Supreme Competence, Part 2

2 Timothy 1

Today, we’re diving into a spiritual exploration that promises to touch your heart and strengthen your faith.

Ever felt like you’re trying to navigate life’s challenges on your own? Sometimes our natural reaction is to rely on ourselves, but today, Colin will remind us that our true support comes from a much higher place. We’re looking into the profound relationship between the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ through the lens of 2 Timothy, where even in his darkest hours, Paul’s unwavering trust wasn’t in his own deeds but in his connection with Jesus. This is something we can all learn from, no matter what we’re going through.

Christianity isn’t just about following a set of rules or engaging in spiritual practices. It offers something profoundly unique—a personal relationship with Jesus. As Colin explains, Jesus is not just a historical figure; He is alive and active in our daily experiences, ready to guide us through life’s uncertainties and into eternity.

If your soul ever feels unsettled or you’re searching for a rock to stand on amidst life’s shifting sands, this message is for you. Today’s broadcast emphasises the personal, relational aspect of faith that goes beyond biblical knowledge or moral living—it’s about truly knowing Jesus.

So, whether you’re a lifelong believer or someone just contemplating faith, join us for “Supreme Competence.” Let Pastor Colin guide you toward the deep confidence that comes from trusting in Jesus Christ, who is with you in every moment of your journey.

I know whom I have to meet. I know him. There’s relationship here. My faith is focused on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the wonderful thing is that to me he is not simply a figure of history. I know him. I’ve come to know him in a personal way in my life. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick. And Colin, we can look back at our life sometimes when our back was up against the wall and sometimes our first thought is not about the person of Jesus. We tend to try and solve things ourself, but Paul takes us back to the person of Jesus. Yeah, and his back was absolutely against the wall when he wrote these words that we’re looking at in 2 Timothy. He was facing death. But what does he do when he comes to the end of his life? Does he say, well, you know, I’ve lived a moral life? No, he doesn’t do that. He doesn’t fall back on what he’s done for Jesus or the kind of service that he’s rendered to others. He falls back on the relationship that he has with Jesus himself. And it’s the ability of Jesus to hold on to him that is the thing that he holds on to. And that’s what we have to do in our darkest time. You know, don’t end up looking in on yourself or looking back to something you’ve done or your conversion experience long ago. You’ve got to look up. You’ve got to look up to Jesus Christ and his ability to hold onto you and never let you go. We’re going to see how the apostle Paul does that himself. Well, we’re looking today at the second book of Timothy and chapter one as we continue the message, supreme competence. Here’s Colin. Christian faith uniquely is focused on a person, the blessed person of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. You need to grasp that this is uniquely Christian. Other religions offer you a way of life. Other religions can offer you an ethic. Other religions can offer to you a set of spiritual disciplines. But Christianity offers to you a person, and his name is Jesus. No matter what you face in your life, this person will be with you. That is the promise of the gospel. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will guide you through whatever you face in your life. He will walk with you whenever the moment of your death comes, and he will bring you into eternity in the presence of Almighty God. He is supremely competent, and you can trust him completely. And when Paul finds himself in a black hole, this is where he gains strength. Timothy, this is where you need to go. I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed. There’s a great hymn that catches what Paul says here. You know that one, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness, and it’s got this great line in it. When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Now, you see, that is Christian testimony, Christian conviction, Christian faith. It is focused on a person I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed. Now, a second thing follows from that, very obviously, and it’s simply this, that Christian faith is a relationship with this person. Let me emphasize the text this way. Paul says, I know whom I have believed. I know him. There’s a relationship here. My faith is focused on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the wonderful thing is that to me he is not simply a figure of history. I know him. I have come to know him in a personal way in my life. And this reminds us of some things that we desperately need to grasp. The first is that Christianity, therefore, is more than morality. See, morality is important, but morality will never give you joy and victory when you find yourself in trouble. Morality will not help you navigate through the changes of life. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes this point well. I just love this quote. He says, the apostle is not saying, I am happy in prison because ever since I heard the teaching of Jesus I’ve been doing my best to put it into practice. So doing your best to put the teaching of Jesus into practice, morality will not give you joy and victory when you’re sitting in a dark hole in prison. Morality will not help you when you face the loss of health or a loved one. Being an upright person trying to follow the example of Jesus is fine as long as everything is well in your life, but when your back is against the wall you need more than morality. You need the power and the presence of Jesus in your life. Reminds us, I think, that being a Christian is more than spirituality. Now, a lot of people are confused over this today. The vast majority of people, if you ask them, in our country today will say to you that spirituality is important to them, but you know, it takes more than spirituality to face life in this uncertain world. You say, what’s the difference then between spirituality and Christian faith that Paul is describing here? Think of it this way. This is an analogy. I have a capacity to love, but I’ve got something even better than that. I have a relationship of love with my wife. Now, I don’t find joy and strength in the capacity to love. I find joy and strength in the relationship of love that I enjoy with my wife. Now, apply that to spirituality. You see, spirituality is an attempt to develop the human spiritual capacity, but the capacity of your spirit will not and cannot be fulfilled unless there is someone whose spirit can become one with your spirit, and that is precisely the promise of Jesus in the gospel. My spirit I will give to you. Christianity is a relationship with this person, Jesus Christ. It is knowing his power and his presence with you in everything and anything that you face in your life so that Paul can say in the darkest of situations, I know whom I have believed. It reminds me of a third thing that Christian faith is more than Bible study. This is important. See, Paul is speaking here about a personal knowledge of Christ, and that is much more than having information about Jesus. This is the language of relationship. Now, many of you know well that one of the great debates today is about propositional and personal knowledge. Propositional knowledge simply means grasping certain truths that can be stated in words like Christ died for our sins or Christ rose from the dead. Personal knowledge is obviously the language of relationship. Now, the important thing to grasp here is that we need both, and that personal knowledge cannot exist without that knowledge of Christ that is first revealed to us in the Scriptures. I well remember the first lecture that I ever took as a student studying theology, and our professor, who had just a delightful style that I think I can scarcely imitate, but I might just about give a try, sort of paced up and down at the front of the classroom. Now, he said, we’re here to study theology. Some of you might be wondering why you just can’t go through life with a nice simple faith saying, I believe in Jesus. I believe in Jesus. That raises three interesting questions. Who is Jesus? Who are you? And what is belief? That kind of got our attention, you know. You will not succeed in a pure faith if you have a purely personal, mystical journey with Jesus, because there is no Jesus to know except the Jesus who reveals himself in the Scriptures. The Jesus of history, the Jesus who died and rose, the Jesus who ascended, the Jesus who is at the right hand of God, and these things we know from his word. There is no personal knowledge of Jesus apart from propositional truth. But knowing Jesus Christ is more than propositions. It is more than Bible study. See, nobody studied the Bible better than the Pharisees. Think of it. They spent their whole lives poring over every mark of the Old Testament. And this is what Jesus said to them in John chapter 5 verse 39. He said to the Pharisees, now look, you diligently study the Scriptures, because you think that by them you possess eternal life, but these are the Scriptures that testify about me, Jesus said, and yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. You’ve got all this Bible study, but you’re living your life independent of me, and until you will recognize your need of me and come in that personal way to receive of me, you will not have life. You’ll only have knowledge. Perhaps the best way to bring this a little more down to earth is to tell you about two Karns. I’ve been reading this book by Karn Hughes. Telling you about two Karns. Karn Hughes, 10 Minutes from Normal. It’s the story of her experience as special counselor to President Bush, and at the beginning of the book she describes traveling in the train during the election campaign in the year 2000 across the country, and the train came to our great state of Illinois. And at one point there was an announcement on the train saying, ladies and gentlemen, we are 10 minutes from normal. 10 minutes from normal. And she says in the book that that so described how she felt about her entire life that she said to someone else, if I ever write a book, that’s going to be the title, Karn Hughes, 10 Minutes from Normal. Well, I’ve really enjoyed reading this book, and what a fascinating life and experience she has. I tell you, I could write a reasonable essay on the life of Karn Hughes, but I have never met her personally, and I probably never will. My knowledge of her is simply propositional. I know certain things about her. I know what she said, or at least some things she said. I know things that she has done. I know opinions that she holds. I know places that she went, and so forth and so on. Now let me talk about another Karn. Karn Smith. I could write a reasonable essay about her, too. I know a great deal about her, things she has said and done, places she has been, her date of birth and of marriage, things like this. But my knowledge of her is much more than propositional, because she is my wife. It is a personal knowledge. It is a knowledge that comes from a living relationship, and Christian faith is a relationship with this person, Jesus Christ. He is revealed in the Scriptures, so that you may come to Him, and know Him, and walk with Him, and trust Him, and love Him, and experience His strength, and His comfort, and His help in every circumstance of life as you serve Him, until one day you will see Him. And Paul says, I know whom I have believed. Christian faith is a relationship with this person, not just focused on a person. Christian faith is a relationship with this person. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and today’s message, Supreme Confidence. It’s part of our series, One Thing I Know. And if you miss any of the series or any of our messages, you can always catch up or go back and listen again on our website. It’s openthebible.org.uk. Back to the message now. Here’s Colin. Christian faith is focused on a person. Christian faith is a relationship with this person. Now here’s the last thing as we emphasize the text one more time. Christian faith is confidence in this person. Notice what he says, I know whom I have believed. Believed Him. Whom I trust in Him. I have confidence in Him. Christian faith is confidence in this person. It’s so important to grasp this. It’s not about confidence in yourself. It is confidence in Jesus Christ based on everything that He is, past, present, and future. Confidence in Jesus. Now think about his past. You know, if you’re going to trust a person fully, you need to know about their past. You need to understand their experience of life if you’re going to be able to relate to them fully. Now think about that in relation to Jesus. He has no beginning. Before the world began, He was loved by the Father. He was one with the Father. It was through Him that the moon and the stars were made. He reigned in heaven at the time of Adam, at the time of Noah, at the time of Moses, and at the time of David. He said before Abraham was, I am. When the time was fully come, He took flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. He spoke the words of God. He did the work of God, and all the fullness of God came to us in Him. He lived a perfect life, and then He chose freely to lay down that life for us, bearing our guilt, our shame, our punishment, and offering His righteousness, His purity, and His peace to us in exchange. And having entered into death, He triumphed over it, breaking its power by His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven, where He reigns for us forever. Think of Him now. Think of Him now. Think of Him now. If you’re going to trust someone fully, you need to know how they are now. Think about our Lord Jesus Christ now. He reigns in heaven for you. He’s been doing that through the tenure of 43 American presidents. He reigns on the day of your greatest joy. He reigns on the day of your greatest sorrow. He is in heaven, as Christian people we can say, for us. He intercedes for us. He provides for us. He gives grace for us. He gives strength for us. He gives His Spirit to us. And He has said, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. And so the Scripture says, we can therefore in response say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? That is Christian confidence in an uncertain world. Whatever you are facing, think about Him, the one in whom we place our confidence in relation to the future. God is outside of time, and so of course the future is already known to Him. And in the Bible, God gives to us a glimpse of the future. Here’s the future. Jesus Christ will return in power and glory. You will see His glory, and His glory will be seen in you. That’s the future. And He died and rose to secure it, so you can be supremely confident that it is not therefore in doubt. Christian faith is confidence in this person, Jesus Christ. Now let’s put together what the Apostle is saying here to nervous Timothy in difficult days. Timothy, I am not ashamed, and you need to know why. It is because I know whom I have believed. And I think that some of us might be sitting here right now and saying, oh, that’s great for Paul, but I don’t have that kind of faith. Listen, what you have is that kind of Savior. You have the same Savior He did, and there is no reason in the world why you cannot place confidence in this same Lord Jesus Christ, whatever you are facing in your life right now. He is supremely competent, and His ability is as great for you as it ever was for the Apostle Paul. Let me make this personal in these last moments. I may be speaking to someone today, and all you have ever known in relationships is your trust being broken, your hopes being disappointed. And quite honestly, coming from that background, it doesn’t help you much if the preacher says put your trust in Jesus, because you ain’t got much trust left to put, if you see what I mean. So here’s the good news. The message of the gospel is not put your faith in Jesus. The good news is that there is someone who is altogether trustworthy. That’s good news for you. Good news for every human person. And that person who is altogether trustworthy is on the throne of the universe, and more than that, He is for you. And the Bible makes this plain to us, that those who trust in themselves will finally be disappointed, but those who place their trust in Him will never be put to shame. How are you going to live in this uncertain world? Here’s how. I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have believed. You’ve been listening to Pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible, and a powerful reminder of where we should put our trust. Even when we know Jesus, we can sometimes put our trust elsewhere, in our home, our job, or our money, or our relationships with family and friends. In the end, though, the only person we can rely on is Jesus. So if you don’t know Him already, I hope you’ll soon take the step of trusting Him for the first time. If you ever miss one of our messages, you can always catch up or go back and listen again by going to our website. Come to openthebible.org.uk. There you can listen to any of the messages which have already gone out on air. You can also find us as a podcast. Go to your favourite podcast site, search for Open the Bible UK, and subscribe to receive regular updates. Colin, we’re quickly approaching the end of the year, and this is the last broadcast of 2023. So this is a time of year when many people consider giving a gift to a ministry that they care about. And those who regularly listen to Open the Bible, we would be thankful if they would consider giving a gift to Open the Bible. One of the greatest joys and encouragements to me is just to hear from people how the Lord is using the ministry of Open the Bible in their lives. And if that has been your experience, that God has blessed you through the ministry, then praise God for that. His word accomplishes the purpose for which He sends it. And if He’s doing that in your life, that to me is just the greatest joy. And if you’re experiencing God’s blessing in that way, then it would be a great blessing to the ministry of Open the Bible if you were able to help us with a gift as we come towards this year end. Give where God has brought blessing to you. And if that has been your experience, then it would be a blessing to us if you’re able to support the ministry. Thank you so much. The encouragement and the testimony of all who are partners with this ministry sustains the work and brings joy to all of our hearts as we serve together to advance the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, you can support Open the Bible as a ministry by visiting our website. That’s openthebible.org.uk. You can make a one-off gift or, as we often ask, particularly appreciate a regular gift. You can set that up right on the website, openthebible.org.uk. For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick. We wish you a very happy New Year and we hope to see you again for Open the Bible very soon.

Details

Sermon Series
Date

Monthly Offer

Get 3 free copies of ‘Green Pastures, Still Waters’ by Colin Smith, as well as an Open the Bible UK bookmark and pen, when you set up a monthly gift of at least £5, or a one-off gift of at least £50.

Donate

Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

Linked resources

How can you have Christian confidence in an uncertain world? In this series, Pastor Colin is challenging us to think through what we should do in the middle of difficult circumstances. Do we panic? Do we scream? Of course not—we know we need to cling to Christ and the promise of strength that we have

Colin Smith

Search

Search

Header Submit Search