Fan the Flame 2 Timothy 1:1-7

-We must remember our responsibility to raise a generation that knows the Lord

My dog has a best friend, but maybe not one you would suspect. Bay is best friends with a cartoon character, a little blue fish named Dory from Finding Nemo. Whenever Dory shows up on the big screen, he goes crazy! Bay never forgets Dory, but I’m sure Dory has forgotten Bay. If you know anything about Dory, you understand why. She is a fish suffering from memory loss. My dog will watch a looping video and Dory visits him over and over again and every meeting is just like the first time over again! As silly as it seems watching the movies, I’m afraid we suffer from memory loss when it comes to the next generation. We forget our responsibility to them and we forget our common hope with them.

I. Remember the Children vv. 1-2

In our passage this morning, the Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy, a young man of great importance in his own life

Paul identifies himself as the author:

He is an Apostle of Christ Jesus

He is appointed to this office by the will of God and according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus

This seems like an odd little turn of phrase, but the promise of life is important here: Paul is facing death

This letter was written as Paul was imprisoned and facing execution, but he writes to Timothy as one who is holding on to the promise of life!

With this background in place, Paul writes to Timothy with words of instruction, encouragement, and hope

For all of the titles that Paul holds and for all of the challenges of his own life, Paul is deeply invested in the life of Timothy

Timothy is a “child” of Paul’s

He is not a biological son, but is instead a son in the faith

Paul has invested in his spiritual growth and taught and trained him to follow Jesus

In Paul’s darkest moments, he is thinking about Timothy

I want us to pause and consider that:

Who do we care about “in the faith” in this way?

Who have we invested in, training and teaching to follow Jesus?

Whose spiritual well-being are we willing to put ahead of even ourselves?

It is impossible to raise a generation that knows the Lord if we are unwilling to prioritize them!

Philippians 2:3–4

[3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (ESV)

II. Remember to Pray v. 3

Next, Paul sets an example for us in his prayer life:

He prays for Timothy constantly

I think this is pretty interesting, because there’s not really anything else that he can do at this point

However, I don’t think that diminishes the beauty of Paul’s prayers

So many times in my own life, I only pray when I run out of options, when there is nothing else that I can do

This was not true of Paul, I don’t believe, but it becomes even more true in this critical spot

It is in moments like these, though, that we gain clarity on our dependency on prayer

I think we can learn two things from Paul’s prayer

It is a thankful prayer, indicating his attitude towards Timothy

It is a constant prayer, consistently lifting up Timothy to the Lord

There are so many things that we can do for our “children” in the faith, but until we have prayed, we haven’t really done the most important thing of all!

J.R. Miller tells a story of a time when he walked in on his mother. He says, “Once I suddenly opened the door of mother’s room, and saw her on her knees beside her chair, and heard her speak my name in prayer. I quickly and quietly withdrew, with a feeling of awe and reverence in my heart.  Soon I went away from home to school, then to college, then into life’s sterner duties.  But I never forgot that one glimpse of my mother at prayer, nor the one word — my name — which I heard her utter.”

III. Remember Their Love v. 4

The third thing that we see here is a pretty tender note: Paul remembers Timothy’s tears

We don’t know exactly the reason for the tears, but it is likely a recognition of a previous parting that was marked by deep sorrow

There is a genuine love between this spiritual father and son that I think is noteworthy

Who do you weep for? Who weeps for you?

Is there anybody that you can say this about?

Are you developing the kinds of deep relationships that are worth shedding tears over?

If not, you need to do something about it

If so, you need to remember your responsibility towards those folks

Paul is not writing this passage as a theologian trying to impress a young man with good doctrine

Paul writes this as a father to a son who loves him deeply and out of a desire to return that love

We do not know the impact that we are having in the lives of others that are under our leadership; we need to pay attention and honor it with our actions! We have a tremendous opportunity to influence them for the Gospel!

The problem with Christians in America is not that Christians aren't where they should be; the problem is that they're not what they should be right where they are.

IV. Remember Their Faith v. 5

Fourth, Paul makes note of Timothy’s faith

This faith in Jesus was held by Timothy’s grandmother and mother

Now, Timothy holds the faith for himself

Paul notes that Timothy’s faith is “sincere”

There is a genuineness to this faith; it is real

Timothy owns this for himself and this gives Paul good reasons for hope

It is easy to see the shortcomings of a generation, but they are participants in our common faith

We are all participants in this together

We can look at them with hope because the same God who has upheld us is upholding them!

Ephesians 4:4–6

[4] There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (ESV)

V. Remember the Gift of the Spirit vv. 6-7

Finally, Paul gets to his big point:

Timothy must “fan into flame” the gift of God in his life

The gift of the Spirit has been passed on from Paul to Timothy and it is his to experience

The spirit that God gives to His children, that we pass on to them is not a spirit of fear

It is instead:

Power

Love

Self-control

As we consider our children in the faith, we do not face the future with fear, but in the hope that the Spirit that dwells in us dwells in them

Our faith may not feel like much in this moment, but when that spark gets fanned and catches fire it can become something dynamic!

In 1804, Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find the source of the Missouri River, and from there to discover a relatively easy water route west to the Pacific. Such a waterway, they discovered, doesn't exist.

But they did succeed in mapping the Northwest and, 15 months after they began pushing themselves upstream, they found, near today's Montana-Idaho border, the source of the mighty Missouri.

Lewis's journal records that on August 12, 1805, a member of the expedition, Private Hugh McNeal, "exultingly stood with a foot on each side of this little rivulet and thanked his God that he had lived to bestride the mighty and heretofore deemed endless Missouri."

The Missouri at its source looks a lot different than the powerful current that flows into the Mississippi River near St. Louis!

It’s time to “fan into flame” this Spirit of boldness in us and in them!

-Who do you need to invest in?

-Who do you need to encourage?

-Who do you need to pray for?