At the end of the chapter, we read the account of Peter s denial of Christ. Turn to and read Matthew 26:69-75.

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1 Title: Be Not Ashamed - #Continue Text: 2 Timothy 1:8-18 Opening: After Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples in the upper room on the night before His crucifixion, He led them out to the mount of Olives for a time of prayer. As they went, Christ told them All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. Matthew 26:31 Peter, though, responded Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Matthew 26:33 Christ then goes on to specifically tell Peter, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. (vs. 34) Peter vows, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. (vs. 35) Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, after Judas has betrayed Christ into the hands of the soldiers, Matthew 26:56 tells us Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. At the end of the chapter, we read the account of Peter s denial of Christ. Turn to and read Matthew 26: Deny to state that something is not true; to refuse to recognize or acknowledge. What caused Peter at one moment, to pledge to remain faithful to Christ no matter what and then just hours later refuse to acknowledge that he even knew Christ?! One word, Fear. As I was continuing my study of 2 Timothy this past week, this account of Peter s denial of Christ came to my mind. What was it that caused Paul to remain faithful to Christ and to the message of the Gospel in the face of certain death? Faith. 1. Be not ashamed. (vs. 8)

2 a. Fear gives way to shame. Faith, though, gives way to courage. b. Don t be ashamed of the Gospel message and don t be ashamed to be counted with those who willingly proclaim the Gospel message. When you count the ones who love the Lord; Count me, count me; When you count up those who trust His Word; Count me, count me. When you count up those who do the right; Count me, count me; Who are walking in the Gospel light; Count me, count me. When you count up those who forward press; Count me, count me; Who shall gain the crown of righteousness; Count me, count me. c. We as a church family should stand, arm in arm, unashamed of the Gospel message, unashamed of the Truth, unashamed to be called soldiers of the cross! 2. Be partaker of the afflictions that come with the Gospel. (vs. 8) a. However, we must understand that it comes at a cost. b. Jesus told His disciples If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:8 If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you John 15:9 Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. John 16:2 c. This is a difficult concept for us in America to understand. We have not faced persecution. d. We must realize that God, in His infinite wisdom, uses persecution! Persecution just doesn t work. To the contrary, killing believers routinely accelerates the spread of the Gospel and the growth of the church. For those of us in the West, the threat of persecution is virtually nonexistent, but statistics show church growth in America which experiences no persecution has leveled off during the last twenty years.

3 Persecution and the spread of the Gospel are as inseparable as identical twins. Suffering propels the growth of Jesus movements around the world. Tom Doyle, Killing Christians e. Paul understood this because after the death of Stephen, the Bible tells us Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. Acts 8:4 f. Christians, why must we wait? Why we must we wait for persecution to come before we will get busy proclaiming the Gospel? Or, maybe a better question is, Why are we waiting? As you leave here this morning, take a bundle or two of Gospel tracts Gospel tracts that cost you nothing and spread the Gospel message this week! 3. God (vs. 9-14) a. God has saved us through His Son, Jesus Christ and we are kept by the Holy Spirit of God who indwells us. b. Christ has abolished death. Turn to and read 1 Corinthians 15: c. Because of God, we do not fear death. Death is merely the doorway which leads to life and immortality! d. It is because of Christ that we can be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58) 4. Follow my example. (vs. 12) a. Throughout his ministry, Paul had encouraged others to follow him and his example. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 b. Now, in the face of death, Paul encourages Timothy to follow his example. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed (vs. 12a)

4 c. Notice Paul s confidence for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (vs. 12b) d. Paul had been storing up treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) and he knew that God was a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) e. Paul had much to look forward to. He knew that very soon he would hear the words, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21) f. Fathers, I want to stop here and challenge you to be the example for your wife and children to follow. Be the type of Christ-like, Godly man who is not ashamed of Christ and the Gospel message. Be that example in the home, in the workplace, in this church! g. South Charlotte Baptist Church men, You be the example for this church body. Be leaders who are not ashamed of Christ and the Gospel message. h. Men, if you don t lead if you don t provide that example I can tell you what will happen. Your wives the other ladies in this church will either 1) step up to the plate and fill the void you have left or 2) they will follow your cowardly example. 5. Everyone has turned away from me Don t be like them! Be like Onesiphorous. (vs ) Christian persecution enables believers to better value the support of true friends. Conflict can bring faithful children of God together in an encouraging and supportive way they might not have known otherwise. Hardship can stimulate the Lord s people toward a greater resolve to love and comfort one another and lift one another to the throne of grace in prayer. There s nothing like an unpleasant incident to help us reach a greater level of brotherly love. Closing: In the book that I referenced earlier, Killing Christians, is the story of a young woman, Layla, a Christian from Baghdad who was able to escape to Jordan.

5 She wrote, Through all the difficulties of my life the ward in the streets and the wars in my home I have learned something from Jesus that has shaped my life. His power cannot be hindered or stopped. Nations may be at war, and ISIS may want to rule the world. Evil is called good, and good evil. But Jesus is the greatest force in the universe. Through the testimony of such Christians from around the world and from the testimony of the Apostle Paul we should be encouraged to charge hell with a water pistol! Do you need encouragement today? Your encouragement and confidence must be in God and His Word! Men, do you need to come today to yield yourself to God and be that example that your family needs that your church needs? An example of a Godly man who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?