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1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 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, 9 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, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
Main Idea: No Need to Fear, God’s Gift are Here!
Main Idea: No Need to Fear, God’s Gift are Here!
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 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,
7-8
1. You are not Given a Spirit of Fear
1. You are not Given a Spirit of Fear
Lead in…There is a lot to be fearful of these days. Our focus is COVID-19, but there are many other things as well that can bring our lives to an end. Fear is powerful! Fear is debilitating! Fear, left unchecked can be crippling. For the unbelieving world, we are witnessing before our very eyes, the unmitigated power of fear. But what about for the believer? Should we be fearful as well?
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Text
Explain - Timothy, by his very nature, was a timid guy! Yes, God can use timid people in His ministry!
23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
The point is this, Paul is nearing the end of his life. He is in prison and about to lose his life - most likely by beheading. His influence will be gone. His zeal and passion for the gospel will be removed. His personal influence in the life of his protégés will be sorely missed. Timothy will be on his own, in a sense and this can be a fearful thing. Paul ever the disciple-maker wastes no time encouraging his son in the faith to not give into the base emotion of fear! Yes, thing will seem overwhelming at times. Yes, Timothy will face seeming impossible situations! Yes, the ministry for Timothy will be straight up challenging and even fear inducing.
BUT FEAR - This kind of fear does not come from God.
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 1
The Greek (deilia) in extrabiblical literature refers to one who flees from battle, and has a strong pejorative sense referring to cowardice. Boldness, not cowardice, is a mark of the Spirit
Satan delights in keeping God’s children wrapped in fear! But God has delivered us!
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Even though Timothy’s world was about to change, he was not to be a fear filled coward! That kind of fear does not come from our God!
“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.”— Rudyard Kipling
Argue - So, Christian. This cowardly fear that Paul is warning Timothy about should not be a part of our lives. Are we to fear anything? Well, let me answer that in two ways...
We certainly are to be wise - Don’t jump out of an airplane without a parachute. Take necessary precautions. God gave you a brain, don’t be dumb.
Fear God above all else! This is when you really begin to be wise.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
And for those of us that truly fear the Lord, that truly understand who He is and what He is capable of, we should have no other fears.
Gospel...
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Apply - Christian, you and I are not given a spirit of cowards. We are are bold warriors for Christ. Let me encourage you to pray to God right now and ask Him to reorient your heart to first fear God above all else and then, second, to live not in fear, but fearlessness...
Which leads into the next point...
Review - No Need to Fear, God’s Gifts are Here.
You are NOT given a Spirit of Fear
2. You are Given a Spirit of Fearlessness
2. You are Given a Spirit of Fearlessness
Lead in…What would happen in your life if you feared God above all else? You would be a bold as a lion!
by the way...
1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Paul wanted Timothy to fearless for the cause of Christ. This is why he says...
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7b
Paul gives Timothy three powerful characteristics that stops FEAR in its tracks. Remember the principle of replacement? You don’t just stop a negative behavior, you replace it with something else...
What was Timothy to replace fear with? Three things - Power, Love and Self-control. Let take a look at each and figure out why Paul thinks these are the antidote to fear.
Power - δύναμις - potential for functioning in some way, power, might, strength, force, capability
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
δύναμις, εως, ἡ (Hom.+; loanw. in rabb.) gener. ‘capability’, with emphasis on function.
① potential for functioning in some way, power, might, strength, force, capability
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Love - ἀγάπη - the quality of warm regard for and interest in another, esteem, affection, regard, love (without limitation to very intimate relationships, and very seldom in general Greek of sexual attraction).
the quality of warm regard for and interest in another, esteem, affection, regard, love (without limitation to very intimate relationships, and very seldom in general Greek of sexual attraction).
5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
ἀγάπη, ης, ἡ
William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 6.
Self-Control - σωφρονισμός - exercise of prudence, moderation, self-discipline, prudence
exercise of prudence, moderation, self-discipline, prudence
σωφρονισμός, οῦ, ὁ
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
By the way, each one of these characteristics comes from the ministry of the Holy Spirit!
Timothy would, for the rest of his ministry face opposition, false teachings, and all the pressures that come from pastoral ministry. His father in the faith would no longer be there for him. He needed to rely on the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit! But, if he would diligently, prayerfully focus his energies in these three areas, to the exclusion of the powerful emotion of fear, the result would be a life of boldness no matter what came his way!
“Fear is the lengthened shadow of ignorance.”— Arnold Glasow
Argue - Friends, Paul asks a penetrating question in Romans 8
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Who is this God?
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
37-39
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
In light of all these true verse of Scripture, what’s a believer to do?
6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
,
pslam 62 2
Cease striving and KNOW! Nothing happens to us that doesn’t first pass through the approval of our God. Rest in the Rock!
Apply - What happens teaches -
Review - No Need to Fear, God’s Gifts are Here.
You are NOT given a Spirit of Fear
You are given a Spirit of Fearlessness
3. You are Expected to Be Bold with the Gospel
3. You are Expected to Be Bold with the Gospel
Lead in…What was Paul expecting Timothy to do? Not sit in the corner and wring his hands! That is for sure! Look at verse eight...
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 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,
7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
2 Timothy 1
8 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,
Text
Explain
Being ashamed is a form of fear - Fear of man...
Don’t be ashamed of the Message!
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Don’t be ashamed of the Man!
16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains,
Instead...
Suffer for the Good News!
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Suffer by the Power of God!
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is what God used in Timothy’s life to further the Gospel.
“Uncertainty as to our relationship with God is one of the most enfeebling and dispiriting of things. It makes a man heartless. It takes the pith out of him. He cannot fight; he cannot run. He is easily dismayed and gives way. He can do nothing for God. But when we know that we are of God, we are vigorous, brave, invincible. There is no more quickening truth than this of assurance.” - Horatius Bonar
- Horatius Bonar
“A minister, without boldness, is like a smooth file, a knife without an edge, a sentinel that is afraid to let off his gun. If men will be bold in sin, ministers must be bold to reprove.” - William Gurnall
- William Gurnall
Argue - Friends, it is so easy in times like these to allow our fear to close us off from our purpose of sharing the love of Christ.
Apply - The CORVID-19 Virus is a gift from God in this sense. Every unbeliever is thinking about their mortality more than ever. This then is a ripe opportunity for us to talk to people about the beautiful and powerful good news of Christ.
Conclusion -
Review - No Need to Fear, God’s Gifts are Here.
You are NOT given a Spirit of Fear
You are given a Spirit of Fearlessness
You are expected to be bold with the Gospel - especially in time like these.
Listen, I understand that this is a nerve wracking time. But trust that God is not out of control here and He is using this for his good pleasure.
10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
impenitent, remorseless, unapologetic, unrepentant brazen, cheeky, impudent blameless, guiltless, innocent
Antonyms for ashamed
shameless, unashamed
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.