Not Ashamed
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
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It’s funny… but it’s also strange how casually we can talk about death when it feels far away.
Because when death gets close, the tone changes.
And that’s exactly where we are in 2 Timothy.
This isn’t just another letter.
This is one of Paul’s final letters to Timothy.
He’s not writing from a comfortable place.
He’s not planning his next church plant.
He is sitting in a Roman prison, awaiting execution under Nero in the shadow of persecution surrounding the fire of Rome.
And Timothy knows it.
This is the same Timothy who wept when Paul left him.
The same Timothy who is now watching the very thing he feared become reality.
So when Paul writes, every word carries weight.
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, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Before we even deal with the suffering part, Paul anchors Timothy in something deeper.
He reminds him why any of this matters.
Look again at verse 9…
“God saved us and called us to a holy calling—not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace… given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
Let’s slow that down.
You were not saved because you deserved it.
You were not saved because you figured it out.
You were saved because God decided—before time began—to show you grace.
That means your salvation is not just rescue.
It is purpose.
Jesus did not die only to keep you out of hell.
He died to reconcile you to God,
defeat sin,
and bring you into new life through His grace.
Scripture says it plainly:
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
This is love.
Not that we loved Him—but that He loved us.
And here’s where we’ve got to adjust how we think.
Because we often treat salvation like it’s a private experience. “My faith. My decision. My walk.”
But the Bible doesn’t talk that way.
Yes, God saves individuals.
But He does not save individuals to leave them isolated.
He saves us into a people.
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,* a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Not a person.
A people.
God has always been after a people.
He didn’t just call Abraham for Abraham’s sake.
He was forming a covenant people.
He didn’t rescue Israel out of Egypt just so each person could do their own thing.
He formed a nation.
And through Jesus, He is still forming a people.
The church is not a collection of spiritual loners trying to survive on their own.
We are a city.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
Go ahead—turn to someone and say, “I’m part of a city.”
That means your life is not meant to be hidden.
Your faith is not meant to be silent.
And this means your suffering is not meant to be carried alone.
Because Paul doesn’t just say, “Believe.”
He says, “Share in suffering.”
Share in Suffering
Share in Suffering
That’s where things get real.
Because we like the idea of community when it looks like celebration.
We like shared victories.
We like testimonies.
We like when one person is honored and everybody claps.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
Paul says, “When one suffers, we all suffer.”
That’s different.
The New Testament church wasn’t just celebrating together—they were bleeding together, praying together, enduring together.
Some of the deepest Christian community isn’t built around victories.
It’s built around scars.
It’s built when someone says, “I’m not okay,” and instead of backing away, the church leans in.
Jesus told us this would be the reality.
He said, “In this world, you will have tribulation. But take heart—I have overcome the world.”
So suffering isn’t the exception it isn’t the strange part of life… it’s part of the calling.
Which raises a real question:
If we’re called to share in suffering… why don’t we?
Why do we typically hide it?
Why do we distance ourselves when things get hard—either in our own life or someone else’s?
Paul answers it in one word: Ashamed.
Ashamed
Ashamed
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,
What Paul is telling us is that Christians of that time were struggling with shame in two ways…
Talking about Jesus.
And being associated with someone suffering for Him.
And if we’re honest… not much has changed.
Now, let’s talk about shame for a second.
Because some of us don’t even use that word anymore.
Often, throughout history, people have forgotten what that word even means.
15 Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! NLT
This idea that we don’t understand shame or being ashamed — it’s not a new issue. People have struggled with it since there’s been something called mankind.
But we should absolutely understand shame.
Because there are things you should be ashamed of:
Because there are things you should be ashamed of:
Not using your turn signal—yes, I said it—you should be ashamed.
Driving slow in the left lane? That’s a problem.
Eating salt and vinegar chips in a closed room with other people? That’s just nasty and rude.
But seriously—there are things that are actually destructive.
And people really should be ashamed of these things…
Flirting with and seducing minors.
Drunk driving.
Infidelity.
Exploiting others.
Saying you’re a Christian but not going to church
Those things carry real weight.
Let’s put shame into words - what does it really mean?
Shame, at its core, is that painful awareness that something is wrong—guilt, disgrace, exposure.
But here’s what Paul is saying:
Those things… guilt, disgrace, exposure…
There is no shame in Jesus.
There is no shame in the gospel.
There is no shame in suffering for what is right.
So don’t carry shame where it doesn’t belong.
Do you know why we carry shame?
Because we start filtering everything through,
“What will people think of me?”
That’s where shame grows.
It’s not always about what’s right or wrong—it’s about perception.
We feel embarrassed by association.
Your friend does something awkward—you feel it.
Your kid has a meltdown in public—you feel it.
Your parents show affection in front of your friends—and suddenly you don’t know where to look.
Why?
Because we’re constantly aware of how we are being perceived.
And that same instinct shows up in our faith.
People don’t want to hear about Jesus. Why?
Because they know it might require change.
SHOOT - People get frustrated when a grocery store moves the bread aisle. You think they’re excited about rearranging their entire life?
So it becomes easier to stay quiet.
To soften it.
To avoid it.
To distance ourselves from people who are “a little too bold” about their faith.
But Paul says—don’t you dare be ashamed of that.
Don’t be ashamed of the friend who talks about Jesus.
Don’t be ashamed of the one who prays in public.
Don’t be ashamed of the one who invites people to church.
And don’t be ashamed of the one who is suffering because they refused to stay silent.
Because here’s the reality: We will boldly support people sharing political opinions all day long. Left, right, somewhere in between—we’ve got no problem with people being loud about that.
But mention Jesus?
Silence.
That should bother us.
Because the gospel is not a preference.
It’s life and death.
And if we actually love people, we cannot afford to be silent just because it’s uncomfortable.
The Challenge
The Challenge
Now here’s where this lands.
Paul is not just giving Timothy encouragement.
He is handing him responsibility.
And the same is true for us.
So let me ask you plainly: Where have you been silent because you were afraid of how it would look?
Who in your life knows your opinions—but doesn’t know your faith?
Who are you watching suffer… while you keep your distance because it feels awkward?
And here’s the harder one: Who are you pretending to be okay in front of… instead of letting the church actually be the church for you?
Because this cuts both ways.
Some of us are ashamed to speak.
Others of us are ashamed to be seen in our weakness.
But both keep us isolated.
And isolation is where faith weakens.
So here’s the call:
Stop hiding.
Stop filtering your faith through other people’s opinions.
Stop treating the church like a place you attend instead of a people you belong to.
This week—do something that costs you something.
Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Stand next to someone who is suffering instead of stepping back.
Let someone see that you’re not okay—and invite them into it.
And when that moment comes—and it will—where you feel that pressure, that hesitation, that voice that says, “This is going to be awkward…”
That’s the moment.
That’s the moment where you decide:
Am I ashamed?
Or do I belong to Jesus—and to His people?
Because we are a city. And cities don’t hide.
They shine.
