Power Strength by His Side

Power 

Strength by His Side

Life is full of suffering and times you feel all alone

Your faith and mission will be attacked

Like a lion seeking prey

The only protection you have is found in a promise

“Never will I leave you”

It is the confidence that the Lord is with you that you will find help

At the end of a life of much suffering the apostle Paul says

“The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”

Strength by His Side

The apostle Paul was looking back over his

life as he writes to young minister Timothy

Paul says…

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come

for my departure.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness

 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Paul says…

 “I have kept the faith”

Finished the race, fought a good fight, time to depart

A life of keeping the faith, Paul notes that

there were those who did not keep the faith.

Keeping the faith is a challenge, it is not easy.

Paul gives an interesting description of his life…

“I was delivered from the lion's mouth”

Lions attack other animals;

there is no animal too big.

Lions normally feed on mammals

weighing 420 to 1210 pounds.

Wildebeest ranks at the top of preferred prey.

But occasionally lions will take

down a hippopotamus or elephant.

A lion’s mouth is an effective killing device.

Peter helps us get a picture of Paul’s experience.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion 

looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,

because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.   

To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 

 1 Peter 5:8-11

I heard someone say the devil can

only roar because he has no teeth.

This is not true, the devil has

destroyed the faith of many.

Peter tells us we must resist the

devil and stand firm in the faith.

Standing firm in the faith will bring suffering.

The same suffering that causes some to turn from

the faith is what makes other strong and steadfast.

 Paul was one who became strong and steadfast.

Paul describes his first defense for the Gospel.

It was a time where he was all alone,

like Jesus everyone deserted him.

Also like Jesus, he said…

 “May it not be held against them.”

What enabled Paul to stand strong?

Paul says…

“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”

Both Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5

tells us God will never leave us.

So be strong because the Lord is our helper.

It was that strength that enabled Paul to

“fully proclaim the gospel to all the Gentiles”.

There are many times you will stand alone.

It will be in those times you are

most venerable to the devouring lion.

By faith you will have

to know God’s promise that…

“He will never leave you”

Paul says with confidence… 

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack

and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom”

2 Timothy 4:18

Yes, suffering is real.

 The roaring lion (the Devil) is real.

God is real and His strength is standing beside you.

“So we say with confidence,

"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?"” 

Hebrews 13:6

Scripture Reading

2 Timothy 4:16-18 NIV

16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.