Remember Jesus Christ, Risen from the Dead—2 Timothy 2:8-9

Since the first days of the church, Christians have gathered every Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These two verses, 2 Timothy 2:8-9, give us a chance to meditate on that resurrection. I want to draw attention to the four phrases of verse 8: (1) Remember Jesus Christ, (2) risen from the dead, (3) the offspring of David, (4) as preached in my gospel. If you understand what is meant by these short phrases, you know what you need to know to be a Christian. You could start reading this article as an unbeliever and finish it as a believer.

But Paul wrote this for a believer, for Timothy, a pastor Paul himself trained. And he thought Timothy needed to be reminded to remember these things. All too easily, believers forget Jesus Christ, and lose their hope, and enter times of despair. Or we forget Jesus Christ, and lose our diligence, our zeal for the Lord's work, and enter times of distraction and laziness. Or we forget Jesus Christ, and lose our love of our Savior.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, I write to you: Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

Remember Jesus Christ

First, Paul says, "Remember Jesus Christ." Who is he? He is Jesus, which means, "the Lord saves," "Yahweh saves." His name is a lesson about God: God is the Savior of sinners. But that's not all: Matthew tells us that he was named Jesus because he himself would save his people from their sins. He is the God who saves.

And he is Christ, which means "anointed." As David was anointed with oil to be the king of Israel, Jesus was anointed with the Spirit of God. He is God's chosen one, fully equipped to save. And he who was filled with the Spirit now pours out the Spirit on his church.

Risen from the Dead

Second, Paul says, "risen from the dead." Don't just remember who Jesus is: remember what he has done. He has risen from the dead. And this means that he died: the Lord who saves sinners, the Christ chosen by God, he died on a cross, he who of all people did not deserve to die. But he did die, because he took the place of his sinful people and offered himself as a sacrifice on our behalf.

And then he rose from the dead. He didn't just die and go to heaven: he walked out of the tomb. Why does the resurrection matter? It matters, because, risen from the dead, the Lord Jesus is (1) vindicated, (2) victorious, and (3) vivifying. In the resurrection, Jesus was vindicated by God: God announced that Jesus was innocent and righteous by giving him eternal life. In the resurrection, Jesus was victorious over Satan: Satan plotted his death, but Jesus overthrew Satan's plans by returning by the road of no return. And in the resurrection, Jesus is vivifying, which means life-giving: he not only lives forever, but has an overabundance of life to share with his people, giving us too eternal life.

The Offspring of David

After all this, it might seem a little anticlimactic to say that Jesus is the offspring of David. Isn't he so much more than David? Yes, he is. But it is important that he is the offspring of David, for two reasons.

(1) It's important, because the whole Bible up to Jesus points to a son of David who will be the Savior. God's word leads us to David's son, and Jesus is that son.

(2) But it's important, not just because the Bible points to Jesus, but because Jesus then points to the Bible. If the Bible says that the son of David will be the Savior, and the son of David has come and defeated death, then the Bible is to be trusted. And so, not only does the Bible point us to Jesus, and say, "He is the one," but Jesus points us to the Bible, and says, "This is God's word." If the son of David has risen from the dead, then the Bible is to be trusted, and, as Jesus said, "Every word of God proves true." The Bible gives us Jesus, and Jesus gives us the Bible.

As Preached In My Gospel

Fourth, finally, Paul says, "as preached in my gospel." "Gospel" means "good news." What we're talking about here isn't a religious theory: it is news, and it is preached, because it needs to be heard, because it makes all the difference in the world. Jesus is not in the grave; he is in heaven; but he is also here, now, in the very words of 2 Timothy, preached to us so that we may believe.

And then, all of a sudden, Paul adds, "for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal." What? If the Savior has come and died and risen, his people will not suffer, will they? What kind of Easter is this? Easter in prison? Yes, Paul says, I am suffering, suffering as my Savior suffered before me, walking in his footsteps. And we will all walk in his footsteps, but it is worth it, because one day we will see him face to face.

And in the meantime, "the word of God is not bound!" In my suffering, Christ presses on. If I die, Christ lives. And because he lives, I will live with him.

Alternatives

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. What are the alternatives?

You can forget Jesus Christ. You can forget him because you don't believe that he is God, or that he died for sinners, or that he rose from the dead. Or you can forget him because other things come crowding in and take his place.

Or you can remember some other Jesus Christ. Not risen from the dead, maybe, at least not literally. Not the Jesus preached in Paul's gospel, but a Jesus of your own making, perhaps a Jesus who won't call you to suffer for the sake of his name.

But remember this Jesus, the true Jesus, Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, as preached in the gospel, and you will truly live. Remember this Jesus, risen from the dead, and one day, when you see his face, he will remember you.

Pastor Nate Jeffries