In Response to Salvation

This is Paul’s second letter to his son in the faith Timothy. Paul is in prison in Rome and he anticipates his death is soon coming. So, Paul writes this extremely personal and direct letter to one of the young men he has trained to carry the Gospel to the next generation.

Today I want to take a look at Paul’s first words to Timothy in this letter. His first encouragement and proclamation for his friend, we will find it in 1:3-14. Some of your Bibles may have the heading “Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You” or something close to that.

We are actually going to start in the middle of this passage and then look at some of the verses surrounding our target text this morning.

Verse 9 Paul sums up his reason for writing this section. He says “ 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”

The Deposit that Paul is speaking of is salvation. He is writing to Timothy about this gift and what he should do about it. Notice, that as Paul has alluded to many times in his writings, salvation is presented not only as something that we are saved from, but also something that we are saved to. These things are inseparable to Paul. God saves us, but also calls us to do something with- or about- our salvation.

Notice, also that Paul recalls the source of this gift- not just God. Yes, it is God who ultimately provided salvation, but he specifically gives credit to Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Parent’s and Grandparents here today- be a Lois, be a Eunice. Paul names that a genuine faith dwelt in these ladies and now it dwells in Timothy. Our faith is a heritage that we are called to pass down to the generations that follow us.

So, today let’s look at the three things Paul instructs Timothy to do with- or about- this gift.

v6- Fan the Flame of the gift of God.

I learned how to build a camp fire many years ago at Brethren Woods. Our camp counselor perplexed many of us, though, when she got out one of the songbooks and began to wave it at the base of the fire- we were young and in our minds wind blew fires out- like blowing out birthday candles. She explained to us that fanning the flame introduced more oxygen into the fire and caused the fire to catch and grow stronger.

I want to point out 2 things about this verse- first growing the gift of salvation in your life is important. Last week, as we ended worship, we closed with one of the beloved Children’s songs of our faith- This Little Light of Mine. Bringing forth images of a lamp or a candle that we place against the darkness to shine the light of Christ.

But what if you are called to be more than a candle, more than a spark. See, I am convinced that many Christians settle for a candle when God wants them to have a torch- they settle for the little light, when God wants them to be a beacon. Just remember, if you never reach your full potential in Christ then Satan can still win in your life. He can keep you defeated and downtrodden, and keep you from passing the gift of grace to the people around you.

So, what if we sang “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it grow?” If that was our commitment, our heart, our goal? Not just to let the light shine, but to commit to growing it for the world around us.

Second, notice that YOU are called to fan YOUR flame. There is personal accountability in this passage. You are the primary party responsible for growing the flame of Jesus in your life. Sure, I hope coming to church and hearing sermons help, or going to a weekend retreat or conference will be a good thing, but they cannot be the primary way you grow your faith. The flame of faith is grown when you are able and willing to take personal responsibility for your own growth- when YOU pray, when YOU read and study the Bible, when YOU make church attendance, fellowship with other believers and learning a priority in your life.

So, if today you sit in the pew and think “man, my flame is kinda sorry” I ask you- what are YOU doing about it?

v8- Do not be ashamed.

Paul also encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of the gift he has been given.

Now, I know some of you are probably saying “Ashamed of the Gospel??! Me?!?! No way! Never!!!” But let’s think about this for a moment.

Here’s what I have observed in the life of the church- it is exponentially easier to speak of the Gospel in the presence of the church than in the presence of the World. There are tons of Christians in the world today that will scream Jesus at the top of their lungs in the Sanctuary, but are quiet as a mouse in the streets. They will give testimony of how God is working and moving in their lives when surrounded by the Saints, but fall silent when surrounded by the unsaved.

Why do you think that is? I think a part of it might be that we are hoping and counting on ourselves instead of the power of the Gospel. Many have back down from sharing their faith, or sharing what God has laid on their hearts because they think “what if they think I am weird?” “what if they think I am one of ‘those Christians’?” “What if they look at my differently, or don’t talk to me again?” This is where the shame comes in, but friends we are called to focus on the Power of the Gospel not what the outcome for us may be.

I heard the story of a man, (an alcoholic, drug addict) a bum. He was saved but the hard life he had lived showed on his face. He saw a woman getting into a limousine and felt the need to witness to her. She was appalled at him. She said, "You should be ashamed of yourself". He said, "Mam, I’m am ashamed of myself - I am ashamed of so many things I have done but one things I am not ashamed of is the GOSPEL.

Paul’s conviction comes to us loud and clear in Romans 1:16 “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” This is the hide it under a bushel? No! Part of the song. Let’s face it, friends, the world around us is evolving and changing, and many times the convictions, morals, and ethics that we hold to as Christians make us the minority. Bushel hiding can be tempting, but Paul reminds us and reminds Timothy that we need not be ashamed in this Gospel.

I find it interesting that Paul is writing this to Timothy from jail. His resisting of abandoning the Gospel lead to his imprisonment- if only Paul would have relented, would have kept it quiet, would have been “ashamed” then he would be free man. Instead of imploring Timothy to “keep it quiet and remain free” or rationalizing that “if you keep yourself out of jail you can minister to more people” he calls him to boldness in his declaration of faith.