261-1 SOMETHING TO SING ABOUTNovember 23, 1975
Henry F Kulp
II Timothy 2: 11 - 13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Here we have a marvelous portion of Scripture. These three verses are considered by scholars to be poem or hymn, and they believe it was sung in early assemblies. And as we study it you will see that we do have something to sing about.
1/ This is a very important point that I do want to drive home at the beginning of this message. We have told you that there are principles that are true in every dispensation, and here we have a point that abides in every dispensation. Those who know doctrine and apply it to their lives will be singing believers.
2/ Isaiah 12: 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Here we have the prophet saying, God is my salvation, my strength, and my song. What a trinity! First of all, God is his salvation. He would have no relationship to God were he not saved. You will notice, God is salvation, religion makes the individual his own salvation. But without salvation he would be nothing. Secondly, he says, God is his strength. That is day by day need to live for the Lord. Then thirdly, he says, God is his song.
3/ That is something extra that God gives those who mean business with Him. No one can say that joy is essential to being saved. One can be a believer without a song. Indeed, many of God’s children are quite cheerless, many of them are morbid, so having a song in your heart is something else. It is an added ingredient.
4/ Psalms 40: 2, 3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Here we have a delightful, but a spiritual autobiography.
(1) He brought me up also out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay—that is the essential thing.
(2) He established my goings—that is an everyday thing.
(3) He put a new song in my mouth—the extra thing and more. Not essential, but great to have.
5/ Then most surprisingly we are told, many shall see it. Right away you say, that can’t be right—that is a faulty translation. It should be, many shall hear it—but no, the original says, many shall see it—it is not a mistake, A VISIBLE RESULT. One who has a song to sing from his heart shows it in his outward appearance. His outward appearance is more than the sound he makes.
6/ Ephesians 5: 18, 19 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
In Paul’s epistles the first result of being a spirit-filled believer is to be a singing believer. Let me show you that Paul abided by his instructions. He didn’t tell you and me to do something that he didn’t do.
7/ Acts 16: 21- 25 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Here, Paul sore and stiff from the beating he received in a foul and dirty dungeon, is filled with the spirit and he sings. He had something to sing about even though circumstances were against him. He was in a foul and filthy dungeon, but it didn’t get him down. He had that something extra that both Isaiah and the Psalmist talked about, and so will you if you recognize the truth in II Timothy 2: 11 - 13. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
8/ Now let us look at this song, and see a very important fact. In Verse 10 God speaks of salvation with eternal, or abiding glory. And every believer is assured of salvation, but not every believer is assured of salvation with age abiding glory. This is the key to the hymn in Verse 11 - 13.
9/ There are two distinct lines of doctrine in this hymn. Verse 11 If we be dead with Him, this is a question of life. Secondly, there is the question of reigning.
10/ Living with Christ does not depend on the faithfulness of the saint, but the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross. This is the central teaching of Romans. It should read, WE DIED TOGETHER WITH HIM.
11/ Romans 6: 3, 4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Notice those who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into His death, this could not be water because that is impossible. For let us compare it with Galatians 3: 27 Here we read, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. So if you do not have this baptism, you have not put on Christ, and it is ridiculous to think that water would perform this act.
12/ WE SHALL LIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM. This death is not the end, it the beginning.
13/ Verse 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Now we come to, if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him, if we deny Him, He also will deny us. The pronoun, we, in both instances shows that believers do this. This is for the believers, but all believers will not suffer. Some believers will deny Him. Remember, II Timothy 1: 8 - 12 - 16 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 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. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
Here are believers who are ashamed of the Lord’s testimony and of Paul. They refuse to be Pauline because it cost something, and when they do this, He will deny them. It does not mean a loss of salvation.
14/ Verse 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
Here is a verse that shows us it does not mean you lose your salvation. If we believe not, and this should be, if we are faithless which is better than if we believe not, in other words, will not take a stand for this truth, He remains faithful. He will not disown them, He will not reward them, but they will have life—they are still saved.
15/ Notice the last four words of Verse 13. He cannot deny Himself, and the Greek would be, for to deny Himself, He is not able. What does that mean? We are part of Him, we have union with Him, we are members of His body, and to cast us out means He would deny Himself, which He cannot do. This is one of the greatest verses in the Bible for eternal security. What He has in mind in these verses is rewards. You can lose rewards, you cannot lose your salvation.
16/ Let’s go back to the Kingdom to see what we mean.
Last week we used Luke 19: 17 - 19 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
We need to be clear that He is talking about the Kingdom and not the Church the Body of Christ, Verse 11 and there are three groups in this parable. And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
-The citizens portray the nation Israel in a certain period of time, during the earthly ministry and the early period of Acts.
-Then the servants, they are servants of God and it is very clear, for they are His servants, and He told them to occupy till I come. Luke 19: 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
-The first two servants were faithful and were rewarded. But in Verses 22 - 24, And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
Here we have the wicked servant. Remember, he is a servant. Salvation is not in view here—rewards are. And the Lord took the pound from him and gave it to him that had 10 pounds. Then in Verse 26 He gives the principle. Everyone that has shall be given, and everyone that hath not, that which he hath that which he hath shall be given away from him—a loss of reward.
17/ Verse 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
Here we have the Lord’s enemies, which would keep Him from reigning, and He says slay them before me. These are not saved. These are not servants but enemies.
18/ I Corinthians 3: 10 - 14 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
Here to be rewarded, one must build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, but a foundation of Jesus Christ laid by Paul. If you are not Pauline you will not be rewarded. Notice, Verse 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
19/ I Corinthians 9: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
And here he becomes a castaway and the castaway does not mean to loose salvation, but to be disapproved, unrewarded, and when we go back to the 24 and 25 verses we see he is talking about rewards. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
20/ Ruling with Christ
Ephesians 2: 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Here we have a chair, a seat of authority in the Heavens.
21/ As Israel will rule and reign on the earth for the Lord, and be missionaries for the Lord, (Revelations and the 144,000) we will reign in the Heavens and be missionaries to the celestial beings.
Isaiah 61: 5, 6 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
But we will be ministers to the celestial beings, they cannot understand grace, they cannot comprehend it. They are watching us now, and unable to understand grace, and we will explain it to them.
I Corinthians 4: 9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
Ephesians 3: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
AMEN
Ref: 11/23/1975 / 261-1 SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT / 09/13/2021
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