2 Timothy, Rules for life 5
Notes
Transcript
Today we are looking at 2 Timothy 1:3-7. Please open your bibles, and we will read this passage together.
When we go through difficult times, it is easy to lose sight of what is most important. It is easy to lose focus, get distracted by everything that is going on, and to lose the passion we have for the things that really matter. It is easy to see everything that is going on and to become discouraged. It is easy to think, “I cannot do this.”
Have you ever been there? Feel like everything is so overwhelming, you lost sight of what you are doing? What you are living for? Have you ever felt like, “I cannot do this?”
Paul knew trials, and he knew the trials Timothy was facing. So he wrote to Timothy to remind him, and to help him regain his focus. To not be discouraged. To not be overwhelmed, but to press on in the right way.
That is what we will be looking at today.
Let’s read the passage together.
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
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.
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Now, we looked at verse 3 the past two Sundays. Today we will be focusing more on verses 4-7, however I wanted us to see the whole section because in the Greek, verses 3-5 are actually one, long sentence.
When studying the scriptures, a good practice is to notice things that are repeated.
When looking at verses 3-5, Paul’s longer sentence in the Greek, there is something that Paul repeats three times. And in this whole passage, you actually see it four times.
Now, it is not all the same word, but it is the same concept. Does anyone see it?
Remember you in my prayers
Recalling your tears
Reminded of your sincere faith
I Remind you to fan into flame
As I considered this, the first point that I think Paul wants Timothy to get, is that when going through a trial, we need to:
Remember
Remember
Paul, being at the end of his life, sitting in a prison cell, was remembering. And he shared this with Timothy as an example to encourage him. Of course, some would say that at the end of his life, sitting in a prison cell, facing death, “What else was he going to do?”
I think what is significant, is not that he was remembering—we all tend to do that from time to time; some recalling things better than others. What is significant is WHAT he was remembering.
At this time in Paul’s life, he could have been sitting there remembering all of the people who had abandoned him. He could have been dwelling on the ones to whom he had ministered, that had left him, and those who had left the faith. He could have dwelt on the trial, the condemnation he had gone through. He could have dwelt on his current situation, sitting in a dank, dark hole in the ground of a prison cell.
Instead, he chose to remember Timothy. He chose to thank God for what He had done, and what He was doing. One of the things he was thankful for was Timothy. He remembered Timothy in his prayers. He recalled Timothy’s tears. He remembered Timothy’s faith.
Timothy
Timothy
Who was Timothy, and what was this special relationship that he had with Paul? Why was Paul thankful for Timothy?
We first see Timothy in Acts 16:1-5. Go ahead and turn over to that passage if you will.
Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.
The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Timothy
Timothy
Timothy was a younger man from Lystra, whose mother was a believer. Lystra was the town where Paul had been stoned and left for dead on his first visit. Timothy and his mother likely witnessed that, and were believers. Can you imagine what believers in that community must have faced after Paul left? If they stoned Paul, how do you think the new believers were treated?
Timothy, his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois, were all believers. When Paul returned on his second visit, everyone in Lystra, and in the neighboring city of Iconium spoke well of Timothy. He must have been truly living out his faith to gain a reputation in both his home town, and the neighboring town.
So, Paul took Timothy along with him on his journey to minister to more people.
Timothy served well. We see in Acts 18 that due to more persecution, Paul had travelled ahead from Athens to Corinth and he was working as a tentmaker to support himself while preaching. That is, until Timothy and Silas rejoined him and then he focused solely on his preaching and teaching. That shows us that Timothy was not afraid to do what was needed for the ministry. He likely took over some of the tentmaking to support Paul in his work. Timothy was a servant.
Timothy was faithful to the Lord, and to Paul who was like a spiritual father to him all through his life.
As we read in some of the letters from Paul to Timothy and other churches where he mentions Timothy, we get the sense that Timothy may have struggled with fear, specifically the fear of man—i.e. worrying what people thought of him.
We get that impression from 1 Timothy 4:12.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
And also from Corinthians...
When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.
Timothy was both younger and weaker in constitution than Paul.
Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
Timothy
Timothy
Being younger meant he did not immediately have the respect Paul likely had when he first met people. And, if he was skinny and weaker, he also did not have a commanding presence, but likely was looked down upon. So, we might understand why he was worrried about what people thought, and had a tendency to live with fear of man.
Do you ever worry about that? Do you ever worry about what people think of you? Then Paul’s encouragement to Timothy is something you and I can learn from as well!
We need to Remember.
Remember
Remember
However, we don’t need to remember everything. We need to remember the right things. We need to choose what our minds dwell on.
Choosing to Remember
Choosing to Remember
In this letter, Paul is setting the example for Timothy, and for us.
Struggling. Cold. Abused. Abandoned by fellow workers. Deserted by those to whom he had ministered. Condemned. Paul has a lot on his mind. But what is Paul remembering? What is he choosing to remember?
He is choosing to remember Timothy.
Instead of remembering the coworker who abandoned him, he remembers Timothy.
Instead of remembering the ones from Asia—the ones to whom he ministered, and yet when he needed someone to stand for him, they abandoned him—he remembered Timothy who had faithfully served with him and on his behalf in Ephesus.
Paul specifically remembered what about Timothy? What do you see in verse 4?
Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
Remember the love
Remember the love
Paul recalled Timothy’s tears. What tears were these?
They could have been the tears Timothy had shed in Acts 20 when Paul knew from the Lord that he was headed for more beatings, imprisonment and possibly death.
From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.
For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.
Then, in Acts 21 as they continued their journey toward Jerusalem...
After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.
We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
Then, travelling on to Caesarea,
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
Remember the love
Remember the love
Paul remembered the love of Timothy on that final journey to Jerusalem. Each step along the way, as the Lord revealed to the saints what Paul was going to go through, they pleaded with him to not go.
However, instead of going the other way, Paul was willingly going where the Lord was leading him. He was willing to lay down his life for the Lord.
Paul remembered Timothy’s tears, and remembered the love that Timothy had for him. Others may not have loved Paul, but Timothy did. Timothy was a dear friend, brother, and even son to Paul. Paul remembered the love of Timothy and it strengthened him, and brought him joy.
Through this, Paul was setting an example for Timothy. Timothy had faced a lot of opposition while ministering in Ephesus. Even some of the elders in the church, the ones he would have expected to love and support him, opposed Timothy. He knew what it was like to minister to others, and then have them turn on him. He knew what it was like to feel abandoned, and hurt by the ones who were to be his closest coworkers.
Instead of remembering them, Paul was setting the example for Timothy to remember the love of the ones who were dear to him. Those who had remained faithful.
And, Paul specifically reminds Timothy to:
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Remember the heritage
Remember the heritage
When things are discouraging, we need to remember the love of those who have truly loved us. We also need to remember our heritage. Remember from where we came. Remember those who led us in our faith.
For Timothy, that was his grandmother and mother. Back in the early days of his faith, they encouraged and taught him. They gave an example of faith in the face of persecution. Paul encourages Timothy to remember his faithful grandmother and mother, and to draw strength from remembering them.
Who in your life taught you? Who set the example for you in your faith? Remember them!
Then, Paul encourages Timothy to:
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Remember the faith
Remember the faith
Paul told Timothy he was encouraged by Timothy’s sincere faith. Timothy was not just one who gave lip-service to the faith. Timothy truly believed. He was without hypocrisy. Timothy was not fake.
Timothy knew what he believed. He knew whom he believed!
Who is it in whom we believe?
Many people are discouraged because they lose focus in their faith. They fail. They fall into sin, and they grow ashamed and discouraged. They have a hard time because they have let themselves and others down. They have lost faith in themselves.
What is the problem here? The problem is they have not remembered the faith. They have lost focus, and were trusting themselves. They had faith in themselves to do what was right. They had faith in themselves to follow the Lord. That is the wrong focus.
You and I are weak. You and I still have sin within our hearts that tempts us and leads us astray. You and I will never be able to live up to God’s righteous standard. That is why we come to faith in Christ to begin with. We know we cannot save ourselves. We need a savior. We need the Savior, the One who loved and us gave up His life to die for us, and rise again.
The problem is we lose sight of that somehow after we are saved, and we begin trying to live right on our own. Then, when we fail, we grow ashamed and discouraged.
The shame and discouragement comes from the wrong focus. Don’t remember yourself and your failures.
Remember Christ! The author, and the finisher of our faith!!! Remember Jesus, who lives in us. Look to Him, as if looking in a mirror. Allow Him, who lives in you, to transform you into His image. Remember that though you are weak, He is strong! Remember that it is not your righteousness that you live out. Remember that it is His righteousness that you live out!
Like Paul wrote in Colossians,
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Remember the faith. The faith is in Jesus. The faith focuses on Jesus not just for our salvation, but for our life after salvation, until the day He takes us home to be with Him, and to be like Him.
Remember the faith!
Lastly, Paul tells Timothy to:
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.
Remember to Rekindle the gift of God
Remember to Rekindle the gift of God
I like what Paul is telling Timothy to specifically remember here. I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God. I like the word rekindle.
What is the gift of God?
I believe the answer to that is actually made explicit in the next verse.
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
What is the gift of God?
The spirit God gave us!
Remember to Rekindle the gift of God
Remember to Rekindle the gift of God
In the scriptures the God, and specifically, the Spirit of God is associated with fire.
God appeared in the flames of the burning bush to Moses, giving him a mission, and promising to be with him on that mission, giving what he needed, and doing the work of freeing His people.
God went ahead of Israel, leading them with a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.
The Lord descended on Mount Sinai as a consuming fire, up into which Moses was called to receive the Law.
God showed his presence to Elijah, David, and Solomon by sending fire for their sacrifices.
The Holy Spirit is associated with fire when John the Baptist declared,
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
And then when the Spirit came,
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
The Word of God, which the Spirit writes on our hearts is also said to be like a fire,
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
And of course, here in 2 Timothy 1:6.
The Spirit comes into our lives, and he is a like a fire. He consumes what is bad. He purifies us. He gives us zeal for the Lord. He spurs us on to love and good deeds. The Spirit is teaches and leads us.
But over time, like all fires, we can either let the fire die, or we can quench it, like Paul warned the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:19,
Do not quench the Spirit.
I like what General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said,
“The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart.” —General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
fire
I like camp fires and bonfires. I enjoy building a fire, seeing it take off, and then watching it. I could sit by a fire for hours just watching it. How about you?
But what happens to a fire when you just sit back and watch it?
It dies out. It slowly fades away. Either the fuel is exhausted, or it falls in on itself and gets smothered.
Paul is concerned for Timothy. he encourages Timothy to not let the fire die! He commands him specifically to fan into flame the gift of God.
The Spirit will bring the flame. The Spirit will light the fire within us.
But if we get complacent and don’t feed the flame, if we do not spend time listening to the Spirit by spending time in the word both reading it, and meditating on it, If we do not spend time in prayer, seeking Him and His will, that is like just sitting and watching the fire while it dies out!
I am saved. I am a child of God. God is my shelter and my provider. Some of these truths are like the first logs on the fire.
The next logs on the fire are the things our our lives that the Lord want to consume and purify by fire. The cares of this world. Our fear of man, like the Timothy struggle had, and I have. Our past failures. Our present failures. The worries of life, and what we are living for which are simply things of this world. Those are other logs on the fire which the Spirit God gave us is consuming.
But if we just sit back and relax, enjoying that He started a work in us, those logs can collapse on the fire, and begin to put it out. Those things are not fully consumed. They need to be stirred. We need to adjust, and allow the air to get back in there, and fully consume them. We need to be looking for the next fuel for the fire. What else does God want to purify in me?
Paul is reminding Timothy to remember that the Christian life is not a passive, sit back and relax venture. The Christian life, the zeal for life, takes work. It takes fanning. It takes rekindling! The Spirit is the fire. However, we are responsible to actively allow His work in our lives. We need more time with that flame, the flame of His Word. We need to listen to the Spirit, and the word of God when He speaks. We need to be taking those things of which He convicts, and bring them to Him to consume. We need time in Word of God, meditation and prayer to maintain that zeal that The Spirit wants to give to us. And we need to rekindle as necessary. Get the things that have collapsed the fire, those cares, those concerns, those fleshly desires, and adjust them back onto the flame to allow the wind of the Spirit, the flame of the Spirit to continue His work.
What cares and concerns have collapsed on the fire? What fleshly desires and attitudes have collapsed the fire in your life?
Rekindle the flame!! Seek the Lord! Spend time in His word. Meditate on it day and night. Pray constantly! Pray with thanksgiving. Allow the wind of the Spirit to get into those parts of your life and bring the heat and flame to consume them. Allow the Spirit to do His work to refine you! Allow the Spirit to once again burn in your heart!
You do not have to create zeal for the Lord. You just need to be faithful to fan the flame. The Spirit will burn with desire within you when you feed the flame, and listen instead of quenching the Spirit.
Remember
Remember to rekindle the flame. Do not settle for watching a dying fire in your life. Do not allow the cares of this world, the disappointments of life to smother the fire.
Rekindle the Flame!
2 Timothy. Paul’s encouragement by example, and teaching to Timothy, and to us.
Rules for life. If we follow these rules, no matter what we face, we will succeed and thrive in our Christian lives!
Rule 1: Know who you are and your Purpose
Rule 2: Know from where grace, mercy and peace come
Rule 3: Have a clear conscience
Rule 4: Pray constantly
Rule 6: Remember the Right things!
The Love
The Heritage
The Faith
To Rekindle the Gift of God