A Holy Heritage

2 Timothy 1:3–7 ESV

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.

PRAY

INTRO

Good Morning , Ambassadors. I’m grateful to be able to join you once again this morning in the book of 2 Timothy. We find ourselves once again in the midst of another snowy weekend, one that I hope you are enjoying and maintaining safety in the Lord. This is our third and final installment of our time together in this book entitled, “The Fight We Face.” Our focus these past 2 weeks has been on the war language, the implied spiritual violence, and the battle-readiness of the Christian life. Today our path is taking a turn and our emphasis will change. We are still in 2 Timothy and still under the banner of “The Fight We Face,” but the fight we are talking about this morning is different. This year was a year that many of us took more time to complement our mortality and face the brutal truth that our time here on this earth is limited. This reality for us is beautifully answered and summed by one of my favorite authors and a fellow Christian, J.R.R. Tolkien. He writes as two of his main characters lament the times in which they live:

““I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

I’m grateful to you for indulging me in my love of the Lord of the Rings, haha. In any case, This quote does some up for us the challenges we face. These challenges which have been afforded to us by a benevolent and sovereign God, where He directs us and leads us to do with our time that which glorifies Him. When we do great things with our time, when we do honor God in obedience, convictions, and love - we build a legacy of faith that will last far longer than we do.

We all have a legacy of others to lean on.

2 Timothy 1:3–5 ESV

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.

Our faith is not our own, but one received in Spirit and given in Spirit - a gift of God. Our spiritual heritage was forged in the suffering and success of God’s people through the ages.

One of God’s gifts to us is a legacy to lean on.

Legacy of my family.

Legacy of my education.

Legacy for those not raised in a Christian home.

The legacy we live in is the Lord’s and is cared for by His Church

2 Timothy 1:5 ESV

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.

Without our spiritual heritage, we may feel alone or directionless in our faith journey. God gave us His Church to help us in this legacy.

We now have a legacy to leave for others.

2 Timothy 1:6–7 ESV

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.

We now have an opportunity to leave a legacy of faith in the lives around us.

2 Timothy 4:7 ESV

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.