This morning, we will conclude this series and learn about Writing Your Story with God.

Transcription

1 Pastor Steve began this series, Writing the Story of Your Life with God, and looked at the PASSION THAT DEFINES YOU. What are the passions, the desires, that most reflect who I am? Thinking about passion, we need to ask ourselves questions like, what are the things that bring me joy in my life? If I could only do one thing, what would it be? What makes me angry (things like injustice ) that I can change in this world? He provided a really good worksheet for us to answer some questions to get started on actually writing stuff down. It s available on the website if you go under sermons. Pastor Jeremy talked about THE TRAGEDY THAT SHAPES YOU If your passion defines the kind of impact God wants to make in the world through you, then it s tragedy that prepares you to be the kind of person who will make that impact. We need to ask ourselves, How is God trying to shape me through my tragedy? What life messages or themes emerge out of my tragedy? In Pastor Steve s message 3 CALLINGS CONSIDERED, he challenged us to think, to prayerfully reflect about our lives, to slow down and intentionally make space to reflect on our lives in God s presence. As Pastor Steve challenged us, God didn t bless you with the gift of life so that you could squander it in unexamined living. Last week Pastor Kevin reminded us that we have to prepare and to share our story. He challenged us to spend time writing down our story, making ourselves vulnerable as we share and allow others to edit our story, i.e., to speak into our lives, to affirm what and how God has gifted us and/or to challenge us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, to conform to the image of Jesus. This morning, we will conclude this series and learn about Writing Your Story with God. Let me share with you one of my last but memorable conversations with my dad before he passed away 27 years ago he shared with me some personal stories and left me with a few simple but powerful words before I left the hospital that day: I am ready to see our Heavenly Father. Would I be able to tell similar stories of faith and commitment and to say the same to my children when my time is up? Would I pass on the same legacy of faith I received from my dad? Will my story reveal God s story of rescue and restoration? We are all part of God's STORY of redemption, and each of us has a unique role to play in it. God wants to reveal himself through the story of our life. Our passions, experiences, and personality are the material God works with in doing so. As we explore our hopes, dreams,

2 heartaches, victories, and failures, God helps us discover how our story intersects with His. In the process, He calls us to a unique life-mission, inviting us to become His co-author. This morning I invite you to learn how we could write our story with God, from the apostle Paul who penned his parting words to his protégé Timothy, to encourage him to remain steadfast and loyal to his life calling. But first listen to the personal words of Paul as he awaits his death in prison: 2Tim. 4:6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. Here is a life well lived one who has given it all to declare and live out God s Story of rescue and restoration in his life calling a true imitation of Jesus. Paul wrote 2Tim to encourage Timothy in the face of suffering to remain steadfast and loyal to Jesus, to him as his mentor, and to his own life calling/ministry. In the beginning verses of 2Tim 1:3ff., Paul appeals to Timothy s readiness to endure suffering and to be bold and faithful in carrying out the gospel ministry, i.e., what Paul had sent him to handle some challenging circumstances caused by some within the congregation at Ephesus and, following Christ s and his own example, not to be ashamed of testifying and declaring God s story in Jesus. No experience is wasted in God s economy. 2Tim. 1:5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you... 8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don t be ashamed of me, either, even though I m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. Let s just take a short review of Timothy s story (cf. Acts 16:1-5): - Born in Lystra [a city in modern day Turkey] as a bicultural kid with a Greek father & a Jewish mom; his mom and grandmother were devout Jews who had come to faith in Christ. - Timothy was most likely from a higher class and well educated within a highly pluralistic, syncretistic, and rapidly changing environment; he was influenced by mom and grandmother, probably steeped in OT scriptures and heard Paul s preaching when he first

3 visited Lystra [Acts 14:6-7] and later became a Jesusfollower in his youth and his life calling was affirmed by the faith community and Paul [cf. 1Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:7) - As Paul s protégé, he helped establish the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth [Acts 16:1-17:14; 18:5] was named co-author of 5 Pauline letters and recipient of 2; a trusted coworker/missionary with Paul, being sent to visit different churches and placed in position of leadership. - As he s sent to Ephesus to deal with some messy situation, Paul reminds him of the power of God manifested in the Jesus story of death and resurrection, as the foundation for his suffering in gospel ministry Timothy s story intersects with Jesus story, with God s Story of rescuing and restoring the world! Here we see how God has wired and used Timothy, with the support and encouragement of other believers in community, to advance kingdom works as he partners with God in doing kingdom works. What are Paul s instructions to his protégé from which we can glean practical lessons, i.e., to write his/our story with God? Consider how God can be made manifest moment-bymoment. 2T1:9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. Paul s instruction is framed within God s Story of Rescue and Restoration: God calls His people to live a holy life initiated and empowered by grace this is God s eternal purpose and plan even before the beginning of time; as Jesus-followers we are set apart [thus it s not about me /us!] to demonstrate His power over death [i.e., overcoming anything that enslaves us and robs us of wholesome living, life as God intended since creation]. It s all about God and our privileged partnership in fulfilling His eternal, rescuing and restoring purposes in the world. Holy living seeks God s view involved in every facet of life. Holiness consistently turns away from self-pleasing answers in order to please God (Life Application Bible Commentary, p. 165).

4 I like what Eleanor Powell, Actress & Dancer, said, What we are is God s to us. What we become is our gift to God. Take the outline of God s Story as a frame of reference - Creation, Fall, Rescue, Restoration and consider how God, His character and re-shaping acts, could be discerned or detected in your life journey up to the present time. As Pastor Kevin had challenged us last Sunday, start writing your story, share it, and allow others to speak into your life, affirming your gifts and strengths while spurring you to conform to the image of Jesus. Paul s encouragement to Timothy provides another how to about writing our story with God: Develop Spirit-enabled practices. 2T1:6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline 14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. discerning, practising, and cultivating, the spiritual gift one received so to maximize the potential of a Spirit-filled service. Gifts may become atrophied due to abuse or non-use. They await our cooperative energies to be reawakened as gifts of grace... Lacking exercise, they are prone to decay. They must be exercised to be increased or continued effectively. (Thomas C. Oden, 2 Timothy, p. 31) In addition, equally important are Spirit-empowered and dependent postures, attitudes, behaviours, and practices which are bathed in God s extraordinary power, love, and self-discipline/self-control. In contrast to those who are promoting false teaching and causing social havoc in the faith community at Ephesus, Paul admonishes young Timothy to grow in various ways throughout this letter: 1:12ff. Guard and faithfully pass on the truth 2:2ff. Model faith and develop leaders 3:14ff Apply bible knowledge 4:2 Declare and defend the message In order to fulfill the mission entrusted to Timothy, Paul reminds him that this requires fan into flames discipline stoking the fire, keeping the fire burning, i.e., discovering, Here Paul is really reminding Timothy his personal responsibility, with the help of the Spirit, to embody the

5 Jesus way of life, putting bible commands into practice in daily life! It s not just for full time clergy but every Jesus-follower, e.g., how can we live out and pass on God s truth to our children as parents and StarKids teachers; how can we, as youth leaders develop emerging leaders in the church; how can we hear the promptings or voice of the Spirit and apply bible principles in our workplace and in handling interpersonal relationships; how can we share the good news with our neighbours or to answer skeptics, etc. The use of spiritual gifts and the out flow of the fruits of the Spirit are not self-serving; all are done for mission to participate in God s rescuing and restoring works in this world! To write our story with God, Paul then continues to encourage Timothy: This is the vision of a life reflecting the attributes and character of God a life of intimacy with Jesus or being daily transformed by the renewal of our minds, following the Jesus way, not the deification of humanity. It s about discipline of a life to make echoes in eternity! Hold on to the pattern of Jesus a metaphor drawn from the art of a painter or architect which denotes the special idea of a form outlined as the basis of future work thus not so much slavish or legalistic reproduction or parroting religious beliefs or rituals but holding the core, essential beliefs of God s teaching revealed in Jesus as an outline and applying anew in every situation - a wholesome living shaped by faith/faithfulness and love that impacts lives for eternity. Conclusion: A few years back we gave Zach a poster: Be impact-hungry, not impulse-driven. The focus of Jesus appearing is to illuminate, i.e., to reveal, to bring to light, the way of life and immortality to impact lives for eternity, not to satisfy momentary personal gains, whims and desires. We are not consumers of religious services and goods but Christ representatives with a life calling and mission, embodying God s presence in a broken and hope-starved world! Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 4 A.D. said, God became man so that men might become gods. I think this is what God calls us to do, to live out loud, for the glory of God!

6