2 Timothy 1: Sermon Series: Stay Faithful to Jesus! Dr. Kip McKee, Senior Pastor Silver Run Baptist 16 June 2013

Transcription

1 1 2 Timothy 1: 8-14 Sermon Series: Stay Faithful to Jesus! Dr. Kip McKee, Senior Pastor Silver Run Baptist 16 June 2013 Read Scripture Prayer INTRODUCTION: We are continuing our Sermon Series from 2 Timothy Stay FAITHFUL to Jesus! Last week we mentioned that this letter, 2 Timothy, was the last letter Paul wrote on this earth.

2 2 Paul has been a mentor, pastor & even a father figure in the ministry for Timothy. Now he sits in a Roman Jail very near to the end of his earthly life. Knowing the Closeness of their relationship, it is no wonder that Paul writes in verses 3 & 4, Thanking God for Timothy Praying for Timothy Remembering the SINCERE FAITH & LOVE of Timothy MISSING Timothy Then in verse 5 PAUL ENCOURAGES Timothy by Reminding him of his FAITH! With Paul s death upon him, I know Timothy needed some encouraging words. And by the GRACE of God, Who Gave Paul these Words, we are still being ENCOURAGED by this letter today. God is telling Timothy & us to, 1) STIR UP The Gift God Gave you! (II Timothy 1:6) Read and Discuss II Timothy 1: 6 Think back Timothy and GET FIRED UP AGAIN.

3 3 We must stay ON FIRE FOR GOD & this takes effort on our part! Spurgeon adds that... God deserves to be served with all the energy of which we are capable. Then in verse 7, Paul reminded Timothy that, 2). GOD has Given EVERY Christian His Spirit of POWER, LOVE & SELF-DISCIPLINE! Read and Discuss II Timothy 1: 7 For the Spirit of God GAVE & Gives us POWER, LOVE & SELF-DISCIPLINE! Now we come to the verses for today which I titled, God s Calling YOU! It begins in II Timothy 1:8

4 4 Paul is writing her about, I. SHAMELESS SUFFERING! I guess this verse doesn t sit so well with the name it and claim it crowd. With those that say Christians should never suffer or be in need For some reason, those folks are AVOIDING one of the truths of God s Word There will be times of suffering and hardship for true disciples. Notice in this passage that Paul is reminding Timothy of the suffering he is in and the suffering that he FULLY expects Timothy to encounter. Stand w/ other Believers as they suffer for the Gospel. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me HIS prisoner. II Timothy 1:8a Ashamed (1870) (epaischunomai) means to experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status because of some particular event or activity. It is associated with being afraid, feeling shame which prevents one from doing something, a reluctance to say or do something because of fear of humiliation, experiencing a lack of courage to

5 5 stand up for something or feeling shame because of what has been done. Could Timothy be ASHAMED OF THE GREAT APOSTLE PAUL? YES! WHY? He is in Prison, facing death. Just like Jesus. That is why Paul is reminding Timothy of the suffering he is in and he also speaks of the suffering that he FULLY expects Timothy to encounter. Was Timothy ASHAMED of Paul & Jesus? NOT according to this letter Paul wrote in a way that told Timothy to AVOID being ASHAMED don t fall into that trap Timothy Kenneth Wuest writes... The exhortation, Be not ashamed, does not mean that Timothy was ashamed. Had that been the case, Paul would have used the present imperative, which with the negative, forbids the continuance of an action already going on. Here he uses the aorist subjunctive with the negative which forbids the doing of an act not yet begun. Next Paul encourages Timothy and us to

6 6 Stand STRONG, by God s Power, WHEN YOU suffer for the Gospel. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me HIS prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. II Timothy 1:8 Timothy suffered for the Gospel and every Committed Disciple of Jesus will Suffer for the Gospel in one way or another (Ill. Suffering for the Gospel - Early in the morning on January 23, 1999, a group of about sixty Hindu fundamentalists shattered the windows of Graham Staines s jeep. Graham, longtime director of a leprosy mission in India, and his sons, Philip and Timothy, were participating in a Bible conference in the village Monoharpur. After breaking the windows, the fanatics poured gasoline over the vehicle and set it on fire. Graham and his sons died, though not instantly, as many heard screams coming from the blaze. Days later, Graham s wife, Gladys, made a public statement forgiving the murderers of her husband and sons. She also expressed hope that the guilty individuals would be touched by the love of Christ.

7 7 India was stunned by her spirit of forgiveness, as well as her commitment to stay on and direct the mission. Gladys has this advice for future missionaries: Make very sure of your call from God and, once you re sure of it, be very prepared for whatever, even if it costs your life. The strength, love, and commitment of the Staines family teach us much about a godly response to suffering.) Jesus said: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven So YES Suffer without Shame, a second truth of this passage is that true Disciples of Jesus have been II. SAVED (Made Right with God) FOREVER! True Believers of Jesus HAVE BEEN SAVED. This is a PAST event, a completed action. Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:9a Jude remind us of this completed work,

8 8 To HIM WHO is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Yes once a person is a child of God they will always be a child of God. And as a CHILD of God we have responsibilities, we are III. SAVED & CALLED to a HOLY LIFE! Salvation ALWAYS come with God s CALLING of a person both for Salvation & for Service. II Timothy 1:9b. He has saved us and CALLED us to a HOLY life This is a call to BELIEVERS BORN AGAIN Christians! We are to CALLED by GOD to be HOLY!

9 9 Edwards comments on our calling 1) It is a HOLY CALLING: The word "holy" (hagios) means "set apart." God has always desired His people to be set apart" people. Dt. 7:6, Isa. 52:11, 1 Pet. 1:15,16. We are to be "set apart" from sin and "set apart" to the Savior. Holiness is not an option for the believer, it is an obligation. 2 Timothy 2:19, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity (sin)." (2) It is an UNMERITED CALLING: "not according to our works but according to his own... grace." Our salvation and calling are utterly unmerited by US. Our righteous deeds are but "filthy rags". Yet because of God's unfathomable love, He reached out to us who were dead in trespasses and sin and has made us alive together in Christ. (Eph 2:1-5).

10 10 We are CALLED to a HOLY Life for God s Purposes! Can you imagine God has set us APART to Serve Him! IV. SET APART for God s PURPOSES! God Loved us BEFORE the Beginning of Time!! Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:9c God Loved us & demonstrated His Love by giving us Jesus! Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:10 & Romans 5:8 God Loves us so much HE has made good plans for us! Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:11 Ephesians 2:10 Good Works For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

11 11 God s Love is able to Protect us, Guide us, Strengthen us & Keep us! Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:12 IV. SET APART to Faithfully Complete our God-given work & to teach others by our walk! Paul could say look at my example & do likewise! Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:13 Paul encouraged Timothy to GUARD the good deposit that was entrusted to him guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Read and Discuss II Timothy 1:14 1) It is our responsibility to carry out God s Work. 2) We need God s Help to do His Work! ********************************************************** God has CALLING us to LIVE HOLY LIVES! There are no acceptable excuses because God is here to help us live for Jesus. ********************************************************** Prayer Invitation