Not Ashamed of the Gospel

Introduction: I love being a dad (most of the time). I can remember being 18 years old, my older cousin came to visit, he had his baby son with him, and I was helping take care of him. That is my first recollection of having a desire to be a dad. Now (25 years later) I have three kids of my own, I love them all, they’re all my favorite, and one of my great joys in life is embarrassing them. Which is fun if I’m trying to embarrass them, but not so fun if they are actually ashamed of me.

We have something like that in our text tonight. We are studying Paul’s letter to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. Remember, Paul is in prison. He will be dying. This would be his last letter. Paul is leaving a legacy to his beloved son in the faith, and Timothy was to leave that legacy to others. Paul was trying to get Timothy to rekindle a desire to fulfill his calling, but Timothy was afraid (7). Not only was he afraid, he was ashamed, i.e. embarrassed of Paul’s imprisonment and even of the Gospel itself.

He wants Timothy to rekindle within a desire to fulfill his calling, but Timothy is afraid (vs. 7). Not only is he afraid, he is also ashamed, i.e. embarrassed of Paul’s imprisonment and even of the Gospel itself.

Text: , Not Ashamed of the Gospel

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Before we really dig into the text, I want to point out the first word “therefore.” When you come across a word like that it’s always good to try to figure out what it’s there for. In this case, it connects us to the previous verse (vs. 7)- God has not given us a spirit of fear… therefore, do not be ashamed…

It struck me that there must be a connection between fear and shame, i.e. being afraid and being ashamed. What Paul is convincing Timothy of, and what we need to be convinced of, is that because of the Gospel, there is no reason for disciples to be afraid or ashamed.

The Gospel COMBATS our fear and shame. Vss. 9-10

v. 7- God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Fear is a feeling, but it often has roots in deeper feelings. E.g.:

The feeling of inability of inadequacy; the opposite is a spirit of Power

The feeling of being unwanted or unloved; the opposite is a spirit of Love

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The feeling of not knowing, or uncertainty; the opposite is a spirit of Sound Mind (self-discipline, sound judgment, with the sense of becoming wise)

You counteract fear with power, love, and a sound mind (self-discipline, sound judgment, with the sense of becoming wise).

The Gospel fights against our feelings of fear: 1) God has saved us (vs. 9).

The Gospel fights against our feelings of inability or inadequacy: 2) God has called us (9).

The Gospel fights against our feelings of being unwanted or unloved: 3) God loved us and wanted us before there ever was an “us” (9b).

The Gospel fights against our lack of knowledge and uncertainty. How do you know God has saved us, called us, loved us, etc? 4) God gave His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, for us (10).

The Gospel combats our fear and shame, so as Disciples, we must embrace it. When you embrace the Gospel, other stuff comes with it- you have a calling, you have a ministry, and you may even have suffering, etc… Disciples are unafraid of their calling and unashamed of the Gospel. Disciples embrace the Gospel, and everything that comes with it.

It struck me that there must be a connection between fear and shame, i.e. being afraid and being ashamed.

It struck me that there must be a connection between fear and shame, i.e. being afraid and being ashamed.

Four ways Disciples embrace the Gospel:

Disciples embrace the Gospel, and everything that comes with it.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

What is the Gospel? Properly speaking, the Gospel (Good News) is the story of Jesus- His life, death, resurrection, and Lordship. The Gospel of Jesus is set within the metanarrative (big picture) of Scripture. From beginning to end, the Scriptures testify to, prophesy of, and promise this Redeemer who would come, has come, and will come again. The Big Picture of the Gospel is the story of:

CREATION

FALL

REDEMPTION

RESTORATION

From God’s perspective, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was written before creation (v. 9, before time began). From our perspective, the Gospel was revealed in time through the person and work of Jesus Christ (vs. 10).

Disciples SHARE and SUFFER for the Gospel. Vs. 8

From God’s perspective, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was written before time began (v. 9). But the Gospel was revealed in time, in the annals of human history through the person and work of Jesus Christ (10).

SHARE the Gospel.

What is the Gospel? Paul first refers to it as the “testimony of our Lord” (8) but later switches to “Gospel” (8, 10). Testimony- martyrion, from where we get out word martyr. It means witness, someone/something that serves as evidence, i.e. proof.

Properly speaking, the Gospel (Good News) is the story of Jesus- His life, death, resurrection, and Lordship. The Gospel of Jesus is set within the metanarrative (overarching story) of Scripture. From beginning to end, the Scriptures testify to, prophesy of, and promise this Redeemer who would come, has come, and will come again. The Overarching Story of the Gospel is the story of:

CREATION

FALL

2. Not Ashamed to SHARE the Gospel.

REDEMPTION

RESTORATION

From God’s perspective, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was written before creation (v. 9, before time began). From our perspective, the Gospel was revealed in time through the person and work of Jesus Christ (vs. 10, has now been revealed by his appearing).

When Paul tells Timothy to not be ashamed of the Gospel, he means it in the sense of telling the story of the Gospel- a Savior who was stripped, beaten, mocked, crucified, but raised from the dead. It was that proclamation of the Gospel that landed Paul in prison, and he doesn’t want Timothy to be ashamed about that either. Instead, he actually wants Timothy to join him in the suffering that comes by sharing in the Gospel. We’ll come back to that in ch. 3, where Paul talks about his various persecutions and concludes that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (3:12). Disciples embrace the Gospel, both sharing it and suffering for it.

n awaiting death, of which he asks Timothy to not be ashamed about that.

Disciples CENTER their Life on the Gospel. Vs. 11

Disciples CENTER their Life on the Gospel.

We’ve already spent some time on what the Gospel is to us, but this is about what it means for us. The fact that God has saved us and called us means something about who we are, how we live, and what we do. It means we are children of God, we live unafraid and unashamed, but we also have something to do- we are not merely saved from something (sin, death, hell) but we are saved to something (godliness, life, heaven) and we are saved for something (gift, calling, ministry). Paul said in vs. 11 that the Gospel is the reason he was appointed a preacher, apostle, and teacher.

All of us have a gift, calling, and ministry to use in service to Christ and the Gospel. Our gifts, calling, and ministry are the outworking of what Christ has done inwardly. We might be tempted to think that when we do them, everything is going to be rosy. The opposite is actually true. When you are who God called you to be, live like He called you to live, and do what He called you to do; i.e. when you embrace the Gospel, and center your life on it, you can expect there to be suffering. But that’s okay. Disciples embrace the Gospel, and EVERYTHING that comes with it- including suffering.

3. Not Ashamed of the SAVIOR of the Gospel.

Disciples SURRENDER to the Gospel. Vs. 12

This is the reason Paul was suffering as a prisoner- because he centered his life on the Gospel and shared the message of the Gospel. ILL: The Gospel is like the fulcrum in the see-saw of our life. On the one side we have sharing & suffering, and on the other side we have surrender. The more we surrender to the Gospel, the higher we raise our sharing and suffering. The more we share and suffer, the higher we lift our surrender. That’s what Paul is saying- he is suffering for the Gospel but he is not ashamed about it. Why? because he knows WHOM he has believed. Who is that?

The Jesus in whom God had saved and called him

The Jesus in whom God had given purpose and grace

The Jesus in whom death was abolished and who brought life and immortality through the Gospel

If Paul was going to die because he embraced the Gospel, centering his life on it, sharing it and suffering for it, then he would surrender to it, because he trusted the One in whom the Gospel is about. He could surrender to the Gospel and everything that comes with because he was persuaded (convinced) that the One who saved him by the Gospel would keep his commitment to the Gospel until the day when the Gospel has its completion in the Restoration of all things.

So, as a Disciple, where are you in relationship to the Gospel? Maybe it has been your fire-escape but you know it should be more than that. Maybe you have been ashamed of it and afraid of your calling. Is it time for you to fully embrace the Gospel, and everything that comes with it? To share it, suffer for it, center your life on it, and surrender to it.

CREATION

FALL

REDEMPTION

RESTORATION

From God’s perspective, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was written before creation (v. 9, before time began). From our perspective, the Gospel was revealed in time through the person and work of Jesus Christ (vs. 10).