2 Timothy 1:1-7
Fan the Flame
Intro:
Here at CCV 90% of the time we are teaching verse by verse thru books of the
Bible.
A)
In a Somewhat Systematic fashion.
Ex.
Wed nights working our way thru the OT –
1
Chronicles currently
B) Sunday mornings working our way thru NT
– 5 books to finish. 2 Tim / Titus / James / Jude / Matthew.
C) Before John we left off
in studied 1 Timothy –
D)That is where we are
picking up today.
Always
intriquing to me where the Lord has us in Scripture as it relates to the life
of our Church.
A)We are moving into a
season – Late summer – break ground on the new Property
B) 6-9 months of building –
April – July move in.
C) With the new building
will come many more Ministry opportunities –
1)
In the body, in the community, in our School.
D)
Also many more challenges -
SO where does the Lord have us in Scripture Next 5-6
mths on Wed 1,2 Chronicles – Writing to a Remnant –
returned mission Rebuild temple and the
city –
Writing to encourage them of the Faithfulness of God – Walk by
faith – stay the course. / Revivals
Blessings for trusting – Good word for us
Next 5-mths
Sunday am 2 Timothy/ Titus - All about leadership! Building up leaders
Again Good for us – God raising up equipping
One
of the things I love about being the Pastor of this Church is that there are so
many of you who involved in Ministry – you serve – you are givers –
A)I
tell the guys in the shepherds School – you are in the ministry – not something
you espire to – YOU ARE
B) If God calls you to do it
FULL TIME – that is up to him!
C) Here’s the thing we are all
leaders in some respect – Work
1)
Family / Ministry -
Begin
2 Timothy today – here is what I want you to keep in mind
A)Title this series of messages Encouragement for Leaders {
3 Themes I
want us to keep in mind as we work thru this.
#1 16 specific encouragements Paul gives to
Timothy in these 4 Chapters.
A)See every single one of us
– who are in ministry have experienced some degree of difficulty – doubt –
feelings of inadequacy –
B) So the things that Paul
writes to Timothy are ment to radically encourage us in the Lord -
1)
16 specific charges given to Timothy.
#2
Catch Paul’s heart:
A)See
as we go thru this I also want us to catch the heart of Paul – his approach to
young Timothy – his approach to one who was stuggling
B))Tremendous
insight for those of us who find ourselves in a role of leading others
#3
Subplot – We learn from Paul’s words here – How a person who has ran well for
Christ faces death.
Paul
is writing from Prison:
A)Tough
times had fallen on the Apostle Paul since the writing of 1 Timothy.
B)When he first wrote to
Timothy he was on the road, hoping to visit him in
C) But now finds himself in
Prison again: Paul endured two periods
of imprisonment.…
D)Recall
how the Book of Acts closes with Paul under house arrest in
1)Although
he was linked to a guard at all times, he lived in his own quarters and was
able to have visitors.
E))
Today Paul might have had one of those Ankle bracelet monitors to monitor his
whereabouts.
After
his release from house arrest, Paul embarked on
another missionary journey, probably into
B)This time, however, Paul was put in a dark, damp dungeon. Why?
1)The
reason most probably lies with the then-emperor of
C) Ceaser Nero had
a desire to rebuilt
1)He blamed the fires on the
Christians
D) He declared that -
“These Christians are always talking
about being the light of the world,” he said, “but really they’re nothing but a
bunch of arsonists and cannibals”—referring to Communion.
So
Paul returns to
A)He was placed this time into a Mammertime type
Prison – hole in the ground – cold/ dark / damp
B)Eventually,
Caesar Nero would ride through his palace
grounds, shrieking with glee, as he watched Christians lit as human torches.
C)Why did Nero descend to
such depths of insanity? Historical evidence points to the fact that Nero went insane after he
had a discussion with Paul the apostle.
Church
history indicates that Paul was indeed brought into a discussion with Nero
before he was beheaded.
Thus,
it was at the point that Nero rejected the gospel that he seemingly lost his
mind.
Awaiting
trial before Caesar Nero, Paul picks up his pen for the last time.…
A)He
is writing in one sense to Pass the Baton of Ministry to his young friend
Timothy is the man!
B)Paul’s writing
here is intensely personal.
1)
It is his last will and testament, “written,” as Calvin said, “not merely in
ink but in Paul’s life blood.”
C)Passion and urgency ooze
from Paul’s pen as he addresses Timothy.
Alexander
MacLaren “Paul takes Timothy to his heart as his
beloved child. The captain stoops to
embrace the private”
Here
is what is amazing to me!
A) Paul is all alone He is in
a cold dark damp prison cell – only Luke is with him
B)You would think that
Timothy would be writing to encourage Paul.
1)
but instead it is Paul writing to encourage.
V.1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
The
fact that the letter begins somewhat formerly with Paul taking the time to
identify himself as an Apostle – reminds us that
this was written for more than Timothy’s consumption. –
A)It would be a word of encouragement and instruction for the
early Church and the Church as a whole – passed down thru the centuries.
B) Being on the internet –
and on the Radio – sometimes alters not
what I say, but the way I say it.
C) Paul an apostle of JC –
How ? By the will of God
1) What had he been
made an apostle for? To make known the promise of the life which is in Christ.
Isn’t
that the very thing that everyone in the world is looking for? The Promise of
Life.
A)Paul
says It is found solely in Jesus –
B)
That was the message that Paul got to share
PT. People are searching for life – Site quotes and possible
examples
2
To Timothy, a beloved son:
Grace,
mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
A)It is interesting
to me that Paul adds mercy to this greeting: Usually grace and peace
B) Why Mercy? I think because a minister not only needs an
abundance of Grace –
1)Grace
= getting what you don’t deserve –
2)it
speaks of the resources that are found in Christ to walk the Christian walk and
to minister –
C)But we also need an
abundance of Mercy – because we constantly make mistakes – hear wrong etc . Mercy is not getting what you do deserve.
D)Paul adds this I believe
for this reason.
1)The
Standard for the minister is high but the need for Mercy is huge
E)For the rest of our time today I want to
consider 4 ways that Paul sought to encourage Timothy.
#1
Paul encouraged Timothy by Praying for Him.
RD V.3-4
Paul
was thankful to have him as a Son in the ministry.
A)I think the greatest
thrill of ministry is watching people served – go out and be used of God.
B) I think of the pp in my
life – I have had the priviledge of having some influence on -
1)For
many their time here was just a platform for them to grow and blossom.
C) Watch them grow – you
watch them Venture out
My Sons and
daughters – Proud of: Lorn in
D) Love it when musicians remember their time here
Album
acknowledgements – Jeremy Camp / Phil
W./ remembering their roots – showing appreciation
When
Paul looked at Timothy He was thankful for what God was doing in Him / thru
Him.
A)The
paragraph begins, "I thank God," but that is really a rather weak
rendering of what the Greek says.
B) It should be, "When
I think about you, Timothy, I have joy in God."
1)
Paul’s Joy was in what God was accomplishing in and thru his young friend.
C))What
God was doing with Timothy motivated Paul to pray all the more for Him.
D))I hate to admit that
prayer is not the first thing that I would want to do in Paul’s situation.
1) I wonder if it
took him a few days to come to that state of mind – My flesh is so weak.
D) Great
example for us!
1)Perhaps you feel imprisoned
by past decisions. “I can’t believe I married him.
E)The Lord could have used
me on the mission field. I could have done great things for the kingdom.
1)
But here I am, stuck washing his underwear and socks.” What
can you do? Do what Paul did.
F)
Use the opportunity of folding laundry to pray night and day, for that’s the
most powerful ministry there is.
If
you’re stuck in a boring job or difficult relationship, don’t try to find a way
out.
A)Instead
see the dungeon as your prayer Chamber – Pray night and day.
B)I
am so thankful for those who Pray!
Dungeon is a
Physical Condition:
C) I believe there is a
great reward waiting for those in heaven – who supported ministry thru Prayer.
1)
Couldn’t go – So they Prayed – Powerful
A)I do not know when Timothy wept with Paul.
B)Many
suggest, and I think this has merit, that this probably occurred when Paul was
suddenly rearrested, torn from Timothy's company,dragged off to Rome.
C) The memory of Timothy’s tearful love made the old apostle’s heart ache
for Timothy’s presence
1)This
makes Paul’s later poignant plea, “Get here before winter” (4:21), even more
heart felt.
D)I see a tenderness in Paul’s dealing with
Timothy that blows me away – convicts me
Timothy
was very different from Paul.
A)Paul was a dynamo
– the last thing Paul was, was a whiner.
B)He had been
thru so much – beaten innumerable times,
shipwrecked
several times, forsaken often,
imprisoned often, threatened always.
C) Timothy on the
other had – was Timid by nature
1)He had a weak constitution.
He had frequent ailments and a weak stomach (cf. 1 Timothy 5:23
D) He was naturally shy—what
today we would call an introvert.
1)
On one occasion Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
“If 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 refuse to accept him” (1 Corinthians 16:10, 11a).
E)
It seems that Timothy was a guy who was easily intimidated.
I
have to admit I was convicted by Paul’s sensitivity here:.
A) Paul had been thru so
much and the last thing you would think that he would have is patience for
someone like Timothy who was sickly, who was Timid who was shy.
C)I found myself in hearing
Paul’s heart thinking – Lord Jesus make me more like you – make me more
sympathetic – patient – more of an encourager.
So
often my mentality is quit whining suck it up and press on. You need to get
tougher
A). And maybe that was true of
Timothy and Paul will definitely in this letter encourage him to that end
B) Paul in Ch.2 tell him of his need to endure hardship as a
good solider of Jesus Christ –
1) be disciplined as an
athelete
C)but
the way in which he does it is so tender. My heart was stirred by this.
#2
Paul encourages Timothy by affirming that his faith was Genuine.
5 when I call to remembrance the genuine
faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your
mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
A)The word
Genuine here is Sincere. Without Hypocrisy.
B) Paul was blessed by the Genuiness of Timothy’s
faith
C)One of the things I love
about this Church is that so many of you have a Genuine faith – no playing Church
– not fair weather believers – not pretending
D) Genuine
faith is such a great thing to see!
Timothy
had a good example of Genuine faith { Mom and Grandmother
A)Reminds me of the four
scholars
who were arguing over Bible translations.
One said he
preferred the King James Version because of its beautiful, eloquent old
English.
Another said he
preferred the American Standard Bible for its literalism, the way it moves the
reader from
passage to passage with confident feelings of accuracy from the
original text.
A
third man preferred Moffatt because of its quaint, penetrating use of words,
the turn of a phrase that captures the attention of the reader.
After
giving the issue further thought, the fourth
scholar admitted, "I have personally preferred
my mother's translation."
When
the other scholars chuckled, he responded, "Yes
she translated it. She translated each page of the Bible into life. It is the most convincing translation I ever saw."
B)The greatest thing we can do for our kids
is to Live what we believe – 2nd is to
Pray.
When
Dr. R.A. Torrey (1st Dean
of BIOLA) was a young man, he had no faith in God or the Bible.
His
mother, however, was a devout Christian who constantly prayed for his conversion
and often witnessed to him.
One
day he said to her, "I don't want to hear
about my sins and your prayers; I'm going to leave and not bother you any
more."
With
tear-filled eyes the woman followed him to the gate and pleaded with him to
change his mind.
But
he would not be detained. Frantically she cried, "Son,
you are going the wrong way, but when you come to the
end of your rope and everything seems hopeless, call upon
your mother's God with all your heart and He will surely help you!"
After Torrey left home, he went deeper
into the ways of sin. One night in a hotel room he was unable to sleep.
A)Problems
mounted and depression grew – He came to the pt where he was going to take his
own life.
B)Gun in hand – ready to
blow his brains out – He remembered his mothers’ last words:
Convicted
by the Holy Spirit, he fell on his knees and cried out, "O God of my mother, if there is such a Being, I need Your help.
If You will give it to me, I'll follow You!"
C)In a moment his darkened
heart was illumined, and peace filled his soul.
1)
R.A. Torrey would become an outstanding
evangelist who led thousands to Christ!
D)Are you discouraged
because your children or teenagers aren't interested in the things of the Lord?
1)Keep praying for
them, loving them, and living a consistent life before them.
E)Never
underestimate the power of parental witness!
/ And the power of Parental
Prayer!
#3
Paul encourages Timothy by reminding him of his calling and gifting.
6 Therefore I
remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of
my hands.
Stir up Ana/zoo/pureo =
Kindle afresh ana = up,
back or again + zoos = alive + pur = fire)
A)It
means to to keep in full flame.. Add fresh fuel.
B)
The Charge is in the present tense which conveys the sense of progressive,
continuous action.
1)
Keep kindling the gift afresh or make it your aim to continually keep it at
full flame.
C)Now
we need to be careful not to conclude that Timothy’s fire had gone out.
1) Such a view is inconsistent with Paul's statement in verse
5. Genuine Faith.
The
Present tense of the appeal also lets us know that the appeal is preventative rather than corrective. A)Timothy is to keep the
flame blazing at white heat as he has been doing.
B)It
is not an implied rebuke for neglect but a fatherly appeal bravely to continue
in the face of serious difficulty.
1)So
it is not a wake up call to Timothy but rather an encouragement to use his
muscles – keep fit and sharp
Quote: All fires die out unless from time to time they
are stirred up!
An untended fire
finally becomes ashes…fan the flame! (Pulpit commentary)
General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once sent this message to
those under him
"The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the
altar of your heart."
Anyone
who has prepared a campfire for warming or cooking is fully aware that the
coals need to be stirred up occasionally.
A)As
long as the coals are glowing, they can be stirred up into a full blaze.
B)Paul is saying in essence
"Timothy you can’t be passive and expect the effects of your spiritual
gift to just happen.
1)
Keep fanning to flame the 'coal' which is already glowing.
C)It's your responsibility
to keep rekindling your spiritual gift."
Wiersbe writes that
"Timothy did not need any new spiritual ingredients in his
life; all he had to do was “stir up” what he already had. Paul had written in
his first letter, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee” (1Timothy 4:14). Now he added, “Stir up—stir into flame—the gift of God.”)
How
do we do that?
A)Keep in the
word – God’s word is like fuel to the fire.
It is ment to ignite our hearts
2 Peter
3:1
Beloved,
I now write to you this second epistle in both of which I stir up your
pure minds by way of reminder.
B) But it is more
than just Learning:
1) Deception: I am growing – because I am
learning – no grow happens by exercise
2))
You use it –
put it into action
C)Keep being stretched –
Keep stepping out – Get involved Serve
1) Never get
comfortable! Change things up
D)In
Ministry: Try new things -
1)Speaking at Conference. – Teach something
new – new style for me. -
2)Week
a way – Why did I say yes. –
E)Devotions – Avoid ruts –
Stir up OT/NT
2) Word Studies
F)Stir up the gift by being active – Using it
–
Vance
Havner summed
up Paul's exhortation to Timothy in this way:
“We must stir up the gift of God within us, that we may be burning
and shining lights. But it is the
dynamic of the Spirit, not human enthusiasm‑old Adam worked up to a high
pitch. Stir carries the idea of kindling the flame‑doctrine
that we may believe, discipline that we may behave, dynamic that
we may burn! That is the true New Testament Timothy, believing, behaving,
burning!”
Sitr
up by being around others who are on fire!
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one
another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
So
for Timothy this was not a Charge to wake up – to revive that which had died
A)But
maybe it does need to be that for you today.
The only other use in Scripture is from the Septuagint translation
of Genesis where anazopureo is used to translate the Hebrew word for
"revived" which describes old Jacob's reaction as he became
convinced that his son Joseph was really alive...
B)News
of Joseph caused Jacob to be rekindled in his spirit, to have the old flames
stirred up to full blaze.
1)
This revelation of Joseph added "fuel" to the dying embers and he
became "active" Alive again!)"
C) You today: Love of Christ – Promise of Life
1) Light the fire again
# 4
Paul encourages Timothy by reminding him of his resources
7 For God has
not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
A)Come back to this next week: The Lord doesn’t
want us proud – but he does want us confident –
B)Not a Spirit of fear – but
of Power.
C) Not incompetent – feeling
inadequate – But compassionate – Leading in love
D)Not controlled by feelings
and emotions – blown by the wind – By marked by self Control
E) Paul is telling Timothy –
and Us – I have given you thru my Spirit – what you need to fulfill what I have
called you to do!