Blazing Faith: Six Movements of Obedience to Rekindle Your Faith When it Flickers

Like a candle in the wind...

Many of you may be familiar with the phrase, “Candle in the Wind,” from Elton’s John’s tribute song to Marlyn Monroe. The famous American poet, “Carl Sandberg was the first to coin the phrase in one his poem, “The People, Yes (1936). The quote reads

“What is man’s life? A candle in the wind, hoar-frost on a stone.” Carl Sandberg, “The People, yes” (1936)

Although the meaning of the phrase has been obscure to some people, the tone of seems to speak to the fragility of life. The flame on a candle is often easily blown out. That is a stark description of man’s life. In in some ways, it can be a stark reality of your faith.

Paul is writing to Timothy, his young protege, concerning some struggles he is having in the ministry. Timothy is one the pastors of the church in Ephesus. He is dealing with pressures both inside and outside the church.

Ephesus was located on the west coast of Asia Minor. It was the setting for Acts 19, where the apostle Paul taught daily for two years. It was the elders of Ephesus who came to see Paul off to Jerusalem on has last journey in Acts 20:17-18. It was in Ephesus that Paul said he fought beasts there, referring to worshippers of Artimus. With a population of over 250,000 people, mostly pagans and Jews, Ephesian Christians were constantly under attack.

It is no doubt that the pressure from the outside was mounting on the inside of the church. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians church he spends most of the second chapter and part of chapter four, teaching them of the unity they all have in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22; 4:1-16). In chapter 5, Paul instructs them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to submit to one another. Finally, in chapter six he has to remind them that the fight is not with each other, Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The darkness was pressing in on Timothy and the Ephesian church, so much so, that the flame of their faith, their commitment to Jesus, began to look like a candle flickering in the wind. Jesus says as much in Revelations 2:1-4. See how he describes the Ephesian church

Revelation 2:1–4 HCSB

“Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars. You also possess endurance and have tolerated many things because of My name and have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.

They were fighting for the faith; no doubt. Jesus made that evident with words like toil, patience, not bearing evil, not growing weary. However, their once blazing hot light up the world flame of their commitment to Jesus, their love for Jesus, was dwindling down to a flicker. Brothers and sisters, love for Jesus is what fans the flame of faith and commitment. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). If Jesus is not your treasure, your love for Jesus grows cold, your love for his church grows cold, your love for his great commission grows cold.

Paul knows this to be true. You can feel his concern for Timothy in chapter 1. In verses 1-5, Paul is thankful for the faith Timothy has, that was given to him by his mother and grandmother, and been fostered over time. In verse 6, Paul says,

2 Timothy 1:6–7 (ESV)

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 God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Paul reminds Timothy that he needs to “keep ablaze” the gift of God in you you, that is, the gospel, his commitment to the gospel, and his love for Jesus (1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Thess 5:19), because there is great danger for Timothy if he doesn’t.

Flickering Faith Leads to Apostasy

When your love grows cold for Christ, you’re in danger of turning away from Jesus like Phygelus and Hermogenes (2 Tim 1:15). Endurance is the mark of a true believer. Turning away from Jesus is the danger for many in the church today. They call it deconstruction. In 2008, Ray Boltz, Christian music artist who wrote the song, “Thank You For Giving to the Lord,” divorced his wife and came out as a homosexual, leaving Christian orthodoxy behind him. Joshua Harris, a well known pastor and theologian, who wrote several influential books for the church, walked away from the faith two years ago. At some point in their walk with the Lord, their live grew cold and they stopped fanning the flame of their faith, their love for Jesus and his salvation.

If any of you are close to the cliff of apostasy because your love for Jesus is flickering, this morning, I hope to be an instrument of grace that helps you rekindle the flame of your faith and commitment to the gospel. Jesus calls you this morning to,

Rekindle the flame of your commitment to the gospel with six movements of obedience that fan your love for Jesus.

I am going to help you do this by looking at 2 Timothy 1:6-2:13 Paul offers six commands that stem from verse 2 Timothy 1:6. From here Paul gives Timothy a series of imperatives, movements of obedience that help him fan the flame of his faith, and will help you and I as well.

Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus (2 Timothy 1:8-12).

2 Timothy 1:8 ESV

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,

We live in a culture that hates the very nature of the cross. The fact that God would confront wickedness, calling us sinners who need to repent, even sending his son to die for our rebellion- they would see this as scandalous. Shame is one of their weapons of choice. How dare you preach such hatred? How dare you stand on the wrong side of history? They beat you over and over on the head with such disgust. They aim to make your life difficult. That is why Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell, and it is why Paul would later loose his head.

Jesus told his disciples.

John 15:18–19 ESV

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

When your love for Jesus is blazing hot, your faith will be light to the darkness and heat to the cold. Just as you are angrily stunned and ashamed when someone turns on the lights while you are committing wicked acts, so the world responds to those who live in the light and heat of Christ. Don’t be surprised when you are treated like a criminal or shunned by your family because you love Jesus. Don’t be ashamed of Christ in you. Fan your faith by leaning into the strength of Jesus when those around you scorn your love for Jesus.

Secondly, he says

Follow the pattern of sound teaching of Jesus (2 Timothy 1:13)

Do not neglect sound doctrine. Remain orthodox in your beliefs. Orthodox is simply believing rightly about Jesus. Doctrine is like fence posts for your faith. It keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out.

Jesus is many things to many people. To the wise of the world, he is a philosopher. To the moral of the world he is sage. To the social justice warriors, he is a liberator. To the prosperity teachers he is a vending machine. What he is not is the Son of God, the Savior of the world!

To the faithful, to those who love him, and seek first his kingdom and righteousness, he is the one true Savior of the world who was crucified on a cross, dead for three days, raised from the grave conquering death and sin, and ascended into heaven where he currently lives interceding for the saints, awaiting to come back and gather us home. Jesus is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is the king of all kings and Lord of all Lords. He is the Son of God and the Son of Man. And His name is the only name by which man can be saved from the wrath of God (Acts 4:12). Friends, that is orthodoxy. That is the right believing of Jesus. Don’t ever give your pastor grief for preaching orthodoxy. He is trying to help you fan the flame of your faith by drilling in fences posts of doctrine that help you continue holding onto a right belief about Jesus. The consequences are severe if you don’t believe right about Jesus. If he is merely a sage, and not your Savior, you are going to hell. If he is merely a philosopher, and not the forgiver of your sins, you are going to hell. If he is merely a liberator of wordly causes, and not the liberator of your soul from the wrath of God, you are going to hell. Your faith will flicker if it only holds to a worldly perception of Jesus. Move in obedience toward sound teaching and believing of Jesus.

Thirdly, Paul says to Timothy

Guard the deposit of the gospel through the Spirit of Jesus. (v14).

Two things to consider here. First, the word guard is a military term. It means to protect and defend when something is attacked. The deposit he is to defend is the entirety of the gospel and Christian doctrine. When you hold to a sound pattern of teaching, you are holding to the holy standard of God. When the world attacks that on any front, the Christian is to be equipped to defend the orthodoxy of the faith. That is why you guard marriage as God’s design of a covenant relationship between a man and a woman. The marriage relationship is a testimony of the faithfulness of Jesus to His bride, the church. That makes marriage a gospel issue.

In our culture, to stand up for truth could be costly. Paul makes sure Timothy knows that Jesus has did not leave him to himself. The means by which you guard the deposit is not your own cleverness or wit, but the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. Jesus empowers you to defend the faith. The Holy Spirit empowers you to guard the deposit. Your He emboldens your heart. He musters up your courage. Help establishes you on the rock of truth, Holding you steady no matter how hard the waves of hardship batter you. There are examples of this all over the Book of Acts.

Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit, are imprisoned for preaching the gospel, guarding the deposit. They boldly tell the religious elite

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

They were ordered not to preach the gospel. Once again, they answered,

Acts 4:19–20 (ESV)

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,

for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

How did the church respond? The church prayed, not for the persecution to stop, but to be bolder in their proclamation of the gospel (Acts 4:31).

What about the example of Stephen? Filled with the Spirit, Stephen boldly proclaimed the gospel to nationalistic Jews. Then, filled with the Holy Spirit, he tells them about the resurrected Jesus. They take him out of the city and stone him. As he is being stoned to death, the Spirit of God empowers Him to pray, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them (Acts 7:60).”

The last days will be difficult (2 Timothy 3:2-5). Paul warns Timothy in chapter 3 that everyone who desires to live a godly life will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). If your fear of what may come for guarding the deposit entrusted is keeping you from fanning the flame of your faith into a blazing fire, you have nothing to worry about. Jesus has given you his Spirit to equip you and empower you to testify to everyone from your unbelieving family member to your progressive-leaning Bible-hating neighbor down the street.

Be empowered by the grace that is in Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

2 Timothy 2:1 ESV

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

The Grace of Himself

Jesus provides you grace for your faith; grace that comes in form of power or strength. Your strength to guard the deposit, to hold to sound teaching, to not let shame overtake you, comes from Christ. The power to persevere, to hold on, to remain faithful comes from Jesus abiding in you. Jesus told His disciples in John 15:5

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Grace, in this sense, is God’s unmerited divine help to live a sanctified blazing faith-filled life, and Jesus is the mediator of that grace. Jesus is the life pulsating through your spiritual veins producing fruit that on the one hand proves you are Jesus’s disciple and on the other hand glorifies the Father John 15:8. Some times, in our walk with Jesus, we get confused about whose producing the fruit . Jesus is clear, you must abide in him and he will abide in you. You have a responsibility to be committed to him, living in communion with him, as you fulfill the Great Commission for Him. But make not mistake about it, Jesus is the one holding onto you and ensuring you will endure and produce fruit. That is the idea behind the Getty Song , He Will Hold Me Fast, that we sang a few minutes ago:

“When I fear my faith will fail Christ will hold me fast When the tempter would prevail He will hold me fast

I could never keep my hold Through life's fearful path For my love is often cold He must hold me fast” Keith & Kristin Getty (He Will Hold Me Fast)

Paul knows this so well. He tells his young protege, “When everyone deserted me, the Lord stood by me and straightened me (2 Timothy 4:17).

The Grace of His Church

Paul mentions the grace of others in verse 2

2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

The the sound teaching that Paul discipled into Timothy, he was to pass on to faithful men. These men should be able to teach the gospel to others.

These faithful men are guardians of the truth, elders of the church. These men were to be raised up byTimothy, just as he was raised up by Paul. These are kind of men who meet the qualification Paul set forth for elders in

1 Timothy 3:2–7 ESV

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Where do these men come from? They come from the harvest in Gay, GA. Just as Timothy was to preach the gospel to unbelievers, so you are to preach the gospel and see the fruit of conversions (cf John 15). Furthermore, it is not the pastor’s sole responsibility to gather these men; there were many witnesses present v2 who were also responsible to proclaim the gospel.

There is no place for Lone Ranger Christianity in the church. The pastor is never meant to do the work of ministry alone. He is meant to reproduce himself using men in the congregation, who in turn, repeat the process. Jesus has gifted the instruments of grace. Once again, Paul the Ephesian church,

Ephesians 4:10–12 (ESV)

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ...

When Jesus saved you, he gifted you to the church as an instrument of grace to help fan the flame of faith and commitment of other believers into maturity and to protect the faith and integrity of the church. Be a community in Jesus that is living for Jesus. Nothing will stifle your faith and commitment to the gospel more than doing nothing for the gospel, and nothing will stifle the faith and commitment of the church as a community more than doing nothing for the gospel.

Share in the suffering for Jesus (2 Timothy 2:3-7)

We’ve already discussed suffering to some degree. The point I make here is how you are to do it.

The word “share” means to “take ones share of hardship,” or “ to join in suffering.” It’s not that you go looking for it, but you don’t avoid it either. You don’t let the threat or fear of persecution keep you from preaching the gospel. Paul relates your obedient faith in the midst of suffering like a good soldier for Jesus.

Paul offers three metaphors to help you understand how to share in your suffering.

Share in the suffering with Single-minded loyalty to Jesus (2 Tim 2:4)

Just as a good soldier remains loyal to his superior, so you remain loyal to Jesus. A good soldier does not get distracted with pursuits outside of his mission. He is not building up his own kingdom. He stays the course of His Great Commission. That is, he or she, joyfully advances the kingdom of God by making much of Jesus until the church community, and home joyfully abides in Jesus.

Share in the suffering with a Single-minded discipline for Jesus (2 Tim 2:5)

Paul uses the metaphor of an Greco Roman athlete. Just as an athlete disciplines his life, his diet, his understanding of the rules of the game, so must Timothy discpline his life and ministry in the true gospel so that he would receive the “wreath of righteousness” (1 Timothy 4:8) and the “wreath of glory” (1 Thess 2:19; 1 Peter 5:4; James 1:12; Rev 2:10). You must be disciplined in your spiritual disciplines. To fan the flame of your faith as you join in the sufferings for Jesus, you must be disciplined in prayer, and study, and church community, and evangelism. All of these keep your fellowship with Jesus fresh and at the forefront of your life.

Share in the suffering with a Single-minded hope in the reward from Jesus (2 Tim 2:6-7)

Finally, Paul uses a farming metaphor to help you understand how to share in suffering for Jesus. Just as a farmer works hard to plant his crop and patiently waits for the fruit of his labor, so you should work hard for the harvest, especially as you suffer, knowing God will reward your work. Not only will you see the kingdom of God grow, you will receive the crown of life. You will hear Jesus’s faithful words, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”

Keep your heart fixed on the resurrection of Jesus (2 Timothy 2:8-10; 11-13)

2 Timothy 2:8 ESV

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,

Finally, Paul encourages Timothy to remember the resurrection. Never loose sight that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He is the shoot of David, the promised Son of David, whose throne will never end. He left his throne in heaven to take on flesh, fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life of joyful obedience to His Father’s will and Holy Law. His obedience led him to the cross where he suffered the wrath of God as a substitute for sinners. He died the death that all of humanity deserves. But God was pleased with his sacrifice, and after three days, God raised him from the dead. Jesus is alive!

Remember when I said that many people, even some in the church, have different ideas about Jesus? The one thing those people have in common is their version of Jesus is still in the grave. For them, he is not the risen Savior. We serve a Savior who was promised long ago to come, and God fulfilled by promises by sending him as a man to die a death we deserved so that we can have eternal life; who conquered the grave. We serve a Savior whose sacrifice was sufficient to cover your sin as far as the east is from the west. We serve a Savior who is right now praying for all of his people to endure and hold fast until the end; who is praying for you brother and sister. We serve a Savior who is equipping his church with instruments of grace to do the work of ministry. We serve a risen Savior whose gospel message is not and never will be bound; not bound by suffering, not bound by prison, not even bound by death itself (2 Timothy 2: 9). We serve a Savior who is promised to come back and restore what has been broken and reconcile those whom he has redeemed. He will one day unite heaven and earth to live in harmony and peace and in justice under his sovereign rule, where Satan will be defeated and all wickedness will be abolished. Brothers and Sister, you keep your eyes on the resurrection because Jesus defeated death with his resurrection!

He offers his eternal life and his resurrection to all who will confess and repent of their sin and trust his death and resurrection for eternal life. If your hope is in Christ you will be resurrected to eternal life with him. He says 2 Timothy 2:11-12, “If we died with him we will live with him. If we endure we will reign with him.”

Make no mistake about it, if you reject his offer of salvation, if you are ashamed of him, you will be resurrected to eternal damnation in hell. For all who forsake the gift of God of eternal life in Christ Jesus will suffer for their sin, his wrath, in hell. Paul gives the warning in 2 Timothy 2:12-13 “if we deny him he will deny us. If we are faithless, he will remain faithful to his promised judgement.” Today is the day of salvation. Call upon the Lord and be saved.

For those who have repented and trusted in the Lord, we have great things to look forward too, brothers and sisters, in the future resurrection. Keep your eyes on the resurrection as you work, and minister, and do all things for the elect, for those whom God is calling to himself in Gay, GA, to eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10).

A Blazing Fire

It was the resurrected Jesus who told the Ephesian church they needed to rekindle their love for Him (Revelation 2:4). He came to them in love with a message of encouragement and repentance. Know this brothers and sisters, Casey and Valorie, Jesus sees the work you are doing here and knows, its a tough ground to plow. Your work is not going unnoticed.

Somewhere down the road, the Ephesian church lost sight of whom they were serving and why. Timothy may have been in danger of the same flickering faith. So, Jesus tells the Ephesian church to repent of forsaking their first love and do the works they did when the gospel was fresh in their hearts. If your heart has been cold toward the Lord, or your faith has weaned down to a flicker, your first step is repentance. Rekindle your love for Jesus by returning to Jesus as your first love. Move toward him in obedience. Rekindle your faith in Christ by not being ashamed of the gospel of your salvation. Commit to holding to sound teaching. Be an active instrument of grace to your church community. Rest in the power of the grace of Jesus (allowing His Spirit to work in you and through you). Don’t shy away from sharing the gospel because of fear. Instead, share in the suffering of Jesus, keeping your heart fixed on the resurrection of Jesus.

Your faith is not meant to be a candle that flickers, in danger of being put out by the mere breathe of hardship. In God’s hands, your faith, even the size of a mustard seed, can be fanned, even by the winds of hardship and persecution, into a blazing fire that radiates light and heats up Gay, GA, Atlanta, GA, the South, the entire nation, all the way to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Amen.