“But As for You” (2 Timothy 3:10-17)

 

*My Grandfather’s Journal: With Powerful Testimonies and Over 500 Bible Verses He Memorized

Vanity Fair: The World We Live In
In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and Faithful must pass through a town called Vanity Fair. Satan set up a permanent fair along the pilgrim’s path. There, people sell houses, honors, titles, pleasures, gold – everything the heart desires. As the two pilgrims walk through, the crowd is stirred. Their clothing is different. Their way is different. People begin to mock them. One merchant asks, “What will you buy?” And they answer, “We buy the truth.” The answer only angers the crowd more. They are abused, arrested, and brought to trial. Faithful speaks boldly, and in the end, he dies a martyr.
 
In 2 Timothy 3, Paul describes what the last days will look like. People will be selfish and love money. Proud. Ungrateful. Unholy. Without love. They will love pleasure instead of loving God. They will look like they are religious but deny God’s power.” (vv. 1-5, CEB) Do you see these signs today? Friends, we are living in such a time. So the question is: How should we live? How do we stand firm and remain faithful?  
 
Follow Christ Through Godly Examples
Paul gives us two clear ways. Follow Christ through godly examples, and follow Christ through the Scriptures. He says, “But as for you…” (verses 10 and 14). The world may go one way – but you go another way.
 
First, follow Christ through the examples of God’s people. God always provides help in times of need. Paul says, “Follow my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance.” He reminds Timothy of the persecutions he endured, especially in Lystra, Timothy’s hometown. Paul is not saying, “Look at me.” He is saying, “Look at the Lord who sustained me.” Timothy saw it. Paul was stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead. But the Lord raised him up. So Paul is saying, “Take heart. Trials will come. Anyone who wants to live for Christ will face hardship. But God will be with you. God will help you.”
 
This is how God works. He sends helpers. Timothy saw Paul and followed Christ. In the same way, after Christian escaped Vanity Fair, a man named Hopeful followed him. Hopeful said, “I heard your message. I saw Faithful’s life. I was moved.” And he became a pilgrim too.
 
When we face trials, look for God-sent helpers. Follow their example. And by God’s grace, become a helper to others. In my own life, God has always provided such people: pastors, teachers, friends, church family. One of the greatest examples was my grandfather. He was often sent to difficult churches – places full of conflict. At one church, people tried to drive him out. They spread rumors. They tried to trap him with hard questions. They even threatened his family. But he endured with patience. He kept preaching, teaching, visiting, and praying with love. Over time, hearts changed. People repented. The church became united and grew. This is true ministry: to help someone come to Christ through your heart.
 
Follow Christ Through the Scriptures  
Second, follow Christ through the Bible. In verse 14 Paul says, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned.” What had Timothy learned? The Holy Scripture. Paul declares, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” That means every part of the Bible points to salvation through faith in Christ.
 
On the road to Emmaus, two disciples didn’t recognize Jesus. They didn’t understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. So Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” The he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the Scriptures, starting with the Moses and all the Prophets. (Luke 24:25-27) Then later, he said, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
 
The Law of Moses points to Christ: the repeated sacrifices prepare us for the one perfect sacrifice, once for all, in Jesus. The Historical Books point to Christ: Prophets, priests, and kings all fall short, and point ahead to the true Prophet, the perfect Priest, the eternal King. The Psalms point to Christ. They are not only our prayers, but Jesus’ prayers, revealing his heart, his suffering, and his glory. The Wisdom Books show the limits of human understanding and lead us to Christ, the true wisdom of God. And the stories of God’s people in the Bible point beyond themselves. Think of Job. His innocent suffering and restoration point to Christ, who suffered for us and was raised in glory. 
 
The Bible reveals God’s great plan of salvation. God created us in His image, but we fell into sin and judgment. Yet God did not abandon us. He loved us and sent help – prophets, priests, kings – to guide His people. And in the fullness of time, He sent His Son. Jesus came, died for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended in glory, and sent the Holy Spirit. Now, by faith in Him, we are rescued from guilt, from bondage, and from death. This is not something we could discover on our own. It is God’s revelation. And at the center of it all stands Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, our salvation and our glory.
 
But As for You
So, “But as for you…” We must choose. Will we stand under the authority of the Bible, or place ourselves above it? In the 1940s two evangelists were close friends: Charles Templeton and Billy Graham. At that time, Templeton was more widely known. Many believed he would change the world with the gospel. But he later left the Christian faith and became an atheist. Near the end of his life, he wrote Farewell to God, where he described a crucial conversation with Billy Graham. Templeton said he could not accept the Bible’s teaching, including the account of creation, and he raised many difficult questions. This deeply troubled Billy Graham. He faced a real struggle over the authority of the Bible. One night, he went into the woods with his Bible and prayed. There, he made a decision: he would trust the Bible as the word of God and proclaim it as true. From that point on, whenever he preached, he would say, “The Bible says.” And God used him in a powerful way – to break idols in people’s hearts and lead many to Christ.
 
As John Calvin said, our hearts are idol factories. We are always tempted to remake God in our own image. Our idols may be shaped by our experiences, our fears, our arguments, our ignorance. Augustine struggled with this too. His mind was blinded. He was not able to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. But one day, in the garden he heard children chanting, “Pick up and read. Pick up and read.” And he opened the Bible and read Romans 13:13-14. He felt like his heart was flooded with light. Later, he wrote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” My prayer is this: May we pick up and read the Bible. Every day. As we read, may Christ read us. Shape us. Lead us. And give us rest in him. Amen.