Study 12 GOD’’S WAY OF DELIVERANCE

PAUL’S SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY

by Francis Dixon
Scripture Portion: Romans 6:1-18. Key verse: 2 Timothy 4:18

God’’s purpose and provision for every Christian is a life of victory. This truth is
emphasised in our key verse, which contains Paul’’s dying confidence. Paul was an
old man when he wrote and he was in prison awaiting his final trial before Nero.
For thirty years he had known and served the Lord, and now, at the end of his
earthly life and service, awaiting martyrdom, what were his reactions? Was he
filled with self-pity and overwhelmed with discouragement and a sense of defeat?
No –- read 2 Timothy 4:18! What confidence this man had in the face of
martyrdom! But Paul’’s dying confidence should be the confidence of every living
Christian. Perhaps you are defeated and overcome, you are in trouble and in
distress; but you are God’’s child and He is your God, and He wants you to have
this holy confidence in Him and in His purpose. He wants you to know deliverance
and glorious victory. Linked together in this verse are several victory secrets, as
follows:-

1. A LIFE OF GLORIOUS VICTORY IS PROMISED BY THE LORD AND

IS AVAILABLE TO EVERY BELIEVER

This is the message of our key verse, and how it challenges us, for is it not true that
we are often defeated by sin, living on a low level of Christian experience and
overcome when tempted? We worry and become anxious, we are fearful and
apprehensive, we constantly become insecure and we often sin against the Lord. Is
this the best that God has for us? Should this be the normal experience of a
Christian or has God provided for victory? Yes, He has, and our verse tells us this.
The Lord Jesus came to be our Saviour (Matthew 1:21) and compare Hebrews
7:25. The great declaration of the letter to the Romans concerning the
sanctification of the believer is –- look up Romans 6:14. God’’s plan is that we
should be – Romans 8:37! It is God’’s will that we should live a victorious life,
enjoying victory over sin and self and victory in the middle of life’’s trials.

 
2. THE VICTORY WHICH THE LORD PROMISES, AND WHICH IS
POSSIBLE FOR EVERY BELIEVER, IS COMPLETE

It is not a partial victory. The deliverance is from “”every evil attack”” –- that is,
everything that is contrary to God’’s will for us. Does this include victory in the
midst of sorrow, loss, bereavement and trouble? It certainly does. It does not mean
that we shall not have these things, but it means that when they come we shall be
victorious in the midst of them. Paul was deserted by his friends, but the Lord
delivered him from bitterness; he was imprisoned, but he was delivered from self-
pity; he was lonely, but he was delivered from the sense of loneliness by the
consciousness of the Lord’’s own presence (2 Timothy 4:17); and he was waiting
to be martyred, but he was delivered from fear. God’’s plan and purpose is that we
should be delivered from everything that is contrary to His will for us, and this
includes the deadly work of the Devil, the subtle work of the world, and the
insidious work of the flesh. It includes deliverance from fear, doubt, anxiety and
worry; it includes the gift and enjoyment of His peace, His calm and His quiet
confidence.

3. THIS LIFE OF VICTORY, WHICH THE LORD PROMISES TO AND

PROVIDES FOR EVERY BELIEVER, IS NOT ONLY COMPLETE BUT IT
IS CONTINUOUS

Paul knew that he did not have long to live –- perhaps only a few weeks or months
–- but he was confident that the Lord would preserve Him to the end of the
journey. Consider this for a moment: the Lord can keep us for one second, or for
many years until He calls us into His immediate presence. He does not promise to
bring us to any position in which we are unable to sin, but rather to bring us into a
position of union with Himself and a sharing in His victory so that we are able not
to sin. This is victory indeed!

4. THIS LIFE OF VICTORY IS THE ONLY LIFE THAT GLORIFIES GOD

Paul finished his great statement with the words, “”To him be glory for ever and
ever.”” Does our sin and our failure glorify Him? When we are gripped by fear and
overcome by doubts, does that glorify Him? No! These things do not glorify Him.
The only life that glorifies the Lord is one which is being delivered from ““every
evil attack””.
 

5. THIS LIFE OF VICTORY IS NOT THE RESULT OF OUR TRYING,

OUR EFFORT, OUR STRUGGLING OR OF OUR WORKING, BUT IT IS
ALTOGETHER OF HIS DOING

Notice how careful Paul is to say, “”The Lord will rescue me…”…” Why have we
failed so often when we have been tempted to sin, or when we have been
overwhelmed with troubles and trials? If we have failed, then each time it has been
due to the fact that we have not let the Lord give us the victory. There are three
secrets of entrance into this victorious Christian life. They are:-

1. (1) Acknowledge. We must acknowledge our need, that we have failed and
that we need the Lord Himself to give us deliverance and victory. We must
recognise that the life of victory that God wants us to enjoy is impossible of
human attainment.
2. (2) Abandon. We must stop trying in our own strength to gain the victory,
for we can never do it; it is beyond our powers –- look up 1 Corinthians
15:57.
3. (3) Appropriate. We must take the victory that God offers us, and as we
acknowledge our desperate need we must abandon ourselves to the Lord and
then appropriate the enabling that He gives us.

Notice how our key verse finishes: it finishes with the word ‘‘Amen’’, which means
‘‘So let it be!’’ Because it is the Lord’’s plan and purpose for us to live a life of
victory, because this is possible for each one of us and it is the only life that will
glorify Him – – ‘So let it be!’’