Do not be ashamed of the Gospel

Transcription

1 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Do not be ashamed of the Gospel Introduction: The last words of the Apostle to his son in the faith. 1. So do not be ashamed of the gospel (1-8) a. Keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you (1-6) b. For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid (7) c. Take your part in suffering with me for the gospel (8) 2. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ (9-12) a. Who has saved us & called us to be his own people (9) b. Who has ended the power of death (10) c. Who has appointed me to be an apostle and teacher (11-12) 3. Stand firm on this gospel a. Hold firmly to the true words that I have taught you (13) b. Remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus c. Keep the good things that have been entrusted to you (14) Introduction: Do you like talking about your faith in Christ, or are you a bit embarrassed about it? Some people are so extroverted they aren t ashamed to talk about anything, but others are so timid they have trouble even saying their name. Whether we are timid or not, we are all called to be witnesses to Christ & as we read in 1 Peter Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness & respect. 1 Peter 3:15. Nicky Gumble tells the story of a young man who had always hated people coming to his door to try & sell their religion. Finally, God caught up with him & he felt he wanted to respond to God s call. He asked the man who was leading him to faith: if I become a Christian, will I have to go around telling other people about my faith like all those religious freaks who knock on my door? The wise pastor who was guiding him said: part of being a Christian is testifying to others of Christ, but in your case, I think God will make an exception. And so he prayed & asked God to enter into his life. He gave his heart to Christ & he felt God s love & grace flowing over him. Getting up from praying, he raced out of the room & down stairs & told his family friends that the most amazing thing had just happened to him. He told them I ve just become a Christian, & the best part of it is that I don t have to tell anyone else about it.

2 When God calls us, he calls us to be his witnesses, but sometimes like Timothy, we can be shy about it. Paul writes to Timothy in this, his second letter, in order to encourage Timothy to be bold in telling others of his faith. He does so with a special urgency as he writes from prison in Rome and this would be the last letter he writes as soon he would be executed. He lays it on the line for Timothy who was a faithful but timid young leader in need of encouragement. In an environment where it was easier to say nothing about your faith, Paul encourages him to not be ashamed to speak of his Lord. Timothy had been converted by Paul during one of his missionary journeys. In Acts 16 we read Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him Acts 16:1-2 Paul came to put great faith in Timothy & he gave him great responsibilities such as that of naming leaders in the emerging congregations. Timothy became like an archdeacon or even assistant Bishop. 1. So do not be ashamed of the gospel (1-8) a. Keep alive the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you (1-6) His first encouragement takes Timothy back to the moment of his conversion. Paul remembers those tears. Can you remember a moment when you decided that you would follow Christ? For some people it s a constant growth in faith from childhood, & for others there is a very marked time. This was the case for Timothy, & Paul remembers laying hands on him & blessing him. He remembers the sincere faith of Timothy s grandmother Lois & his mother Eunice & he is persuaded that this faith is now in Timothy also. Timothy s faith is not fickle or insecure but firm & sincere. It has a beginning & is the product too of the prayers & faithfulness of his mother & grandmother. When Paul laid hands on Timothy & prayed for him, he prayed also for the Holy Spirit to fill him & to equip him with gifts with which to serve the Lord. The Spirit pours out his gifts on the church. Unfortunately, not all who receive these gifts actually use them. Sometimes they remain dormant, unopened, hidden. Paul now encourages Timothy to find his gift & to keep it live, to fan it into flame. We re not told what the gift was. Some today would say that this was an ordination to ministry & that this was his gift. The laying on of hands though is for all believers & all receive gifts to use in ministry.

3 b. For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid (7) Timothy was well loved & all spoke well of him. He was faithful, but if he had a weakness, it was that he was a little weak, both in health & in confidence. He had frequent stomach problems & he lacked boldness. In Paul s first letter to him, he warned him Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul also warned the Corinthians: When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should treat him with contempt 1 Corinthians 16: He was young, weak-stomached & at times treated with contempt, either because of his Greek father, or for his lack of confidence. His name even means timid. But this timidity that had affected him was being overcome by the Spirit s work in him through power, love & selfcontrol. As Paul says to him: For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. (7). c. Take your part in suffering with me for the gospel (8) It was quite important that Timothy take on courage. Paul warns later in Chapters 3 & 4 of how many will turn against the gospel & those who want to follow Christ will be persecuted. Paul himself was awaiting his own death for the cause of the gospel. He says in 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Timothy would face opposition & he would suffer persecution. Paul saw no shame in this suffering but only glory & encourages Timothy to face it bravely & to share with Paul & others in the cost of following Christ in a society that persecuted Christians. How do you face opposition to the gospel & suffering for Christ s sake? 2. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ (9-12) a. Who has saved us & called us to be his own people (9) The gospel is not an abstract, impersonal message. It is very personal and it is linked inseparably to Christ. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ who suffered for us to save us & who has called us to be his own holy and chosen people.

4 To be ashamed of the gospel is to be ashamed of Christ. To ignore his call to holy living is to ignore him. Timothy is reminded that his calling is a holy calling & it comes at a great cost, the death of Christ for us. How can we not take it seriously & proclaim it to all we know? b. Who has ended the power of death (10) If we had great news such as a cure for cancer, what would stop us from telling the whole world? The gospel announces that death no longer has a stranglehold over us, but Jesus has destroyed the power of death forever & through the gospel has revealed immortal life. (10). c. Who has appointed me to be an apostle and teacher (11-12) The Apostle Paul had in his Damascus road experience a unique & personal call from Jesus Christ himself to be his herald & apostle & teacher to the gentile nations. This isn t for all of us, but all of us are called to be his witnesses, wherever life may find us. We should not be ashamed of the gospel or of Jesus Christ. He saved us & called us to holy life. He suffered for us & defeated death forever Now he has appointed us to be his witnesses Even as he said to the disciples gathered in Jerusalem before his ascension: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 3. Stand firm on this gospel a. Hold firmly to the true words that I have taught you (13) Timothy must be a faithful witness as each of us must also be. Paul calls him to hold firmly to the true words that he has taught him as they set forth an example for him to follow in life. Words can sometimes be downplayed but there is great power in true words spoken in season. Timothy must treasure these words of instruction, words that come to form our New Testament and are also words of instruction for us. Just like in the Garden of Eden and in Jesus temptation in the wilderness, the lies of Satan don t just come out of nowhere but often are distortions or twistings of God s word. We need to hold firmly to the truth and not let his words to us be twisted. b. Remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus We must hold firmly to his teachings and remain or abide in that faith and love that come to us through our union with Christ. Christ not only teaches us but also gives us love and faith. We need to make sure we never leave this love that he gives us.

5 c. Keep the good things that have been entrusted to you (14) Timothy has received instruction, faith, love, power and self-control. These are precious gifts to be valued, used and guarded. Like Timothy, let us also guard them as precious so that no lie of the devil can snatch them from us. These are all wonderful encouragements to Timothy and also to us, but the power isn t just in encouraging words or in the power of positive thinking. The power comes from Christ, through the Holy Spirit, because of the cross. He has given us his Holy Spirit who gives us the power to testify. He has saved us & overcome our bondage to sin & death. He has called us to be his witnesses. He is able to do all that he has promised & much more than we have ever imagined. Surely then, we can take this spirit of power & overcome our fears & speak to others of what he has done for us. Like Timothy, we can take courage from all that has done already for us & fan into the flame the gifts that he has given us For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord 7-8. To think about: What stops me from sharing what God has done in my life?