Continue in What You Have Learned
Fearless and Faithful: Forward in Faith, Not Back Into Fear • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 12 viewsPaul’s positivity was about faith in Jesus, not about naive optimism. Paul was no fool and was under no illusions about the state of the world. He knew people were going “from bad to worse.” However, he wanted Timothy to remain encouraged and persevere faithfully and fearlessly. All around the world we can find reasons to get discouraged and give up or we can find examples to follow, people who are continuing to be the disciples Jesus has called them to be. This weekend our building is filled with missionaries who both need encouragement in their mission, but can also provide encouragement, inspiration, and examples for us to follow.
Notes
Transcript
Fearless and Faithful
Fearless and Faithful
Sometimes people are fearless because they are…
naive - don’t know / understand the dangers / inexperienced
optimistic - a personality that just expects good things
deceived into thinking nothing bad will happen
That’s NOT what we’re talking about
We’re talking about learning to
“FEAR LESS”
“ TRUST MORE”
We fear less, not out because we’re naive, optimistic, or deceived
But because we trust that JESUS WINS.
so if we’re being REALISTIC and COURAGEOUS…
Should we have a negative or positive view of the future?
Should we have a negative or positive view of the future?
The answer is: YES! BOTH!
Tim Keller: “Christianity, paradoxically, is far more pessimistic and far more optimistic than any other worldview — simultaneously.”
Human EVIL is far worse than we want to admit.
BUT God’s promises about the future are far BETTER than we’ve dared to imagine
I LOVE YOU!
I want ALL OF US to avoid the DISILLUSIONMENT that comes from being DISAPPOINTED over and over again
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Too high of expectations about…
Some new technology
A politician / political party
Relationship
New job
New school
New congregation
…and then we were let down and disappointed
When Paul wrote 2 Timothy…
He had realistic expectations about
his future
Timothy’s future
the church’s future
But he also had an unshakable confidence in the promises of God
he knew people would be…
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Why do we expect anything different?
We should expect worldly people to behave in a worldly way
We should expect people devoid of the Spirit to behave that way
We love them, but there’s also a time to AVOID them.
You can’t force people these kinds of people to respond to the Gospel
he also says about such people
9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
(The two men he’s talking about were the magicians of Egypt who opposed Moses)
People like this are
worse than you think
but will not get as far as you think
don’t worry about them
Lies will eventually
collapse
under the weight of their own absurdity
but here is how Timothy was to face that future
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra
this is the area where Timothy was from
where Paul was mistreated
run out of town
finally, stoned
Timothy was well-aware of Paul’s
aim in life
patience
steadfastness
persecutions
sufferings
narrow escapes by the Lord’s mercy
He went anyway
He gave everything
To join in the mission of God
You…
might be one of our missionaries
gone to places to care for the hurting
risked your life in the name of Jesus
don’t have to leave home
be a “missionary”
go to some dangerous place
but you have to do SOMETHING
you have to be part of the mission in some way
use the gifts and talents God has given YOU
here’s Paul’s realism…
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
all who desire
the persecuted / sacrificial life is not just for some sort of super Christians
apostles
missionaries
evangelists
it’s for ALL who desire to live godly lives
will be persecuted
not always, for every person, all the time
but everyone should expect that possibility
you won’t be surprised
from bad to worse
not every situation will get worse
but nor will people keep progressing until we build utopia
that’s a product of the Enlightenment
NOT an expectation we should have
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
You’re on the right track
Don’t let anyone
stop you
convince you otherwise
This path leads to
greater and deeper wisdom
more worked out salvation
deeper loyalty to King Jesus
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Doesn’t say Scripture can
answer every question you have about everything
satisfy all your curiosity
But it is breathed out by God
able to teach you what’s right
able to teach you what’s wrong
able to correct you when you start to go astray
able to train you do right
able to mature and complete you
Complete, equipped for every good work
disciple you
help you become more like Jesus
prepare you for every good work God has laid out for you
Scripture is not simply to…
inform you
inspire you
console you
God doesn’t erase the battle, he equips us for victory.
God doesn’t erase the battle, he equips us for victory.
Timothy had a battle ahead
God had
God was
God would equip Timothy for victory
Our missionaries HERE and AROUND the WORLD
God is equipping them for victory
For every good work he is calling them to do
You have a battle ahead
Faithful spouse
Love and teach your children
Do works of mercy in your neighborhood
Be faithful in the face of intense temptation
Walk away from a sin you’ve been committing
God is is equipping you for victory
It may not feel like victory right now
But doing the right thing
Walking by faith is always a victory
Because it is pleasing to God
