“Faithful and Fearless”
(2 Timothy 1:3-7)
Series: Faithful to the Finish Line (2 Timothy)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
I so appreciate your love for God and for worshiping Him! It’s always wise to evaluate our order of worship, and you all are so flexible in that and I just appreciate you. We’ve been doing things a little differently in our morning worship services and you have kept your hearts and minds focused on Jesus and I thank you for that.
My heart and the heart of our staff is that our worship gatherings would be opportunities for everyone to have a meaningful experience with God. We don’t ever want worship to be some “thing” we do that never changes, and we fall into a kind of rut where we just sort of “check off” that we’ve done it. It’s really easy to fall into a meaningless routine—I’ve been there! This is one reason why we’re being a little more intentional about how the worship order is arranged. The Gospel is in it!
We don’t ever want to assume that everyone here understands the Gospel—or understands why we gather and sing. Some of us have been here a long time and some of us have been here a short time. And nearly every week we have someone new. So our order of worship is arranged with the Gospel in mind. It begins with a call to worship that brings the focus on God, and then moves forward to man and his brokenness by sin and need for confession, and then forgiveness through Christ that inspires us to give and then this peace with God means peace with one another, so we welcome one another. And then we focus on the Word, hearing from God, responding to God, and being sent out into the world.
So again thank you for just keeping your hearts and minds focused on Jesus!
Take your Bibles and join me in the Book of 2 Timothy, chapter 1 (page 800; YouVersion).
Last week we began a new series of messages through 2 Timothy. Our series is entitled, “Faithful to the Finish Line.” 2 Timothy is largely about our persevering, our enduring through difficulties, our keeping on and moving forward as we run the race known as the Christian life. It is about being faithful to the God who is faithful to us, faithful to the finish line.
Last Spring, a 39-year-old man from Venezuela ran the famous Boston Marathon. Maickel Melamed. He had run 4 previous marathons, but this was his first time running the coveted Boston Marathon. It was for Maickel the culmination of 6 years of training that had begun with his running just 500 yards the very first time.
But what makes Maickel Malamed’s story unique is that he finished last year’s Boston Marathon in last place, 26.2 miles, he finished last.
And he finished last because Maickel Malamed has a form of muscular dystrophy that severely impairs his mobility so that his run is more like a very slow and laborious movement of left and right strides.
The Boston Marathon course is brutal, hilly and difficult. It begins early Monday morning and the average male runner finishes Boston a little over 4 hours—Maickel Melamed finished the race 20 hours later threw wind, torrential downpours, and cold, crossing the finish line in the dark and in pelting rain the following Tuesday morning. 20 hours after it began.
He was interviewed shortly after completing the race and said, “It was hard on the body, but in the soul everything is shining.”
Maickel Melamed was faithful to the finish line. His act of courage demonstrates that while some have unique gifts and talents for running, one need not have those things to finish. One need only move forward faithfully, one step at a time, faithful to the finish line.
Folks, that is the Christian life. Some have been running the Christian race for years. Some have been running just a short time. Some are fast, some are slow. Some are more flashy than others. It really doesn’t matter how one looks running the Christian race. What matters more than anything is that one is faithful to the finish line, that one can say with the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Faithful to the finish line.
That’s what we’re talking about these several weeks and that’s what we’re talking about this morning as we read a passage teaching us to be “Faithful and Fearless.”
Please stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,
5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Pray.
I want to just jump right in this morning and study this passage with you as we make application throughout the text.
You’ve probably noticed there is more than one way to preach a passage of Scripture. Sometimes we’ll go through the whole passage and just do an exposition of it and then, towards the end, provide application. Other times, like this morning, we’re actually going to have the application built-in to the outline. And sometimes we do both.
But here’s what I wrote in my notes this week:
**What helps us to keep moving forward?
Remember last time I told you about that sign I read that simply said, “Keep Moving?” How that little reminder gently nudges us onward? So I wrote this down: “What helps Christians to keep moving forward?”
And there’s some encouragement here for Christians, encouragement to us to keep moving forward, to keep on “keeping on,” to persevere, to stay faithful to the the Lord. First:
I. God’s People [3-4]
The encouragement of God’s people. Paul certainly seeks to encourage Timothy. Remember that Paul is where? In prison. We had pictures on the wall last week of the Mamertine Prison in Rome. More like a dungeon. A hole in the ground. Damp, dark, cold. Yet from this location, and facing impending death, the Apostle Paul seeks to encourage his young protege and mentor, Pastor Timothy in Ephesus.
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
Paul thanks God for Timothy and for the opportunity he has to pray for Timothy. And I like the way he begins. He says, “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, or a clear conscience; in other words—no guilt, no shame. A pure conscience. That’s what the Gospel gives us! The choir sang this earlier, “In Christ Alone”
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
Do you have a pure conscience, a clear conscience? Are you still battling guilt and shame? Jesus died for that. Trust Him!
So Paul says to Timothy in verse 3, “without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day.”
What helps us to keep moving forward? God’s people:
1) Praying for One Another (3)
“Without ceasing I remember you in my my prayers night and day.”
There is such encouragement when someone says, “I am praying for you.” I’ve had times in my life when I just knew that someone was praying. There are some people who, when they tell you, “I’m praying for you,” they are and they will!
Have you considered the blessing you can be to another brother or sister by praying for them? You can bring such encouragement to them by just saying, “Hey, I’m praying for you” and then do it. Make a note of it. Pray for them. Send them a note that says, “Hey, I was thinking of you. Just thought I’d tell you I was praying for you.”
You know what that will help them do? (act like running). That will help them to keep on moving forward. There is power in prayer. They know you are praying for them and, most importantly, God knows you are praying for them. God gives us grace to stay faithful to Him, to keep moving forward.
So what helps us to keep moving forward? Praying for one another and, secondly:
2) Longing for One Another (4)
And this speaks to empathy, caring, compassion, a genuine interest in others and how we may stand with them and love them.
4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,
Most of the translations have something like, “I long to see you.” I just think that is so wonderful. Paul longed to be with Timothy to encourage him. He remembers Timothy’s tears—and we’re not told what that’s all about, but it probably has something to do with the last time Paul saw Timothy, like they were going to be away from one another and Timothy just became emotional at the thought of losing a good friend for awhile.
So Paul says, “Timothy, I long to see you, nothing would bring me greater joy than to be with you not just in spirit, but in presence!”
See there’s a real encouragement that comes to Christians just knowing that a brother or sister is nearby who wants to share in the ups and downs of life.
I mean, remember that Paul is writing this letter from a dungeon. Death is knocking at his door. Literally. I mean, the Mamertine Prison is located in proximity to the Roman Senate. An out of town guest with us last week emailed me a satellite picture of the prison, senate, and coliseum, noting how close they are to one another, suggesting that Paul’s trail, conviction, and execution could happen quite swiftly. Paul was waiting for a Roman Soldier to come to the prison at any moment to carry him away to execution.
Now if I’m in that position, I’m thinking I’m pretty likely to just sort of “check-out” of society. You know, “I’m done.” All I can think of is my situation, my death, my self. But Paul is not longing for release from prison but rather for fellowship with Timothy.
Paul is like, “Hey, Timothy! Love ya buddy! Praying for you. Miss you. Long to see you. Seeing you again would mean a fulness of joy.” It actually says, “filled with joy,” which suggests Paul already has joy even there in that prison—but seeing Timothy would mean a fuller joy, being filled with joy.
What helps us to keep moving forward? God’s people. God’s people praying, God’s people caring—longing to be with one another.
I know I’ve told you before about the fella who was so lonely—and I don’t remember where I heard this or read this—I just remember that there was a man who was just all by himself. I think his wife had died and maybe his children were grown and gone and it was just him by himself. And he so missed companionship and friendship. And so he would go to the barber to get his haircut like every week—just so he could experience the feel of someone touching him, touching his head, cutting his hair, the closeness of another person—it was a reminder of the genuine compassion and care and touch deeply important to authentic human relationships—especially to Christian relationships.
Be an encouragement to someone this week. Pray for them. Care for them. It will help them in the journey, helping them to keep moving forward in faithfulness.
Here’s another thing that helps us to keep moving forward. We’ve mentioned God’s peoples. Secondly:
II. God’s Provision [5-7]
That is, what God has provided, what God has given the Christian. There are at least three main things God has given the Christian. First:
1) A Genuine Faith (5)
In verse 5 Paul says, “I remember the genuine faith…”
5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
We’ve studied this verse before, noting Timothy’s great legacy of faith. It dwelt first in Timothy’s grandmother, then mother, and then Timothy. 3 generations. Praise God for a family that passes on a great legacy of faith! I hope this is the most important thing to your family. I hope this is more important to your family than school, work, or worldly success. I hope your family talks much about Jesus. I hope your dinner conversations are filled with discussions about following Christ. They may not always be the grandest of discussions, but moms and dads can raise boys and girls, and grandmas and granddads can raise grandsons and granddaughters, talking about the most important thing in life—a relationship with Jesus Christ. A legacy of faith.
And Paul refers to Timothy’s faith as a, “genuine faith,” a sincere faith, the King James Version has, an “unfeigned faith,” that is, an un-faked faith. It’s not a hypocritical faith. It’s faith that doesn’t wear a mask. It’s real.
Do you have that faith? This is Christian faith, saving faith. This is what God gives to us by His grace. In other words, “Your’e a real believer.” You don’t just say you are a Christian, you are. It’s real. It’s genuine.
When you genuinely believe the Gospel, that God has done for your what you can’t do yourself—believing God is your substitute in Christ. Christ living a perfect life of righteousness which is what you need to be right with God. Christ living for you and dying for you, dying on the cross for your sin. You believe in Jesus Christ and you’ve turned from your sin and received Christ into your life, the living, resurrected Christ—God changes you and makes you a new you! And then you follow Him. You begin running the Christian race. Genuine faith. Genuine faith that is faithful to the finish line.
Here’s another encouragement that God provides. Secondly, He provides each of us:
2) A Ministry Gift (6)
A gift to serve Him in some way. Timothy’s gift was unique to his calling as a minister of the Gospel who was now serving in and around Ephesus. Paul writes in verse 6:
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Paul is encouraging Timothy to remember that God had gifted him for ministry. He is likely reminding Timothy of his ordination service, when Timothy was symbolically “set-aside” for the work of pastoral ministry, a time when godly men would gather around a candidate and “lay hands” on them as a sign of prayerful encouragement and commissioning.
God had gifted Timothy with a ministry gift. The “gift of God that was in Timothy” is whatever Timothy needed to do what God had called him to do. God had given him just what he needed to do the work of ministry—namely courage to speak boldly for Christ as a minister of the Gospel. God had given Timothy that gift and Paul was reminding Timothy of that fact.
And Paul encourages Timothy to “stir up” that gift or to “rekindle” the gift. The majority of the translations have something like, “fan into flame” or, “rekindle the flame” of God’s gift in you. It’s like Timothy has sort of gotten down and out and has allowed his gifts for ministry—namely the courage to speak the Gospel boldly and unashamedly—Timothy has just sort of let that gift fall by the wayside. It’s not that he lost the fire entirely, it’s just that the fire once burned white hot, that was now fading, and the flame just flickering. So Paul is like, “Hey, Timothy! Don’t let the fire out, baby! Get that speaking gift going again! Rekindle the fire! Fan it into flame!”
Now, just as God had given Timothy a ministry gift, so God has given you a ministry gift or gifts to be used in and through the body of Christ. We have been saying for sometime that God wants every Christian to serve in some way or other. You have a unique gift or gifts that God wants you to use for His glory. New members are encouraged to go through the “Discover Your Design” class to discover how God has uniquely shaped them and designed them to serve in and through the church, using their gifts for ministry for the glory of God. Each of you has a ministry gift of some kind.
So God has given you everything you need to live this out this Christian life. He has given us everything we need to do what He’s called us to do—whether you are a new Christian, new church member, or minister. It’s like where Peter writes in, 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,”
Many of you have been there if you fish, hunt, or camp out. What I think is really cool is when you’ve got a roaring fire going and you enjoy it and roast your hot dogs and marshmallows and go to bed and get up the next morning and look over at the fire and there’s a little glow underneath those coals. Leave them alone and they’ll eventually burn out. Rekindle them and before you know it (whoof!) a little flame appears and you “fan that flame” and rekindle that fire and it blazes.
God has gifted you with certain skills and abilities and He wants you to use them. The challenge is that sometimes we get discouraged, or we get hurt, or we get busy, or we just get selfish—and we stop using our gifts. And it’s like a fire once roared that is now about to die out. So hear the Apostle Paul say to you and me, “Hey! Don’t let the fire out! Get that ministry gift going again! Rekindle the fire! Fan it into flame!”
However God has uniquely designed you—teaching, singing, praying, leading, caring for little ones, mentoring, sharing the Gospel, serving in missions—get that ministry gift burning again. Rekindle the fire!
Here’s another encouragement that God provides. God provides us with a genuine faith, a ministry gift, and thirdly and finally:
3) A Fearless Life (7)
Paul suggests that Timothy’s fire has nearly gone out because of his fear. We’re not sure exactly what Timothy feared but the context suggests he may have feared that what happened to Paul may well happen to him—arrest and imprisonment. Maybe he was growing fearful of standing for the Gospel, fearful of his being found out as an ally of the Apostle Paul’s. In any case, he was fearful. So Paul addresses his fear in verse 7:
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Say that with me: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
So you may consider writing this down, “When I am fearful…” I will remember: God has given me: an attitude of power, love, and a sound mind.
Power—I can do this. I can get through this. Not in my might, not by my power, but by God’s power. God is giving me grace to get through this difficulty, to keep moving forward.
Love—Love for God and love for those for hurt us or a love for those for whom we are concerned.
Sound mind—some translations, “Self-discipline” or “Self-control.” Think the opposite of sound mind and you’ll have a mind that is full of fear. Sound mind is a disciplined mind. It is mind that is mindful that God is in control. We won’t allow our minds to run crazy like. We won’t allow wrong thinking to get inside our heads and allow the devil to throw us into confusion. God is not the author of confusion, but a God of order.
Keep your mind disciplined! Keep your mind sound! Remember that God is in control and He always does what is right.
I suggest your memorizing verse 7. Someone asks you what you are afraid of you can say, “Noting.” No fear. “For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Faithful and Fearless!!
• Let me invite you to bow your heads for prayer.
We’re moving into God’s invitation time. This is the invitation. God’s invitation to respond to Him. That’s what we’re doing right now. There is an invitation every week. God is inviting you, God is inviting me, God is inviting all of us to respond.
You have heard God’s Word. Every time we hear God’s Word we respond.
Do you have a genuine faith??
“a pure conscience.”
In a moment we’re going to sing our invitation hymn of response, “Before the Throne of God,” you will sing of your “pure conscience.”
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
Is your conscience clear? Can you sing that?
Maybe you need to pray a prayer like this:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed, but, through you, I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment and offering forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as Savior.”
Is there someone you need to reach out to? Pray for?
Commit to using your ministry gift? Church membership.
Spirit of fear? Power, love, and sound mind.
Let me invite you to stand and sing this invitation song as your prayer and praise of response.
Sing: Before the Throne of God Above
Benediction
Here’s how we’re going to end today. Like we ended our members’ meeting a couple weeks ago, singing this praise. a cappella. Hear the words, really simple:
To God be the glory,
To God be the glory;
To God be the glory
For the things he has done!
God has done great things for us—He has blessed us with His people, and His provision. He is faithful to us so we are singing back to Him.
You may wish to raise your hand in praise or simply stand as you are, but sing this with me right now:
To God be the glory, To God be the glory; To God be the glory For the things he has done!
I’ll see you back here tonight. God bless you and have a wonderful afternoon, you are dismissed.
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