Make the Choice - Fathers Day 2024
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Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:6-9
Context: A letter from Paul to his spiritual son Timothy. Paul was in prison, nearing the end of his life. Timothy received the letter, knowing this could be the final correspondence from his spiritual father. In verses 6-9 Paul reminds Timothy that he was given spiritual gifts. It would be Timothy’s CHOICE whether to walk in what he had been given.
Theme: As believers, we’ve all been given spiritual gifts, but there are some that we have in common. Just like Timothy, we have been given Power, Love, and Self-Control, but we must CHOOSE if we are going to walk in fear or these gifts from God.
Aim: We want the congregation to recognize whether or not they have been living in fear or by the spirit who gives these spiritual gifts. We especially want the men to acknowledge their responsibility to lead by example with these gifts.
Opportunity: Call up all the males in the church for laying on of hands to renew the gifts of the spirit in each man.
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Introduction - Shannon:
Little Johnny’s dad was the pastor of a small church in the Midwest. One day, he told Johnny that a very important church leader, a bishop, was coming to the church and would be staying with them in their home. Little Johnny became very excited about meeting the bishop. “What do I get to do?” he asked.
“Your job,” father answered, “will be to take his morning tea up to the guest room.”
“What shall I say?” little Johnny asked.
“Just remember to say, ‘It’s the boy, my Lord, it’s time to get up.’ ”
Little Johnny was very excited. He rehearsed his lines, repeating them over and over. Finally the day came, and little Johnny had learned all his lines. At the appointed hour, the bishop’s tea and a biscuit were set on a tray and given to little Johnny to take to the guest. Knocking on the visitor’s door, the boy become so excited his lines got all mixed up, so when he finally spoke, out came, “It’s the Lord, my boy, and your time is up.”
Today is Fathers day - Would all the Men stand up. Give them a hand. We have a gift for every man here today. Let’s pray over you this morning.
We are doing something different for the message today. Each one of us Pastors is going to take part of the sermon. This is our first time doing this, and we are excited to minister today.
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Context - Worley: Paul’s second letter to Timothy, written during his final imprisonment in Rome as he awaits martyrdom under Nero’s persecution of the church:
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
Power: Gr. Dynamis - used by Jesus in Lk 24.49, “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Love: Gr. Agape - used by the apostles for God’s perfect love, revealed through Christ, e.g. 1 Jn 4.18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
Self-Control: Gr. Soprhonismos - only here in the NT, but it shares a root with soprhoneo used by Paul in Rom 12.3 and rendered there, “sober judgment”, and sophron in Titus 2.2, rendered “self controlled”. Paul reminds Timothy that he is no longer a slave to his emotions or circumstances, but is empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome and rule himself instead of acting like an animal, enslaved by its urges and appetites.
During Nero’s persecution, Christians were being set on fire to light the streets and fed to wild animals in the colosseum (among other torments). In this context Paul reminds Timothy that we have not been given a spirit of fear - by we he means ALL who have received the Holy Spirit. We have received that same Spirit, in the same measure, and enjoy the same freedom from fear and sin.
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CHOOSE POWER: Shannon
CHOOSE POWER: Shannon
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
My dad has always been a hard worker. As a kid, I always thought he was the strongest man in the world. We’d wrestle and I could never beat him. We’d race, and I could never win. He’d grab my hand and tell me to squeeze as hard as I could, and I did, but it didn’t compare to the squeeze he gave back! One year for Christmas he got me a pair of boxing gloves, and I learned what it felt like to see stars in the middle of the day! My dad was a roofer and I can remember seeing him carry big bundles of shingles up a ladder. To this day, I don’t think I could lift a package of shingles above my knees.
He was strong. To me, he was the strongest. But let me tell you the strongest I remember my dad ever being. After he had a heart attack, he told me that the Lord spoke to him that he was to sing His praises. I thought it might have been the drugs, but he was serious.
The strongest I’ve ever seen my dad was when he stood in this sanctuary and sang the Old Rugged Cross. I’d never heard him sing before. It was incredible. Not, like he’s going to win American Idol incredible, but it was incredible because he was obeying the Lord. He was doing something that was NOT in his comfort zone. The Lord gave him the strength. That day my dad was not a coward, he was full of the Power of God.
Paul speaks to Timothy about remembering that he was given a these Spiritual gifts. One of which was Power. He reminded Timothy to Choose Power instead of fear.
What does that mean - to choose Power?
Well, you could say that to have the gift of Power means we’ve been EMPOWERED by God. When we’ve recieved the gift of the Holy Spirit we are now not using just our own abilities, we are being empowered by God’s ability.
If that’s true, then the only thing that can stop us from accomplishing God’s will on earth would be our FEAR. Which is why Paul tells Timothy to stop being a coward! Fear makes us cowards who run from difficult situations. Fear makes us step back instead of stepping up.
Paul was telling his dear son in the faith that when you’ve been appointed by God and you are stirring up the gifts He has given you then you will walk in Power, Love, and Self-Control.
Jesus is our example. He even told us that we are to continue working in the power of God.
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
This does not mean that we are going to eclipse Jesus’ miraculous work on earth, but our outreach would be greater (e.g., Peter in one sermon had 3,000 converts).
This is only possible because Jesus has gone to the Father and sent the Spirit. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Just like Timothy, we’ve been given the assignment to NOT be ashamed of the Gospel, but to proclaim it with Power.
The gospel is what sets people free. The world is in desperate need of freedom. People are struggling with their bondages. We have the answer. We have the truth.
Paul was reminding Timothy of this promise: God empowers us to reach the world with the truth.
We should be reminded too. We don’t need to be ashamed of the gospel. We should boldly proclaim the truth knowing that the power of God is at work in the hearts of people even if we can’t see it working. We boldly proclaim the truth in love believing that God is working to reconcile just as we have been reconciled.
Never underestimate the power of God. Never doubt the power of God. Never give up in the face of fear. Choose to walk in Power.
If you are a follower of Jesus, He’s going to ask you to do some CRAZY stuff. Just like my Dad, maybe you’re strong physically, but the Lord wants you to surrender to His will and do something that will require HIS strength in your weakness. We can choose to walk in His power or we can push it down and walk in our own strength.
Remember this:
8 But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.”
Choose to walk in this GREAT Power!
CHOOSE LOVE
CHOOSE LOVE
Why do you need to choose love?
It is easy to choose anger and resentment, it’s easy to choose unforgiveness, thinking that somehow you may be punishing the other person. It’s easy to be critical, that way you can try to justify your own shortcomings.
So, why should you always choose love? Because when we choose to love we emulate our Father in Heaven.
The Father loved us first.
19 We love because he first loved us.
Our Father has called us to love.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
We abide in the Father’s love. That simply means to stay or remain in His love.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
Then we live it out by the power of the Holy Spirit.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Sometimes we have a hard time choosing love, and many people have a difficult time expressing love.
In the early 2000’s God was really stirring my heart for more. Joyce and I had gotten married in the summer of 2000 and me and the kids had come through a very rough time in our lives.
One specific thing that was bothering me and that I was lamenting before the Lord, was that I could never remember my dad telling me that he loved me.
I knew that my dad loved me and that he cared for me, but I was craving that verbal affirmation. I simply needed to hear it from him.
Well, wouldn’t you know it! The Lord spoke to me in that sweet gentle voice: You tell him that you love him.
I don’t remember pushing back on that, yet I was a little intimidated, and thought, surely that was his responsibility.
Sunday came and I knew I would see dad at church. I was a little nervous and as we went in the door that morning I saw dad in the hallway to the right, coming toward us.
I gathered up some courage, went up to him and told him I needed to tell him something.
He looked at me and said ok, what is it. I looked him in the eye and said, I love you dad. At that moment he started to cry, grabbed ahold of me, hugged me and said, I love you too.
My dad passed away a few years later in 2004. I shudder to think about how I would have felt if that day had not happened.
Do yourself a favor today. If there is someone in your life that you need to express your love to, do it! Don’t delay, you may not get another chance.
Pass on the love that you have been given by our Lord Jesus
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL:
CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL:
Paul advocates self control (10) times in his letters to Timothy and Titus, twice to the Corinthians, once to the Galatians; Peter does in both of his letters. How important is self control to the believer? Would you get in an airplane without controls?
28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Spirit: ruach - spirit, mind, heart, i.e., the psychological faculty which can respond to God
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
Heart: kardia - inner self, never the literal body part called the “heart,” this is a reference to the areas of the inner self, including: the volition, the mind, the desires, etc., though the facility of the intellect may be slightly more emphasized (Dictionary of Biblical Languages)
What, How, & Why:
What is self control - self control is who we are when we have the power to choose. What we choose to allow or not allow defines us. When we choose the satisfaction of our desires over truth, we reveal our true priorities.
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Why choose self control - because it’s a gift of God, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the hallmark of a true Christian life. We cannot control the weather, the economy, or the people around us, but God has given us control over ourselves.
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’ - the slave lives in sin, the children do not. We may stumble, but we stand back up - a righteous person falls, but allows the Lord to lift them up, they do not stay down. IOW, a righteous person is defined by getting back up and continuing to follow Christ.
How - three ideas to consider:
We have to want it & stop making excuses. No one can choose discipline for you.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
We have to start small.
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
We have to start with our heart, our inner self.
29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Conclusion - Call to the Altar: GOD CHOSE US!
Today, we get to choose to walk in Power, Love, and Self-Control because God chose us to be His people.
In fact, that’s exactly what Paul told Timothy.
9 God saved us and chose us to be his holy people. We did nothing to deserve this, but God planned it because he is so kind. Even before time began God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.
Today, I encourage you to chose to walk in the gifts the Lord has granted to you. Don’t be afraid. God has chosen you!
Ask all the Men to come forward for Prayer.
Closing Prayer: Bundy