No Regrets

2 Timothy 1 NASB95

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 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 granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus.

INTRO: It’s been a rather popular idea in our culture recently that we should make the most of this life- Sayings like “YOLO” and movies titles “live free or die hard” These are all ways of saying that we should live with “No Regrets”

Of course, sometimes there is irony in this… Have you seen the picture of the fellows who got tattoos to relay this message?

Anyway, today we begin the last letter in our series “For the Sake of the Church.” This is Paul’s last letter written before his death. He was in a Roman prison under the reign of the infamous Nero, awaiting his execution. (BTW- can you imagine?)

I imagine that during this time, Paul was doing some reflecting on his life. You may have done this kind of ‘spiritual inventory’ -

I’ve spoken to a number of folks who, nearing the end of their life, shared regrets, anxious thoughts, and their evaluation of how they lived their life. This is when eternity begins to come into view for most people and they ask, “Did I live my life in a way that was pleasing to God?”

Today, as we look through the first chapter of 2 Timothy, we are going to see what it takes to live a life with no regrets. Now, this might be uncomfortable for you, but I truly believe that God’s Word is clear, and through it God is calling LRBC to respond… I am praying that you will.

Now, in order to help us evaluate and learn, I’ve arranged our main points in the form of questions. You will find them in your sermon guide, so I encourage you to pull that out, follow along and make notes along the way.

Let me remind you that Paul is addressing his disciple- his protege. Paul’s run is about over and now he is passing the torch to Timothy.

The first question we need to ask ourselves is:

Is My Faith Sincere?

Let’s read verses 3-5 again. In addressing Timothy here, Paul does 2 things:

Paul assures Timothy of his own faith.

Paul says “I’m grateful for you Timothy. I want you to know that, even as I know my life is coming to an end, I have a clear conscious as I consider my service to our Lord- just as my ancestors (Abraham, Moses, David, etc.). I can confidently say that I have lived a surrendered life since I met Jesus and I have zero regrets.”

It’s such a good thing to know that people we love has a sincere relationship with Jesus. As our family and loved ones anticipate death, it is a great comfort for us to know that they are justified in the sight of God Almighty. It’s reassuring to us to know that they will not have to bear the penalty for their sins. It’s a blessing to have confidence that though we will be separated by death for a while, they will be in the presence of our Lord and we will see them again one day.

Can you say that about your life? Some of you are, let’s just say, in the 4th quarter of your time on earth. Is your conscience clear as you reflect upon your service to the Lord?

Paul’s certainty and sincerity in his faith was an assurance to Timothy. But Paul does another thing,

2. Paul encouraged Timothy in his own faith

a. Paul had witnessed Timothy demonstrate his sincerity in his faith and Paul tells him. Just as Timothy’s mother and grandmother had demonstrated their faith so Timothy also has exhibited a genuine relationship with Jesus. Btw, we can assume that these ladies were admired in the church and community for their faith- they were pillars of grace and led an exemplary life trusting in the Lord through all things. This is the equivalent of us being compared to a known and respected person of faith in our community.

Has anyone ever told you that? Has anyone ever said, your faith is encouraging- you remind me of a spiritual giant in our community perhaps a Fred Kilstrom, Ted Whitmire, or for those who don’t know these men, a Billy Graham or DL Moody.

Timothy was living a life that made his mentor grateful to God for him. What would people say about your faith?

Discuss: Do your family and friends have confidence in your sincere faith? When you die, will they wonder about your salvation?

Is your faith sincere?

The next question we need to answer is:

Are My Coals Hot?

Let’s look at verses 6-7

Here’s what Paul is saying to Timothy: “Because I know your faith is sincere, I now remind you to fan the flame of the Holy Spirit in your life.”

IF we are saved, that is, IF we have surrendered our life to the Lord-, trusting Him for salvation, obeying His commands, seeking His face, THEN we have been given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person in the Holy Trinity living in the believer and empowering us for the work of the Gospel.

So, similarly to what Paul told the Thessalonians in 1 Thess. 5:19, “Do not quench the Spirit.” He tells Timothy here to not only “not quench” but to LIGHT IT UP!! This is an ongoing action of fanning the flames- A fire unattended and unfueled will burn out.

Here’s the thing: We are weak, flawed, hateful, and undisciplined. We don’t have what it takes on our own to live the life God calls us to. BUT, as Christians, we have been given the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to rule in us. (look again at v.7) The Holy Spirit is not weak or impotent. The Holy Spirit is God in us!

He is truth and power! He is bold and victorious! He is love and compassion! He is sovereign and unchanging!

So, Paul tells Timothy, keep feeding the fire of the Holy Spirit!

You say, How do we do that? Well, I think we do that by God’s grace as we are obedient- As we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in truth and in power. As we surrender to the call of God to be bearers of the Gospel to the world. It’s that laying down of our fleshly desires and taking up the desires of God Almighty.

I remember, as a boy, we heated our home with a wood stove. And one of my jobs was to stoke the fire. And every so often, I’d open the stove and just see some ashy coals. But when I put a few logs in and pulled the bellow out and began to blow air across those coals, they became red-hot and ignited the logs. The logs were just pieces of wood, but soon they were burning and putting out the heat from those embers.

Friends, there is no reason for us to be a cold church. Maybe this morning, you need to start fanning those coals in your heart. You need to stop trying to push back the welling up of God’s Spirit as He calls you to give your life to serve Him. Hey, this isn’ t about an emotion this morning, it’s about the fire and passion of God displayed in our life!

Discuss: Does my life really reflect the power of God in me? What will I do to fan the flames?

Church, are your coals hot?

Finally, we need to ask ourselves:

Am I Unashamed of the Gospel?

I see people everyday who are unashamed of different things … I see people unashamed of their alma mater. I see people unashamed of their political affiliation. I see people unashamed of their sinfulness - people even get on social media and brag about their abortion or their sexual misconduct. But, how many Christians do we see boasting in the Gospel?

Look at verses 8-12

Paul goes on to tell Timothy, “THEREFORE” - that is, because of your sincere faith, because the Holy Spirit is the power of God in you, THEREFORE do not be ashamed of the Gospel.

In other words, BE BOLD in the Gospel!

Paul says, be so bold that you are committed to suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.

Listen, the call to us, as Christians, is a holy calling (9) - We have been set apart, not for our own purpose, but for God’s. We are ambassadors in this world for God.

I wonder how many of us this morning would choose physical comfort over being outed as a Gospel- bearing Christian. Folks, we are not called to a covert Christianity, but rather to an unashamed Gospel witness! Paul said to the Roman church,

Romans 1:16 NASB95

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.

Are you ashamed of the Gospel?

Will we be so bold that we would suffer for Christ?

Paul, passing this torch to Timothy, invited him to join him in suffering, knowing that he would need to be confident in Christ (12)

Friends, persecution will come.

You will have to decide whether you will persevere for Christ or not.

People will turn their back on you, just like they did Paul.

Yet our hope is not in this world, but in the One who is able to guard our soul. Jesus said,

Matthew 10:28 NASB95

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Discuss: Do I boast in other things more than I boast in the Gospel? What do my actions truly reveal about my confidence in Jesus?

Folks, I truly believe that this message is for us this morning. I believe that God is calling His church all across the globe to a place of response.

Is your faith sincere?

Are your coals hot?

Are you unashamed of the Gospel?

I am asking you to respond physically and verbally this morning. I am asking you to put your comfort aside this morning and declare your faithfulness to God.

If you are willing, Stand up and boldly declare, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel”