Transformation

Fan Into Flame The Gift God Has Given You

6.19.22 [2 Timothy 1:3-10] River of Life (2nd Sunday after Pentecost)

Grace, mercy, & peace from God your Father, & Christ Jesus, your Lord & Savior—who is not ashamed to be called your brother. Amen.

Happy Father’s Day? Many people have very complicated relationships with their dads. For the last 40 years, 1 in 5 kids grew up without dad living in their home. That doesn’t mean that all those kids didn’t have a dad that loved and lead them well. But we also know we can’t assume If that the other 80% of kids had the fathers they craved and needed.

Maybe that is how you grew up. Your dad didn’t have to be absent or abusive to leave you feeling like you were missing something important. You were looking for structure and support, guidance & encouragement, but you never got it from him. Maybe Father’s Day doesn’t fill you with admiration and love but anger and frustration. Perhaps you’re just disappointed in your dad. Then today is tough, right?

Even if you had a dad you love and admire, it’s good to put that in perspective. Many were not blessed with what you have. If you have the chance, thank him. Being a Christian father is demanding, important, & blessed work. Our reading from 2 Timothy 1, shows us that. That might sound strange, because we hear about (2 Tim. 1:5) the sincere faith of Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice. Dad is missing.

More detail is provided in Acts 16, when we are first introduced to to Timothy. Timothy was from Lystra, and his mother, Eunice was Jewish and a believer and his father was a Greek.

We are led to assume that Timothy’s father was not a believer. It’s hard to imagine an unbeliever being supportive of his son following the Apostle Paul to plant churches across the Roman world.

But the Lord had blessed Timothy with guidance and love. Timothy was with Paul during some of his most important ministry moments: Philippi, Corinth, Jerusalem, Ephesus and Rome. When Paul wrote 2nd Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, he mentions Timothy being with him. Paul was Timothy’s mentor.

But it was more than just that. Paul—who was never married and did not have any children—loved Timothy as his own. Paul calls him (1 Tim. 1:2) my true son in the faith & (2 Tim. 1:2) my dear son. No doubt, Timothy loved and admired Paul as a kind of spiritual father.

That’s what made all this so hard. Paul remembered the last time he saw Timothy. He (2 Tim. 1:4) recalled Timothy’s tears. In this letter, Paul spoke with greater certainty about the end drawing near. He was in prison, likely in Rome again. It was clear to Paul that (2 Tim. 4:6) the time for his departure was near. (2 Tim. 4:7) I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

So what final words does Paul have for his spiritual son? (2 Tim. 1:6) Fan into flame the gift of God. What is this gift? It’s God’s gift of saving grace and sincere faith, but it’s more than that. Paul says this gift was given to Timothy (2 Tim. 1:6) through the laying on of his hands. The laying on of hands never created faith. That was how a man was called into public ministry. Paul was reminding Timothy that he had been called to faith, equipped with a particular set of skills, and blessed with moments that were tailor-made for him. But putting his faith into action wouldn’t just happen. He needed to fan it into flame. And that’s not just true of young pastors. You, too, are uniquely gifted by God, personally gifted, & positioned to be his servant, his ambassador, someone who lets God’s light shine in everything you do.

That task is demanding and, at times, even draining. So Paul reminds Timothy—and us—of the Spirit God has worked in us. It is not timid.

Timidity comes in many forms. Sometimes, timidity looks like complacency—resting on what you have already accomplished. Timidity chooses recreation over representing Jesus, comfort over Scriptural convictions, temporal peace and tranquillity over eternal truth. This kind of timidity will also point out how you’ve already tried and failed, so what’s the use, now?!? This is not the Spirit of God.

At other times, timidity sounds whiny. It complains. About everything. Timidity is quick to point out all the problems you’re facing & the people who’ve let you down. This timidity confuses “hard” with “impossible”, & my ideas with God’s will. This is not the Spirit of God, either.

Sometimes, under great pressure, our timidity gets exposed as outright cowardice. You’ve felt this. You’ve had to talk on behalf of God to someone you don’t know well. You’ve had to rebuke someone you know, love, or even respect. But instead of speaking boldly, you clammed up. In a particularly sinister trick, timidity convinces us to pick small battles instead of dealing with the deeper, eternal matters at hand. This kind of timidity is all-too-happy to pass the buck onto someone else.

Sometimes, timidity looks like complacency, sounds like complaining, or is exposed as cowardice. But timidity’s final form is contempt.

As we start to fall into this temptation, we begin to see God’s Word as insufficient and his Church as inadequate. We question his wisdom. We rely on other voices & wisdoms. This spirit of timidity is deeply cynical. It smirks dismissively when others turn to prayer or speak of trusting in God to act or provide.

Timidity is never the Spirit God has gifted us. Because at its root, timidity is always rooted in me. My power. My plan. My emotions. My comfort. You and I will always grow one form of timid or another when we rely upon ourselves.

The Spirit God has gifted us is not “a greater you”, but something far greater than you could imagine. Someone far greater than you. Someone who is that sublime combination of unrivaled power, unselfish love, and deeply principled will-power. Someone who is authoritative, tender-hearted, diligent and devoted. (2 Tim. 1:9) This grace was given to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ our Savior. The one who had all power and honor and glory in heaven, but set it aside so that he might use his power to redeem us from all unrighteousness.

This Jesus lived a life of love and self-discipline. He loved the Lord his God. Throughout Jesus’ life you see that his love for his Father was sincere. Jesus didn’t just pray when he needed something. He didn’t just thank God when he got his way. He didn’t just spend time in his Father’s house when he didn’t have anything else going on. Jesus spent entire nights in prayer. Jesus gave thanks to God before a miracle was worked. Jesus made it his habit to be in the synagogue on each Sabbath.

Jesus loved his neighbor so deeply that sometimes it shocked them. Consider the paralytic who had to be lowered through the roof. Jesus recognized this man needed his sins forgiven first and foremost. Jesus chose to dine with those everyone else in town denied—like Zacchaeus. Jesus healed Malchus, the high-priest’s servant, when Peter cut off Malchus’ ear in the Garden of Gethsemane during Jesus’ arrest.

Jesus lived a life of unmatched self-discipline. It’s not just that he never sinned. He rejoiced in doing the right thing, even when it brought about the “wrong” result. We never catch Jesus complaining about his disciples being lousy followers or the crowds being too needy or pushy. Jesus rebuked sin, but not just because it got on his nerves.

This is the grace that God gave us—his Son Jesus Christ. This Savior has tasted death for us—and (2 Tim. 1:10) destroyed it. He has lived the life that God’s Law demanded and then gave us the credit, so that we might have life in him.

He has demonstrated to us that he is (Jn. 11:25) the Resurrection and the Life & (2 Tim. 1:10) brought immortality to light through the good news he proclaimed when he said, (Jn. 11:25-26) Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

This God who saved us has also (2 Tim. 1:9) called us to a holy life. He has gifted us his Spirit, which is never timid but always powerful, loving, & self-disciplined. Paul had demonstrated that spirit to Timothy, but Timothy was not going to lose it even as Paul was on his final lap.

That’s something we all need today. We need this as we live in a world where (Mt. 24:12) the love of most has grown cold. Fathers need these gifts as they strive to do the important work of loving and leading their children well. You need these gifts if you didn’t have an earthly father who modeled and encouraged the Christian faith.

God has given you the Spirit of (2 Tim. 1:7) power, love, and self-discipline. Instead of being complacent, (Eph. 5:15-16) you make the most of every moment. The days are evil, so you are careful to feed on what is good—the Word of God. Fathers, you actively teach and model the truth of God’s Word. Not just on Sunday mornings, but when things get tough, too.

Instead of complaining, you seek to understand what God would have say and do in difficult situations. You (Php. 4:4) rejoice in the Lord always—(Eph. 5:20) giving thanks to God your Father for everything. You remember God’s love. (Rom. 8:32) He who did not spare his one and only Son will not cut corners with you now. Even the most frustrating of setbacks and circumstances are his holy will.

Instead of acting cowardly, you will be courageous. Not because you are impetuous or foolhardy. You remember God’s power and love. He says (Josh. 1:9) Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Instead of being contemptuous, you fear, love, and trust in God as a child does a good and perfect Father. You’ve been changed by God’s wisdom, love, and patience. Fathers, you prioritize passing on that wisdom. Modeling that love. Demonstrating that patience. And when you struggle, when you fail, you remember how God wields his power. He loved us when we were still powerless. When we were weak. Foolish. Acting like his enemies. Dead in sin. This is the power of God to save. And this power equips sinful men to be wonderful fathers. Because your kids don’t need you to be a greater you. They need you to point to David’s greater Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.