort in affliction, for your word has given me life." In verse 81, he states, "My soul faints for your salvation." All he has to look forward to is God's deliverance. That's what David is saying: "My soul faints for your salvation, but I hope in your word."

In verse 92, he adds, "Unless your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction." Do you see a theme developing in this longest Psalm of the Bible? Affliction and heaviness. Here he says, "It's your word, which strengthens me."

Psalm 119, verse 105, is one that maybe some of you have read before: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Here, he finds himself in the darkness of a dark valley, and he says, "The only light I have..."

Is for Your word to shine upon my path. Verse 107: I am afflicted very much. Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. Verse 114: You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. Verse 143: Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights. Verse 165: Great peace have those who love Your law.

So Timothy is facing trials, tribulation, and hardship. Paul is in the midst of the dark valley. You and I, all of us, will experience setbacks and difficulties. How do we persevere, and how do we walk through those things? Well, the first thing we need to do is hold fast to the sound words of Scripture.

To do that, there are a number of things we need to develop as disciplines in our lives. Now, this word "discipline" is a word that sometimes people have a hard time with, especially in the church, because we don't like discipline. We don't like the routine. We don't like the training, but it's essential. If we're going to hold fast to the word of God, then we need to be those who hear the word of God.

Faith comes by hearing. Romans 10:17 states, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." So we need to hold fast to the word of God by hearing the word of God. I commend you for hearing the word of God taught week in and week out, but maybe throughout the week, if you want some more things to listen to, send me an email. I'll send you a ton of podcasts where you can be encouraged by the word of God.

I probably listen to, I don't know, 10 to 15 different Bible studies a week, hearing God's word and then reading through the Scriptures. A lot of times, people say, "All right, this is going to be the year I'm going to read through the Scriptures." They get a Bible reading plan for the year, and it has like four chapters or ten chapters. They think, "I'm going to read through the whole thing really quick," like every quarter, 15 chapters a day. By day five, they're already 35 chapters behind, and then it becomes makeup work. It becomes drudgery.

It's like, listen, take one chapter a day. Start there. Take one chapter a day and begin really reading through the Gospel of John. Just start there and keep reading. Develop the routine, the discipline of hearing the word of God and reading the word of God so that you would know the word of God.

Then I challenge you to memorize Scripture. I've talked about this before, and someone will always come up and say, "Well, you just don't know how hard that is. I'm just not a good rememberer."

And yet, they know every word to a song they heard in 1978. Let's be really honest: I know every word of dialogue to the movie Top Gun, and I know about twelve other guys who do too. Several of them work on a staff here, and we just start talking about Top Gun all the time. It's a little weird.

So to say, "Well, I just can't remember scripture," really? Yes, you can. It was the night before Christmas, and thanks, I'll just prove that one wrong. Meditate upon God's word. "Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." That is the place where we memorize and then meditate upon His word. Blessed is the man who meditates in the word of God day and night. He shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water.

It's about remembering and thinking about it, reflecting on it again in your mind. But we can't do all of these things—hear the word of God, read the word of God, know the word of God, memorize or meditate upon the word of God—and not do what James says in his letter: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only." We need to be those who seek, by God's enabling power, to walk these things out. We must be doers of the word.

If you do these things as just a first step, I would say that you will be hedging against shipwreck in the storms of life. We need to hold fast to the word. Paul continues in 2 Timothy 1:13, "Hold fast the pattern of sound words, which you've heard from me in faith in Christ Jesus." Previously, Paul was speaking in the verse just prior to this. Just one verse before, in verse 12, he says, "For this reason, I suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him until that day."

Paul held fast to the word of God, and he held fast to the word of God in faith. He did not hold fast to the word of God just as an intellectual pursuit to try and gain knowledge about Zephaniah, Zechariah, Haggai, and Obadiah. You may not know that those are names of prophets in the Old Testament who wrote books. Yet sometimes, we can fall into a pattern of reading through the scriptures just to...

Try to build up our intellect regarding the ethics of the Bible, the principles of the Bible, and the history of the Bible. But here, Paul says, "I know whom I have believed." He does not say, "I know what I've believed." He doesn't even say, "I know in whom I have believed." He says, "I know whom I have believed." There is a difference. It may seem minor, but it is a difference.

You see, this is not given just so you can know about ancient Near Eastern history at the end of the Bronze Age. That's not what it's for. This is the revelation of God. In this, He reveals Himself. He reveals what He is like; that's His nature. He reveals what He likes; that's His will. By holding fast to the Scriptures, we begin to get to know who God is, and in that, our faith develops. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Therefore, we are more likely, in the midst of whatever storms we go through, to know whom we have believed and to trust Him.

Point number two: hold fast to the word in faith. The psalmist said in Psalm 27, verse 13, "I would have lost heart if I did not believe." What did he believe? He believed that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Where did that come from? It came from the revelation of God from His word.

The longer I spend time walking with Jesus and reading through the Scriptures, simply reading through the Scriptures, the more I get to know who God is. The more I realize how important it is for me to remind myself of the promises that I have received in Christ Jesus, which are found in the Bible. When I go through a challenge or a setback, it might be small or minor, but in the moment, it can feel very big because every trial I go through seems like the biggest trial ever on the planet.

In the midst of whatever trial it is, I call to memory and remind myself, "What has God said?" Immediately, verses come to mind: "All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose." "Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus." "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." The word of God begins to fill my mind and uplift my heart. As I walk through those things, I realize that the God whom I follow has given me great...

And precious promises, all the promises of God, are in Him. Yes, and amen. He is faithful to His promises. Therefore, we can say with the author of the Book of Proverbs, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6).

There are so many things in this life that can discourage faith in Christ Jesus. However, when we hold fast to the sound words of Scripture, those are the things that help us to hold fast in faith to Him. Paul continues, saying, "Hold fast the pattern of sound words, which you have heard from me in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus." As he was facing certain storms, Timothy was going through difficulties. Paul encourages him here to hold fast to the sound words of Scripture, not merely as an intellectual pursuit, but to do so in faith.

Additionally, we must hold fast with love in Christ. The more that you and I seriously hold fast to the words of Scripture, the more we begin to discover His nature—what He is like—and His will—what He desires. As you discover the nature of God in the Scriptures, one of the things you find is that God is love (1 John 4:8). His love is so great that it is manifested towards us; it is revealed to us.

1 John 4:9 states, "In this, the love of God was manifested towards us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the payment, the propitiation for our sins. God is love, and He has manifested and demonstrated His love towards us in Christ Jesus.

As we hold fast to the Scriptures and hold fast in faith, we begin to discover this great love that God has for us. This love will have an effect on us, and you can be certain of this: the love of God will have its work in us.

In what way? Well, John goes on in First John 4:11. Right after he says this, he states, "If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." How do we do that? In the previous chapter, he explains it like this: First John 3:16 says, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

Paul is facing hardship. Why is he in the situation he's in? Because he had committed himself to Christ. He discovered that God loved him so much that He gave His life for him. Paul says, "I'm going to lay down my life," and that might mean that he suffers. Now he is saying to Timothy, "I'm calling you to do the same thing." But so that you can stand strong in the storm, you have to hold fast to the words of Scripture. You have to hold fast to those words in faith, and you have to hold fast to those words in love. In verse 14, it says, "That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us."

Once again, here in this section of Scripture, we have before us these two great truths that we often find in the Scriptures. Unfortunately, many Christians often try to put these things against each other, as if they are contrary or at odds with one another. But they are not at odds with one another. This has to do with the whole debate that has been going on within the larger Protestant church since the Protestant Reformation for the last four or five hundred years. That is the issue of God's sovereignty and man's free responsibility. In passages like this, we see that these things are joined together; they are not at odds with one another.

If anyone wants to tell you that it's only God's sovereignty and there is no free will, or it's only man's responsibility and there is no God's sovereignty, that's not what is revealed in the Bible. Constantly, these things are seen right next to each other. Here, Paul is giving an impassioned plea to Timothy for Timothy's responsibility: "Hold fast and keep that which is committed to you." What has been committed to Timothy? Presumably, it is the words of Scripture, the gospel. Paul says, "It's been committed to you. You need to keep guard over this." So that's your responsibility, Timothy.

But in that, there is this great promise: "The good thing that was committed to you, you guard it. You keep it by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us." There is God's sovereignty. You have a responsibility to endure, to persist, to maintain, and to keep pressing forward. In that responsibility, you have the abiding presence of the Spirit of God dwelling in you.

You and not just dwelling in you, enabling and empowering you from within. So here's the promise that every Christian has received: God has promised that He would not leave us without an abiding presence of help by the Holy Spirit.

It's like this. On the night that Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the night before He was crucified, He was with His disciples, and they were troubled about what was about to come. He said to them in John 14, verse 16, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

So Jesus promises His followers, His disciples, that He is going to come to them and abide in them by His presence of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus rose from the dead, He met with His disciples, and John records that He breathed on them and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." One of the marks of a Christian is that they have the indwelling presence of God within them: the Holy Spirit. Paul says in First Corinthians, chapter three, and in chapter six, "You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Do you not know that Christ dwells in you with all of His power?"

As we go through trials, He says to hold fast the sound words of doctrine. Hold fast the word in faith. Hold fast with love in Christ Jesus. Number four, hold fast the indwelling Holy Spirit. You and I, as we go through this life, are not alone in the world. We will encounter difficulty, pain, trials, and potentially persecution.

How do we increase the odds that we will endure in the face of those things as we go through the difficulties of this life? We need to remember that God is with us and in us by His Holy Spirit as we walk through those trials. Even though we may go through difficult circumstances and situations in this life where it seems like nobody else is with us, God is with us.

That becomes very, very important as we read the next verse. Look at Second Timothy, chapter one, verse 15: "Timothy, this you know, that all of those in Asia have turned away from me." Now, when Paul is writing this, he is in the city of Rome, and Timothy is several hundred miles to the east in what was called Asia Minor at that time.

Today, it's modern-day Turkey. Paul is in a city called Ephesus, the capital city of Asia Minor. He writes to Timothy and says, "Timothy, as you well know, all of those in Asia have turned away from me. They've departed from me." Maybe you've experienced that before. You're going through a hardship, and it seems like everybody splits. Some of you know that feeling.

Now, this is the interesting thing. Paul mentions that among those who turned away from him are Phygelus and Hermogenes. How would you like to have your name immortalized in Scripture as one of the individuals who left Paul at his most needful time? That's not enjoyable. So, how do we endure through the storms of this life when everybody else splits?

The fifth element, if you will, that's given to us here is found in verse 16: "The Lord grant mercy to the household of Anisophorus, for he often refreshed me." Phygelus and Hermogenes turned away from Paul, but Anisophorus often refreshed him. He was not ashamed of Paul's chain. Why did Phygelus and Hermogenes turn away from Paul? Presumably, it would be answered at the end of verse 16. They were ashamed of Paul because of the things he was being accused of. Whatever it was, they turned away from him, but not Anisophorus.

So, the Lord grant mercy to the household of Anisophorus because he refreshed me. When he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. "The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day." You know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Wherever I've been in my life, whether in Ephesus or now here in Rome, Anisophorus has been there. He sought me out in Rome and looked diligently for me until he found me. He was very passionate about trying to find me when I was here in Rome.

Many of Paul's friends had become deserters. At the end of 1st and 2nd Timothy, chapter four, he speaks of others who have all departed from him. One guy by the name of Demas says, "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." But though there were many who forsook their association with Paul, Anisophorus didn't.

And because of it, Paul speaks a very special blessing to Onesiphorus. The Lord grant mercy to his household because he refreshed me often and he was not ashamed of my chains. This man, of whom we know nothing else other than what is said here in this passage of Scripture, ministered to Paul while he was serving in Ephesus. He continued to minister to Paul while he was in prison in Rome. When he heard that Paul was in need, he was there.

In this man, I hope we see what should be present within the body of Christ. When you become a Christian and God indwells you by His Holy Spirit, He adopts you into His family, the church, which is referred to as the body of Christ. As we go through trials, seeking to hold fast in the midst of those challenges—holding fast to the words of Scripture, faith, and love, as well as to the indwelling Holy Spirit—this fifth and final element is vital.

Point number five is to hold fast to fellowship within the body of Christ. One of the greatest joys to experience is the blessing of being a part of the family of God, the body of Christ, especially when you're going through trials. The body of Christ is truly that: a body. When one part suffers, the whole suffers. Therefore, the body comes together to encourage and strengthen one another.

I would say this is one of the greatest helps in times of trial: to know that, in the midst of whatever we are facing, we have a brother or sister in Christ who is there to come alongside us, sometimes just to sit in silence, to pray, to encourage, and to strengthen. Everybody experiences hardship in a broken and fallen world. We highly esteem and exalt those who persist and persevere in the face of trouble.

How can we make ourselves more likely to stand in the storm? First, hold fast to the sound words of Scripture. Hold fast in faith. Hold fast in love. Hold fast to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and hold fast to the fellowship of the body of Christ. This is why the author of the book of Hebrews says, "Do not neglect the gathering together of the body as some have."

It's an interesting thing that has happened in the last decade in our culture.

As live video media has become so easily accessible and the costs have come down, there is a lot of church online and church live. This has enabled certain people to say, "I just do church in my living room," which sounds really great. Quite honestly, I would rather stay in my pajamas on Sunday morning and just have a cup of coffee on my own couch. I get it; I totally understand why some people say that.

However, do not neglect the gathering together of the body of Christ. You can't do this digitally; it doesn't work that way. The body of Christ ministers to one another. This is also why we put such an emphasis on connect groups. I will say it again: you need to plug into a group, a connect group here at Cross Connection Church. Basically, all you have to do is go on our website, lifeinconnection.com/groups, and you'll find a group.

Maybe God has gifted you with the gift of hospitality. You love to have people come into your home and enjoy serving those who visit. Perhaps God would use that gift as a host for a connect group. Let us know; come talk to us. We would love for you to host a group, but you've got to plug in because you will face troubles. You will go through hardships. One of the greatest supports in the midst of those hardships, next to the Word of God that strengthens us and the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who empowers us, is the body of Christ that props us up.

So plug in. Don't just do a touch-and-go here on Sunday mornings. The difficult day will come, and we want to be there to pray with you and walk with you as you go through it.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, I thank you for the principles we find here in Second Timothy and for the importance of these things as each one of us goes in various directions this week. No doubt, whether we realize it or not, there will be some speed bumps, potholes, troubles, and trials along the way for all of us. They may seem minor, but they are significant to us in the moment.

Lord, in those things, I pray that we would be those who hold fast to your Word. We know it well. Not only do we know your Word, but we know you. We have experienced your love, and we have trust and faith in you. We have your indwelling presence, but we also have that brother or sister within the body of Christ that we can reach out to.

And say, would you pray for me? God, do that work in us so that we would be more likely to stand in the storm.

We praise You, Jesus, for Your enabling power by Your Spirit. We praise You for Your Word that encourages us. We thank You so much that You have made us a family. We who were not a people are now Your people because we have received Your mercy and Your grace.

We thank You. Amen.