He Is Able To

Text : 2 Timothy 1 : 8– 14

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and time relaxing , they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
"I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes" replies Watson.
"And what do you deduce from that?"
Watson ponders for a minute.

"Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo.

Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.

Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe.
What does it tell you, Holmes?"

Holmes is silent for a moment, and then he replies,
"Watson, you idiot! It tells me that Someone has stolen our tent!"
Years ago there was a radio program whose announcer would loudly proclaim, "People do the craziest things!" Whether from stupidity, carelessness or foolishness, some things people do make absolutely no sense at all. For example, the following stories are absolutely true.

A few years ago the telephone company in Sacramento, CA., set up a very modern Service Center where customers could call in to report troubles on their line, request repairs or installation of new equipment, & inquire about their bills. There was only one catch. When it opened, the Service Center had an unlisted telephone number.

Then again, in Springfield, IL, a funeral director listened in amazement to a coffin salesman’s criticisms of a competitor’s coffins. What the salesman said doesn’t make much sense, but here it is. He said, "Our coffins are lined with real silk. But their coffins are lined with a synthetic material which may cause skin irritations."

I guess that radio announcer was right. People do the craziest things! But I am convinced that there is nothing as foolish as some of the reasons people give for their lack of commitment to Jesus.

In 2 Timothy 1:12 the apostle Paul said, "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Then just two verses later, Paul tells the young preacher, Timothy, “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”(2 Timothy 1:14)
In both of those verses the Apostle Paul uses a special Greek word, which means "a treasure or a deposit left with someone you trust completely."

There were no banks back in Paul’s day where you could deposit your money & keep it safe. So what did you do with your wealth when you went on a journey? Then again, if you were to die, who could you trust to be the executor of your estate?

How could you be sure that your family would receive what was rightly theirs? The person you ask to take care of your possessions must be someone you know very well, & whom you trust completely.

And that is what Paul is saying that Jesus is in this verse when he said, "I know whom I have believed & I am convinced that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him until that day."
"I KNOW HIM!"

Isn’t it exciting when we have the occasion to say: “I KNOW HIM or HER!”
(Examples: Caitlynn Houlihan on Broadway as an actress
OR
The members of the US Olympic Swim Team because of Keenan and Kalyn Robinson (Keller).

Here in our text Paul is NOT saying, "I know about Him as an historic figure," or, "I know about Him as a name that appears in the books."

But rather, "I know Him as my Savior, as my friend. I know Him as one who walks beside me & guides me. I know Jesus, & I know “He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him.”
I am sure that as Paul wrote these words he must have thought back over his life & the terrible things he had done when he had persecuted the church as he persecuted the Christians who were a part of that church.

But then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, & from that moment on his life was never the same again. Where once he had imprisoned Christians, now as a Christian he was in prison.
Sitting there in that prison cell in Rome, Paul must have remembered all the horrible things that had happened to him the suffering he had endured the times that he had been arrested & beaten & left for dead the times he was hungry & cold & lonely.
Yet, when compared to the joy that was his because of his friendship with Christ it was worth it all. So he writes, "I know Jesus Christ, & I want you to know Him, too!"

You see, the greatest news is not that Paul knows Christ or that John knows Christ or that Peter knows Christ but that we can know Jesus Christ, too. That is the greatest news of all.

We are told that when we accept Him as our Savior, repenting of our sins & are baptized into Him, that He takes our sins away, forgiving us & forgetting our sins & washing them all away.
When we keep His commandments we show our love for Him, & He becomes the Lord & the Master of our lives. We receive the gift of His Spirit to live within us & give us guidance & strength & direction for every day.
I heard of a minister from Hartford, Connecticut who was an invalid most of his life but he was never heard complaining about his circumstances or seen feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he found it as blessing to be able to preach to others about Jesus and what Jesus has done for all mankind.

In the very last sermon he ever preached he said, "I know Jesus better than I know any man in Hartford." What a wonderful thing to be able to say! "I know Jesus!" The joy of knowing Jesus!
Do you know Him? Can you stand with Paul & John & Peter & all of the others who have walked the corridors of time, marching in the army of God & say, "I know Jesus?"

That should be a personal goal for each and every one of us here this evenin!
The 2nd thing we see in this text is the power of Christ. "I know Him," Paul said, "& I know that He is able." Those are great words, "Christ is able."
Think of the might of Christ & think of all the things which Almighty God can do.

He is able to create. We read in John 1:3 that "All things were made by Him; & without Him was not anything made that was made." He created this world & this universe & everything in it. He created it out of nothing.

Man has built magnificent cities, but we have built everything out of existing materials, & one day everything we have built will return to dust.

I have felt the mist of Niagara Falls in my face. I have flown over some areas of the Rocky Mountains and have seen the purple mountains’ majesties. I have stood on the shores of the Atlantic & the Pacific & listened to the restless waves.
I have gone down to the depths of some of the Caverns in the U.S.

I have looked into the starry sky & seen the Milky Way at night. People, when we look at this world we must be over-whelmed at the creation that God has given to us.

But the greatest news is not that God is able to create, but that He is able to recreate us. God made man in His own image, & He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
But what God created,
Satan sought to destroy.

Satan tempted man, & man gave in to that temptation & sinned separating himself from God.
So God sent Jesus to cleanse us from all sin & bring us back to God. That is the best news that I can tell you this morning. He is able!
He is also able to comfort us & inspire us.
Over the years I have read various church papers. Some of them have a column headed with these words, "He Is Able."
Underneath are the names of those who are sick & those who are bereaved. What a beautiful promise when tears come & hearts are broken. "He is able!"

The 1st Century world marveled at the attitude that Christians had about death. They couldn’t understand how Christians could rejoice when one of their number died. But we are told that we can rejoice because Jesus has won the victory over sin & death.
Look at some of the paintings of that time. There is one that is particularly outstanding. It is a picture of Christians in the center of the Coliseum at Rome. Behind them are hungry lions ready to devour them.

In the stands are people filled with hatred, shouting at the Christians, cheering on the lions.
But on the face of every Christian there is a look of peace & life & hope, because "He is able."

Despite everything that we encounter on this earth, "He is able."
He is able to comfort us & inspire us to the greatest heights of service in His kingdom. So Paul writes, "I know Him, & I know that He is able."

"TO KEEP THAT WHICH I HAVE ENTRUSTED TO HIM"
Paul goes on to say, "I know that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him." What had Paul entrusted to Christ?
Obviously, he had entrusted his life. He had committed his body & his soul & his spirit completely to Jesus.

The Bible teaches that our eternal spirit is worth more than anything else in all the world more than silver or gold. It is the most valuable possession we have, & Paul says,
"I have entrusted that valuable possession to Jesus, & He is able to keep it safe, to protect it from all the temptations of the world & to keep it that way throughout eternity."

He is also able to keep track of all that we have done.
The 26th Chapter of Matthew tells of an interesting event that occurred during the last week before Jesus was arrested & crucified. Beginning with vs. 6 it says,

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume,
“which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table.”

“When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ (Matthew 26:6-9)

But Jesus didn’t think it was wasted. In fact, He commended her for what she had done. He said, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

“When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.”
Then Jesus said something that I think we ought especially to remember. He said, 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Matthew 26:10-13)

Not only did all four of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) record this event, but I am convinced that God is keeping record also.

In fact, the Bible tells us that every good thing we do for someone else every time we witnessed to the lost & brought them to Christ God is keeping record, & He will never forget.

Paul said, "I know whom I have believed, & I am convinced that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him until that day."

Paul is obviously referring to that day when all the people of the world will stand before the judgment throne of God. Jesus tells us about that day in Matt. 25:33-40.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
“...Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you...’

‘For I was hungry & you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty & you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger & you invited me in,

“I needed clothes & you clothed me, I was sick & you looked after me, I was in prison & you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry & feed you, or thirsty & give you something to drink?

“When did we see you a stranger & invite you in, or needing clothes & clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison & go to visit you?

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:33-40) What a day of rejoicing that will be!

But for others, it will not be a day of rejoicing. Jesus says that some will hear the words, “Depart from me. ... Whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:45)

If we are His, then on that day when God’s people stand before the throne we will hear the words, "Well done, good & faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21)

I ask you again, "Do you know Jesus?" Regardless of your needs this morning, our God is able.
He is able to forgive our sins. He is able to recreate you in the image of Almighty God. He is able to keep that which you entrust to Him your life & your eternal spirit. He will keep it & protect it & love it for all time & eternity.
People, that day is coming. No one knows when, but it is coming, & we must be ready. Again & again God tells us, "Be prepared. Be ready for that day when it comes."

Will you heed that advice this morning? If you are not ready, Christ is here to help you get ready. He invites you to come.
Will you come as together we stand and sing the song of invitation?

Sermon Contributed
By Melvin Newland