Renewing Your Priorities 8

Prioritizing Your Testimony

Text: 2Timothy 3:10-17

Introduction:

Illustration: Henry Heinz, born in 1844, to German immigrants in Pittsburg, PA, helped support his family as a teenager by growing and selling vegetables in the family garden. After graduating from college and getting married, he started a business selling horse radish. In 1875, a national financial collapse drove the young company into bankruptcy. Despite the legal freedom bankruptcy gave him, Heinz regarded each of the company’s outstanding debts as a moral obligation and personally paid back every penny.

Heinz went on to found the H.J. Heinz Company with its 57 varieties and became a leading American businessman. A devout Christian, he was known for the generous treatment of his employees and his generosity to Christian causes. Throughout his life Heinz conducted his business and personal dealings with the same integrity that led him to pay back hundreds of thousands of thousands of dollars he technically did not owe. He began his will with these words: “I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will as the most important item in it a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour.”

It is safe to say that your testimony is the greatest asset than any material thing you can posses!

Proverbs 22:1“1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.”

The words “legacy” and “identity” get used a lot today. Everyone typically wants to be remembered for good reasons not bad one. However, Christians have a far more important reason to be concerned about their testimony, identity, and legacy! It has everything to do with the name of Jesus Christ! It is not so much them remembering the good things, but remembering from your life where all good things come from!

A personal testimony that elevates the name of Jesus is not something accomplished by the passive or disengaged! You my friend will have to graduate from being a “hearing of the word” to a “doer of the word.” Thankfully, each one of you currently have the blessed opportunity to end your life better than it started.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”

The Apostle Paul selected Timothy to join him on his second missionary journey

Timothy is the first third-generation Christian mentioned in the New Testament — Acts 16:1 “1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:”

Setting the context

Paul describes Timothy as his son, child, brother, co-laborer, etc, which indicates a closeness professionally and personally.

Paul is writing with urgency to Timothy in efforts to encourage and challenge him.

He encourages him in theses ways: Never be ashamed of the gospel, never be ashamed of the persecution you will face, don’t follow the natural pull of your humanity, always remember everything you endure for the sake of the gospel is worth it.

Following all of these admonishments, Paul then makes this amazing statement, “You have known me…”

The reality of that statement made all the difference in Timothy applying the truth Paul was pleading for him to infuse his life with.

The question that comes to mind is this, “How did Paul leave such a powerful testimony with a Christian leader who would carry the church forward?

I want to submit to you, that we must follow this same building pattern if we are going to transfer successfully our faith to future generations.

1) A Testimony Built On Biblical Truth

A. Truth based belief develops truth based actions

Now, there is no doubt Timothy noticed Paul’s weaknesses. However, he also notice how Paul was a genuine believer.

A genuine believer doesn’t mean you never mess up, but it does mean you are never satisfied with your mistakes.

Before Paul ever speaks about his actions or habits, he speaks about the basis of his actions and habits.

Illustration: If you truly believe something, it will motivate you to action. (example: our evacuation out of Florida)

Illustration: If a husband really believes his wife is a gift from God and if he really believes Jesus’ plan of how to lead her, his actions will reflect that.

We live in a day when “doctrine” is not something that is of the highest priority.

The first people to base their lives on fads and culture are those who negate the priority of biblical truth in their life.

Without knowing what you believe and why, your life will become a hypocritical train wreck!

More people in church culture today are just fine with being entertained, but lets not major too much on Biblical doctrine that may interrupt my way of living.

Living objectivity brings about living consistently!!!

B. Biblical truth will always be your greatest need

Notice how Paul explains what the scriptures do for everyone: 2 Timothy 3:16 “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Doctrine — teaches us the truth.

Reproof — reveals to us the error in our life.

Correction — it tells us how to realign our life to God’s holiness.

Instruction — it provides direction on how to live our life within the boundary of God’s riches blessings and goodness.

God’s Word will build up what needs to be built up, it will crush what needs to be crushed, and it will break what needs to be broken in your life!

God’s Word brings the light you need and the fire you need.

God’s Word is the storm that clashes against the sinful urge or lifestyle you have fallen into.

God’s Word is the life taker (old living) and the life giver (new living) if fully received.

If there is no generational faith, then there will no faith for future generations.

2) A Testimony Built On Consistent Habits

A. Paul reminds Timothy about his “manner of life.”

Paul was saying, “Timothy, you have spent years and have walked hundreds of mile by my side and you know that I have lived consistent to the truth I preach.”

Those who have made the biggest impact on my life are those who have modeled the truth.

This validates that “truth” is not only academic!

2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

The percentage of believability regarding the kind of transformation Jesus provides for us is largely based on the consistency of truth based habits seen through you.

Q — What do you dwell more on: What you do or Who you’ve become?

Q — Actually how close are we supposed to impact lives?

A better question is, how deep does Jesus desire to transform someone’s life? TO THE VERY CORE!

Jesus walked in perfect purity before the world among a variety of circumstances and temptations.

1 Timothy 3:9 “9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.”

B. Paul no doubt had a purpose statement…you should too!

Philippians 3:7–10 “7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

APP — It may be a good idea for you to spend time in prayer and God’s Word and develop your own purpose statement! What do you want your legacy to say to those you leave behind?

It isn’t enough to know your purpose or even write it down! You must visit in on a daily basis!

3) A Testimony Built On Perseverance

A. Timothy witnessed first hand Paul’s perseverance

Acts 13:44-52 — Antioch: unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and “raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts”

Acts 14:1-6, 19 — Iconium: the unbelieving Jews made trouble. This time, “there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them”

Acts 14:8-20 — Lystra: Paul is stoned and left for dead. Timothy’s home town. Possibly the first glimpse of ministry for Timothy.

Following that, Paul traveled 41 miles by foot or by animal taxi.

B. Timothy would also face persecution

There is no doubt Paul kept this in mind when Timothy was traveling with him.

It will always be in the face of persecution that will validate where our priorities are.

Every of you will face some form of resistance due to your decisions for Christ that will test your perseverance.

Illustration: (Missionaries to the aboriginal Huaorani people living in isolation along the shores of the Curaray River in Ecuador) Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian—sought to bring the Gospel. They initially droped gift packages from the air to communicate their peaceful arrival. Through the return of gifts from the villagers, it seemed like progress had been made. They landed and made camp along the beach head. The following morning, they were again visited by Aucas—this time, a large group bearing spears. All five missionaries were killed. Their bodies were so mutilated that they could only be identified a few days later by watches, rings, and pocket journals. (Here is where the perseverance comes in) It made national news and the main question that kept being asked was, “Why did they waste their lives?” But six and a half years earlier, Jim Elliot had provided his own commentary on this event. His journal entry for October 28, 1949, records the scribbled words: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” And history proves Jim right. Less than three years after the Palm Beach massacre, the Huaorani allowed two missionaries (actually, a sister and a wife of two of the men they had murdered) to live among them. Eventually, thousands of Huaorani trusted Christ as their Saviour. They established local churches and even traveled to neighboring Indians to preach the Gospel. The missionaries’ sacrifice had taught these people that the Gospel is worth the complete investment of one’s life. Chappell, Paul. Stewarding Life: One Lifetime, Limited Resources, Eternal Priorities (pp. 237-238). Striving Together Publications. Kindle Edition.

Conclusion

Quote: The most important questions are not “What do others think of me?” or “How will others remember me?” Of utmost importance is, “What do others know of Christ because of me—now and after I am gone?” What people think of me is irrelevant, but what they think of Christ is vital.” (Dr. Paul Chappell)