As I was getting ready to watch the Alabama-Auburn football game last Saturday, I listened to a podcast by a sports analyst for Alabama football. His name is Ryan Fowler. In the last podcast I listened to, Fowler said this:
“When it comes right down to it, I trust Nick Saban [Alabama’s head coach], Jeremy Pruitt [Alabama’s defensive coordinator], and Brian Daboll [Alabama’s offensive coordinator] more than I trust Gus Malzahn [Auburn’s head coach], Kevin Steele [Auburn’s defensive coordinator], and Chip Lindsey [Auburn’s offensive coordinator].”
Well, in an ideal world, it would have been correct to trust such a coach as Nick Saban over Gus Malzahn. But, this is not an ideal world and Saban did not win that game.
Life is won or lost based on who you trust. In whom are you going to put your ultimate trust, your ultimate confidence. Because when it comes to winning the game of life, the stakes are very high. Spending eternity in heaven or hell is the end result of this “game.” So, who are you going to trust? Yourself? Your parents? Your feelings? A preacher on TV? Or even the preacher standing in front of you?
Do you know the song “Firm Foundation” by Doug Moen? Here’s the song:
Jesus you’re my firm foundation
I know I can stand secure
Jesus you’re my firm foundation
I put my hope in your Holy Word
I put my hope in your Holy Word
I have a living hope (echo)
I have a future (echo)
God has a plan for me (echo)
Of this I’m sure, of this I’m sure.
Your Word is faithful (echo)
Mighty in power (echo)
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God has delivered me (echo)
Of this I’m sure, Of this I’m sure
A foundation provides support. If you have a weak foundation, the structure cannot stand. You may have a weak structure that falls from a strong foundation, but you cannot have a strong structure on a weak foundation. The foundation of God is firm.
The words “firm” and “foundation” are found in two verses, one in the OT and one in the NT. We actually studied the passage from the OT just a couple of weeks ago: Isa 28:16: Jesus is God’s cornerstone, laid in Zion, a firm foundation. That verse is quoted by Peter in 1 Peter 2:6. But it is the other text which I want to consider as we meditate on the words of this song. Let’s take a look at 2 Timothy 2:19…
First, understand the context has to do with studying God’s word (2:15) so as not to be influenced by false teachers and putting your trust in man rather than God (2:17-18).
Verse 19 – “However,” Paul says, drawing a sharp contrast with the baseless teaching of Philetus and Hymenaeus, the firm foundation of God stands. What is the firm foundation of God? Could it be Christ (1 Cor. 3:10-13)? Could it be the truth itself (Eph. 2:20)? Could it be the nature of God Himself? We do not know exactly which of these options could be what Paul had in mind but because they are all united together spiritually, there is little difference among them.
But, Paul says this firm foundation has a seal which marks it as God’s own, authentic, genuine, and undisturbed; and it is written in two statements:
1. “The Lord knows those who are His.” In Numbers 16, we have the incident where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and some 250 other men of Israel, challenged Moses and Aaron’s leadership and, specifically, Aaron’s right to be their priest. God, then, challenged those men and says in verse 5 that He will let everyone know those “who are His.”
So, the body of Christ, by name, is written on the walls of God’s heart and mind. He knows those who are His.
And…
2. “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Clearly, the idea of separation is here emphasized. There is also something that is expected from God’s people. To “name” the name of the Lord means to acknowledge it and to appropriate its power, what it involves, as a confession of faith and allegiance. If we name the name of the Lord, we have to abstain from wickedness.
The two points Paul is emphasizing in the face of the question of trust is that God knows who is leading people astray, deceiving others and who is teaching truth. If we want to name the name of the Lord, if we want to call on Him for salvation, if we want Him to be our Savior, we must depart from iniquity, here referring to trusting in anyone besides God and His word.
As Jesus says in Matthew 7:24-27, our lives will be stable, if we live on the foundation of God’s faithfulness. But, keep in mind that God’s faithfulness cuts both ways. Not only will He reward the faithful obedient, but He will also punish those who “do not know God and do not obey the Gospel” (2 Thess. 1:7-9).
Rest secure in the faithfulness of God and His Word. Live a pure life to retain your security.
Paul Holland
