In his masterful work, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis mentions a certain group of "middle-aged" people. He said that these men and women were "maundering about their lost youth" trying to recapture the thrills they experienced when they were kids.

He grieved over them because these people failed to realize something about aging. Because they refused to progress past what they already experienced, they missed the new and exciting horizons that were waiting for them.

Lewis writes, "It is much better fun to learn to swim than to go on endlessly (and hopelessly) trying to get back the feeling you had when you first went paddling as a small boy."

This phenomenon can happen to anyone, even in our day and age. People grow frustrated trying to muster up excitement over what they already have and miss out on what’s waiting for them… when they mature.

Why do some people choose to stay in the shallows, paddling around, instead of pushing out into the deep waters to swim?

Why do some people prefer to stick with what they already know or have experienced, instead of reaching for new horizons?

Well, for many the reason is obvious. It’s easier to stick with what you already know, than to take a risk to reach for something more. 

Because, if you want to see those new horizons, you have to grow. And growing means doing something you’ve never done before.

This danger exists for Christians. The longer we’re saved the greater we run the risk of being satisfied with what we already know or have already experienced. 

Some even build walls around their ideas about God and refuse to learn anything else. 

Entire denominations have done this. Once their founder died, they stopped progressing and said, "What he wrote is all there is to know about walking with Jesus."

Lewis warned that people who refuse to grow become “bored” and “disillusioned.” For a Christian, they miss out on the new horizons God wants us to embrace in him.

This was a problem even for Timothy. By the time Paul wrote this letter, Timothy was no novice in the faith. He had traveled with Paul, preached the gospel, and pastored several communities.

But, with the aging apostle facing soon to depart, it was vital that his son didn’t become stagnant.

Timothy had a choice. He could grow comfortable with his Christian faith—and drift into dangerous waters. Or, he could press on toward the new horizon that awaited him.

To do that would require more from Timothy than he might realize. It would require him to go well beyond the “extra mile.”

But he would not be left to do this on his own. What Paul wrote in our passage for today is both a challenge and an encouragement.

My message is “The High Bar.” If we wish to reach new horizons in God, we must learn what God is expecting from us—and how he intends to get us there.

2 Timothy 3:10-13: The High Bar is Met in Christ

“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:10–13, ESV) 

At the start of chapter 3, Paul warned Timothy about people plunging headfirst into all kinds of immorality in the last days. He even brought up corrupt men who entice unsuspecting women and deny the truth.

Paul discusses men like this in both his letters to Timothy. These weren’t strangers or pagans, but men who once professed faith. But now… they have fallen into heresy and sin.

He even spoke about men they both knew who had turned from Christ.

Again and again, Paul is urging Timothy to have nothing to do with these people. Don't fall for the same schemes that they did. They are like the men who rebelled against Moses all those years ago—and were horribly destroyed.

Should maturing Christians be warned about drifting from the faith? You better believe it. None of us should be so secure in our knowledge or accomplishments that we don’t fear slipping.

When I saw “drift away,” I don’t mean “lose your salvation.” You can be “saved” and still stray from “pure devotion to Christ.”

If not, Paul wouldn’t have warned Timothy!

The further you advance in the faith, the more comfortable you might become in your knowledge or accomplishments.

And it's not very long before you think of yourself more highly than you should.

You might be tempted to depend on yourself, not Christ. And it will only be a matter of time before you crash and burn.

What is the remedy? In verses ten and eleven, Paul gives Timothy a pretty high bar to reach for.

The apostle tells Timothy that, unlike those other men, he is to continue to do what he saw Paul doing.

He must follow Paul's example. In teaching, conduct, aim in life, faith, patience, love, and steadfastness—even in the face of persecution.

That's quite a tall order to give to anyone, even someone as reliable and loyal as Timothy. Let's take some time to digest what Paul is saying.

Paul's teaching: this is a no-brainer, right? We know that Paul received his teaching from Christ himself. Timothy would be a fool to embrace anything less than the risen Christ's “eternal gospel.”

We too have access to Paul's teaching. Some have said the book of Romans—one of Paul's letter—is the finest work of theology ever written. 

Not only do we have letters written by Paul, but also his teachings found in the book of Acts. And we should also include with that the teachings found in the rest of scripture.

Paul’s charge doesn’t just mean Timothy must teach what Paul taught. He needs to live it out himself. He needs to digest the truth of the gospel, so he can properly teach it to others.

Paul's lifestyle: more than his teaching, Timothy is to follow Paul's conduct and aim in life. Timothy traveled with Paul and watched him. If Paul had any major character flaws, Tim would have seen them.

But Paul was so confident in his integrity, he could safely tell Timothy to emulate him, without fear. Timothy never saw Paul flirt with women, talk about someone behind their back, bend the truth, or steal from someone.

Pauls’ conduct reflected his aim in life: which was to see people trust in Christ.

And that powerful goal drove him to maintain a high level of integrity. Can we say the same? Oo, that's a tough one, I know.

Paul's faith, love, steadfastness: again, all that Timothy has to do is remember how Paul expressed his faith through acts of love. Paul worked tirelessly to serve the Church. He even worked a normal job, sometimes, so he could have money to preach. 

There wasn't anything Paul wouldn't give up so others could hear the good news. And that included his personal safety, in the face of persecution.

This is what he meant by steadfastness. Paul stood strong even when faced with tough opposition to his message. Paul specifically cites three moments when he faced intense persecution.

Surprisingly, these were three episodes before Timothy began traveling with Paul. Yet, he mentions these, so there must be a reason why.

Antioch here is Pisidia Antioch, a city in what is modern day Turkey. Paul saw a huge response from Jews and Gentiles. But the unbelieving Jews grew jealous and incited opposition. This forced him to leave the city.

At Iconium, again unbelieving Jews "poisoned" the minds of the Gentiles. Paul spent a "long time" correcting their lies. But when they tried to stone Paul, he was forced to flee the city.

But don’t worry! They get another chance at Lystra. There, Paul healed a crippled man—convincing the people that he was a god. Paul and Barnabas had to stop them from sacrificing a bull to them. But things shifted dramatically, when his enemies from the last two cities arrived and turned the crowds against Paul. The people who wanted to worship Paul end up stoning him. Scripture is ambiguous about whether Paul was, in fact, killed. But the believers pray for him and he gets up, and moves on to the next town. 

We see a progression from city to city. The persecution gets more intense, until Paul is literally stoned.

It’s no surprise that Paul is bringing up these events, because Timothy is certain to experience similar opposition.

Hebrews 13:23 mention a Timothy who “has been released.” It is likely this is the same man who, based on that verse, was arrested at some point.

According to church tradition, Timothy was martyred for his faith in Ephesus. 

Paul is encouraging Timothy that there will always be evil men who oppose the gospel. Yet, if he is to follow Paul's example, he must not let these men stop him from preaching the word.

An important note about these three towns. After Paul is stoned, he returns to these towns. The Bible says he “made many disciples” in the region and specifically mentions he returns to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

The enemy throws the very worst he could at Paul—yet Paul comes out the winner

This is what he’s emphasizing to Timothy. When the enemy hits you, get back up—because God’s going to have the last word.

It’s a tall order, regardless. Then, Paul drops this bombshell. Don't you love it? Everyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ will suffer persecution!

It's not a matter of if, but of when. If you intend to walk with Jesus, people will oppose you.

Paul is setting quite a high bar, huh? If you want to reach those new horizons in Christ, you have to be just like him? 

Be just like an apostle in teaching, in conduct, in love, and even in enduring persecution? How can anyone do that?

Well, let's not forget one important thing: Paul was not perfect. 

We tend to put the people in the Bible up on pedestals. As if they were super Christians or something.

But Paul was just a man. Yes, a very special man, but still a normal person like you and me. 

In fact, at one time he opposed God and persecuted Christians.

So, how was he able to be so diligent and effective for the gospel? And how was Timothy going to do it after him?

And how are we going to effective for the gospel—all these years later in San Antonio, TX?

This is how, write this as our first point. The High Bar is Met in Christ.

Why is Paul setting such a high standard for Timothy? Because he thinks he can do it himself? Of course, not.

He's setting such a high bar so Timothy will understand he can't do this by himself. 

Such devotion to the gospel, even in the face of persecution, can't be done in our power, diligence, or self-effort.

Paul is putting all this in Timothy’s lap, so to speak, so that he—and we—will realize it can only be done through the power that Christ provides.

Mature Christians need to know this, perhaps more than new converts. The further you go in faith, the more often you need to be reminded of this.

A baby Christian doesn't need to be told, "Depend on Jesus." They usually understand that better than the rest of us.

They just got snatched from the fires of hell. They have no illusions as to who is really in the driver's seat!

But wait a few years. After walking with God for a while, a Christian can fall for the lie that their knowledge or experience is enough.

Paul sets the bar so high so that none of us think we can reach it ourselves. Paul didn’t do it on his own. He received grace from God. Especially when it came to enduring persecution.

Let's spend a little more time on that. Paul said all of us will face persecution. Even us folks in the USA can count on that.

Not all of us will be beaten or stoned. But, from time to time, we will be opposed for our testimony of Jesus Christ.

There was a time in my life when I faced some unexpected persecution. I had moved to a new city and applied for a job.

It seemed like the perfect arrangement. The office was just a mile from my apartment. I was well-qualified for the role.

When I spoke with the man who would interview me, he was excited to meet me. Not only did he like my design work, but he saw my illustrations and wanted me to draw something for his wedding invitations.

Then, I went to the interview. On my resume I had listed that I worked for a Bible college and a ministry. I told the company that I was a Christian. Instantly, this man's opinion of me changed. I got the job, but he no longer wanted anything to do with me.

Which, was a big problem, since he had to train me. It was like I had become a stench in his nostrils. He never commissioned me for artwork. He didn't even like me being around him.

I can tell you that, while I worked at that office, I was miserable. It was because I testified to my faith in Jesus and this co-worker despised me for it.

Sometimes persecution looks that way. Sometimes it looks like friends abandoning you, family gossiping behind your back, or neighbors mistrusting you.

Or you could be arrested, wrongfully convicted, beaten, or sentenced to death.

Which is better? Doesn't matter. The fact remains persecution is normative for the believer.

But there is hope. And Paul gives it right in the text.

He reminded Timothy of those three episodes of persecution. And then he wrote, "Yet from them all the Lord rescued me."

Again, the high bar is met in Christ. Persecution has a way of forcing us to depend on God, because we can’t depend on ourselves or other people in that moment.

We don't need to hide our light out of fear of persecution because the Lord is on our side. He vindicates his people when they are slandered, insulted, or wrongfully treated. 

Persecution, in some cases, might mean our death. But even then, the Lord is with us. He will welcome us with open arms into his heavenly kingdom.

Of course, there is another option. You can entirely avoid persecution if you really want to. 

Notice this detail Paul added in verse twelve. All those who want to live godly lives. Hmm… how interesting! There is another way to get out of persecution: just don't live a life that matches what you say.

There are people in our society who talk a lot about God, even Jesus Christ. But it’s hard to tell if they really believe, because nothing about their lives mirrors the Bible.

You see, the world doesn't care if you say you are a Christian, if you live like an unbeliever.

But if you back your words with godly actions, they can’t ignore you. They will feel conflicted about their sin when they see you. It might actually force them to reckon with the God they’ve been trying to avoid.

You will be a major threat Satan's plot to keep people in darkness. Because, in you, they see someone who means what they say.

Now, I'm sure there is nobody here who intends to betray the name of Christ to avoid persecution. 

But heed this warning: The longer you walk with God, and the older you get, the more you will have to lose.

Persecution is more palatable when you are young.

But when you have a family, kids, grandkids? A career, a reputation, nice stuff? 

Then the idea of losing all that is much more painful than you might realize.

Can you honestly say you have the power to withstand losing your family for Jesus? No, you don't.

That's the point. Nobody can give up what they cherish in their own strength. It takes the steadfastness Jesus provides, by his Spirit, to do something like that.

And that is what Paul is stressing to Timothy. To reach those new fruitful horizons, you need to do the impossible.

Paul in his kindness is urging Timothy not to trust in himself! Success in faith is not found in our abilities, but in what God gives us.

If you lean on Jesus for his grace and strength, you will hit that high bar. But it will not be you—but the power that Christ supplies to you.

Paul warns Timothy of what is awaiting him, if he doesn't lean on Jesus to reach this high bar. Verse thirteen is a scary reminder of what happens to people drift away from grace.

He says evil people will go on from bad to worse. But then he mentions imposters. Pretending to be someone you’re not? Ooo, God have mercy that we are never called that! 

If we don't depend on the grace that God provides through Jesus—his strength not our own—we could end up as imposters. People who deceive and are being deceived.

The reality is, this happens all the time. I've lost count of the number of pastors who have been exposed for sinful behavior… in just this year alone.

"Oh, Adam, you don't have to worry about me! Preservation of the saints, right? I can't fall."

As I said before, you can be saved but still drift from the truth.

All you have to do is stop depending on God's grace and rely on your knowledge, experiences, or merit.

Your strength will run out. And you might stumble hard. And the results could be devastating.

Why am I teaching this passage in this way? “Be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus.”

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1, NKJV)

2 Timothy 3:14-17: Christ Equips by Word and Spirit

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:14–17, ESV) 

In the first half of our text, Paul set a high bar for Timothy. It is a standard Timothy could not meet in and of himself.

He could only meet it by depending on Christ, who will give him the power.

In verses fourteen through seventeen, Paul reveals how Christ empowers us to hit that high bar.

How is Timothy going to emulate Paul so effectively? How is he going to stand firm, even in the face of adversity? 

This way, write this down as our second point: Christ Equips by Word and Spirit.

You need to understand that none of us are adequate for the task of spreading the gospel. 

The great work of building the kingdom of God is too hard for mere mortals to do on their own. Even mortals as fine as those here today.

It is a mystery of grace that God has chosen us to play a role in his eternal kingdom. To use weak human beings to accomplish his purposes on earth.

He chooses us and gives us his power, so all the "credit" goes to him.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV) 

Christ takes these lumps of clay and molds us into useful, faithful servants. But how does he do that? Paul tells us in these verses that Christ uses the word and the Spirit.

Let's look at that in more detail, eh?

In contrast to those evil men and imposters, Paul calls on Timothy to… continue in what he has firmly believed.

Kind of a no-brainer, I guess. Of course, we're supposed to continue to believe what we believe.

About Jesus, his kingdom, the gospel, the promise of eternal life…

But, faith is kind of a funny thing. We know it is a gift from God. But it is something God intends for us to use.

What do I mean by “use”? Faith isn't a monkey wrench. We are to walk in our faith. Live by our faith. 

Continue in a lifestyle of looking to what can’t be seen (God's heavenly kingdom promises) and not looking at what can be seen (this world and our circumstances).

Abiding in Christ involves actively using our faith if I can put it that way. Exercising it, through prayer and stepping out in faith to serve him.

Paul tells Timothy to continue in what he has believed. Don't abandon it for some other teaching. Don’t caste away your faith at the first sign of trouble.

Notice what he says next in verse fourteen, though. This is a key to continuing in faith.

"Knowing from whom you learned it." Paul's not just telling Timothy to hold fast to the truth. But to recall the people who taught it to him.

Was Paul the first person to instruct Timothy? Not at all. According to Acts, he was already a believer when Paul met him.

If you recall chapter one of this book, Paul revealed Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice were believers as well.

We should assume these women were the first to teach Timothy about the gospel. And he probably had other role models as well.

While urging Timothy to continue in the truth, Paul reminds him of the people who taught him. So, why is that so important?

Paul has already used himself as an example for Timothy to follow. Now, he wants Timothy to reflect on the examples left for him by his other teachers.

It would be easy, given this passage, to say that we are trained by God's word.

But you are not simply trained by the Bible. You just don't plop down in front of a Bible and suddenly you are equipped.

Every one of us here today, who believes in Jesus, are believers because of someone else.

Think about that. It may have been your mother or father. It may have been a youth pastor. It may have been a friend, neighbor, or sibling.

My mother came to Christ because of the testimony of her youngest sister. My Aunt Debbie was the first in their family (raised Catholic) to be born again and she impressed on her older sister—giving her a Bible—to receive him by faith as well.

I know of another person, a pastor and teacher by the name of Howard Morgan. As a young Jewish man in New York, he came to Christ after reading a gospel tract on the subway. He didn't even know the person who handed him that little booklet. But thanks to their faithfulness, he received Jesus by the time he got off the train. And has faithfully served the Lord for over 40 years.

We all have stories of how we met the Lord. They all involve other people who obeyed God and told you the gospel. Perhaps many times over your entire life.

Many of you have been that person for someone else. Praise God that you were.

Paul is making a connection between continuing in the faith and those people who first taught us the gospel.

If we want to grow—if we want to be equipped—we need more than just a head full of knowledge. We need people who will model the Christian life in front of us.

And, of course, that also means we need to model Christ to those around us.

This is a call, not just to be trained—but to look for opportunities to train others.

Would to God that this becomes a church of trainers! Teaching is not merely standing behind a pulpit.

Every single one of you can teach, disciple, mentor, and impart grace and truth to others.

You don't need a seminary degree. You don't need to be a pastor. You just need to find someone who is eager to learn and start loving them.

People need to see Christ with their eyes. But we don't want them to wait until the day he splits the sky! They can see Jesus, in all his love and grace, through you.

Regardless of how good a teacher you think you are, people can learn from your faith, patience, steadfastness…

Your sense of humor, cooking skills, or your ability to bait a hook.

It goes on and on. When you welcome people to come alongside you in this walk of faith, God will do great things.

A tall order, am I right? That's why we can't depend on ourselves to do it. Only Jesus can give us the power.

So, this is the first way Christ equips us, point A: through the instruction and example of other believers. Our mentors and role models.

But Paul has much more to say about how Jesus equips us. Starting in verse fifteen, he writes his famous declaration about the scriptures.

Paul says that the "sacred writings" are able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

That's interesting phrasing, isn't it? Paul didn't saying that knowing the scriptures saves you. But that they can make you wise for salvation. What does that mean?

As scary as it sounds, you can know the Bible and not be saved. In fact, you can eagerly study the Bible—and still miss God.

Don't believe me? Just listen to what Jesus said about this eerie phenomena:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (John 5:39–40, ESV) 

Jesus made this shocking accusation to teacher and experts in the Hebrew scriptures. These men feverishly studying the Bible—convinced its knowledge would grant them eternal life.

Yet all the while, the very author of the book was standing in front of them. And they would not believe in him.

"Oh, Adam," you might say, "I know all about those Pharisees. But we're not Pharisees. We know better than they did."

Be careful! Knowing the Bible doesn't save you. Having a vast knowledge of scriptures doesn't mean you even know God.

A.W. Tozer says in his seminal work The Pursuit of God, 

“The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God.”

The Bible plays a role in our salvation by making us wise. What does that look like? 

The word of God cuts the heart of a sinner, exposing his or her guilt before God.

It offers hope: you can’t save yourself, but Jesus Christ came and died for your sins.

He rose again to give you eternal life. All you have to do is ask him to forgive you—and he will.

Salvation through faith in Christ. I'm not in any way downplaying the importance God's word.

What I am doing is clarifying what role the scriptures play in our salvation. They are part of a process God uses to bring sons and daughters into his family.

After Paul explains this, he writes the famous affirmation that “all Scripture is breathed out by God.”

We testify, in this church, that the sixty-six books of the Bible were "breathed out" or inspired by God the Spirit.

As Pastor Tony explored at the start of our 2 Timothy study, God “carried along” the earthly writers of these books.

The inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the writing of scripture is a fascinating subject. Entire books explore this truth.

What we understand is that God moved these men to write the scriptures. God used their unique writing styles, perspectives, and personalities to convey his eternal truth.

The writers of the Bible weren’t making this up as they went along. God was working through them as they put pen to paper.

That is why we call this the written word of God.

After establishing this fact, Paul gives a description of the role of scripture in the life of a believer.

He just explained the word can make someone wise to be saved. Now, he says that a believing person can be trained by the word of God.

Scripture teaches, reproofs, corrects, and trains in righteousness. Now, we might think this list is some kind of progression. 

First we're taught, then we're reproofed, then we're corrected, then we're trained. Not exactly.

This is one of those paulisms we all know and love. Paul loved to write long lists in his letters—as you might have noticed. And sometimes he "doubles up" what he's saying, repeating himself for the sake of emphasis.

Teaching, reproof, correction, and training all have the same goal: to make you adequate for serving God.

But how? The word aligns our thoughts and ideas to the truth.

We all have "wrong thinking" in our heads. Regardless of how long we’ve been Christians, there are still things we think that are not consistent with the truth.

Part of growing in faith, so we can hit that high bar, involves getting rid of wrong thinking, wrong habits, and anything else that is hindering our fruitfulness.

This is one of the most important works of grace provided by the Bible. We need to be daily renewed in the spirit of our minds by God's word.

Our minds are kind of like gardens. Without proper tending, they get full of weeds. God's word has this effect of plucking out the weeds so truth can flourish.

Don't like that analogy? Well, consider this. Paul's language evokes the idea of an athlete or a soldier.

Nobody goes to war unprepared. They need their weapons and armor. And they need to know how to use them.

God's word prepares us. It changes the way we think, so we become more like Christ.

The end result, as Paul says, is that we are made complete. That term further adds to the idea of a soldier. Complete or armed, ready to do the work.

I really don't have to tell this church important the Bible is, do I?

But let's press a little deeper. We want to reach new horizons, yes? 

Is Paul saying that all we need are Bible verses memorized and we'll be ready?

The language Paul uses is important. He writes, scripture is profitable for training… that we may be complete.

He doesn't say we are complete just because we know the Bible. He is saying something without saying it.

Because, to be trained or taught implies the existence of a teacher.

Scripture, you might say, is the "coursework." But the teacher is… well, who is the teacher?

Notice how Paul declares scripture is God-breathed. Breathe is frequently associated with spirit, in the Bible. 

We know this, so I won't belabor the point. Our real teacher is the Holy Spirit. 

And this is point B: the Holy Spirit trains us by word and experiencing his presence.

Knowing the Bible is not the only thing you need if you want to hit that high bar. It's necessary, of course. You won't hit that bar without scriptural knowledge.

But as we saw with the Pharisees, you can know the Bible and still fail. 

Without the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit within you, there is no way you will be equipped for every good work.

This might not be obvious from the text at first glance, but we would be fools to miss this.

You cannot train yourself. And just because you go to church, listen to preachers, or even take Bible courses doesn’t mean you are trained and fruitful.

The Spirit of God is your real teacher. And he is actively at work to teach you. Most of us are used to how he teaches us by the word. But he also wants you to know him—to be trained by him—when you experience his presence.

But you need to be attentive to his voice and sensitive to his presence. That is a big part of maturing and remaining fruitful.

How does the Spirit do this? Let's use what Paul just wrote as a good example. He explained to Timothy in verse fifteen that the scriptures make us wise for salvation.

I explained the process just a minute ago. 

When someone hears the word of God, they are cut to the heart over their sin.

How does that happen? The Holy Spirit does that. 

Then, they realize that only Jesus Christ can save them. 

How did they realize that? The Holy Spirit opened their eyes to see it.

Then a person turns by faith to God and asks for forgiveness—and God gives it through salvation. You better believe that is only made possible by the Holy Spirit.

None of this is new to us, yes? Without the intervention of the Holy Spirit, none of us can believe and be saved by Jesus.

And the same can be said about our training. We need the word of God and the Spirit.

For some reason, there are churches to excel in one and abandon the other.

Some churches embrace the moving of the Holy Spirit but sadly their biblical instruction is lacking.

But just as dangerous are those churches who emphasize in the word but are unaware of the Lord’s abiding presence and power.

Friends, we need both God’s word and regularly experiencing and dwelling in his presence. Jesus said we need both.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23–24, ESV) 

Spirit and truth. Could he mean the truth written down in the scriptures and the ongoing experiential work of the Holy Spirit?

If Jesus said we need both… then we should probably take that seriously.

I said at the start that Paul set a high bar so that Timothy would realize he could only hit it through Christ.

And this is how Christ equips us for the work at hand. He takes the truth of his word and brings it to life in our hearts by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is our mentor. And the Holy Spirit is not this passive force that lingers somewhere deep inside our minds.

He is a person. And just like any other person, he has something to say to us. That includes the training which Paul describes in our passage.

Conclusion: The Next Horizon

In our passage, Paul sets a high bar for his beloved son, Timothy. He did this for an important reason, so that Timothy would lean on God not himself.

Charles Spurgeon, while reflecting on this phenomenon, once said:

Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, “Behold I am wise.” But when we come to this master science… we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise… “I am but of yesterday, and know nothing.” 

God’s word is meant to do that to us. We know nothing. And there is no hope that we can reach the bar God himself sets in and of ourselves.

I said that high bar is met in Christ. We hit that high bar through the power given to us by word and the Holy Spirit. We learn from those who came before us, embracing the same faith and character. And we also learned how God uses the scriptures to make us wise for salvation and to train us for the work at hand.

On top of that, we saw how the Holy Spirit is our teacher, who teaches us by word and by experiencing his presence.

I opened my message with a quote from Mere Christianity. I said that if we are willing to break away from the familiar, we can reach new horizons in Christ.

But what are those new horizons? What does God have in store for us? What does he have in store for you, his child? What does he have in store for this church, VBVF? What does he have in store for San Antonio and the rest of the world?

I don’t know. At least, not right now. That’s the point. We have to break away from what we’ve experienced, right now, to reach the next horizon.

Only then will we begin to see what God has in store for us.

It could mean God leading some of you into a new area of ministry. Perhaps, to step out an serve God for the very first time.

It might mean new people coming to our church—people different than us, but who need to see and feel God’s love in us.

Maybe it means changes in the way we think or act. Maybe it means changing our minds about a few things.

It could even mean seeing God do things we never thought possible. Is anything impossible for the Lord?

The first step in reaching those horizons is to ask God. As I check saying today, we can’t hit that high bar ourselves. We don’t have that power, on our own. It takes the grace God gives us. And grace is given to those who seek the Lord.

So, let me leave you with this final admonish: seek the Lord. Ask for more from him. Ask him to take you to places you’ve never been.

Does that sound scary? Maybe, but if we really want to go from glory to glory—we cannot stay in the same place.