19 Pentecost 07 proper 22
This morning I want to take you on a journey through the first part of St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy. In this letter we find the apostle confirming his apostleship in writing in order to strengthen and encourage his beleaguered and sometimes fainthearted young friend and to under gird the authority of Timothy's leadership and teaching.
This letter has been called Paul's last will and testament. He knew that the time of his departure was near (4:6), that his earthly ministry and life were soon to end.
A few years earlier (A.D. 64), Nero had ordered the torching of his own capital city of Rome, which burned furiously for six days and nights. Not only the wooden shacks of the poor but also the stone mansions of the rich, the massive public buildings, and the magnificent pagan temples and shrines were gutted. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote, "But all human efforts, all the lavish gifts of the emperor and the propitiations of the gods did not banish the sinister belief that the conflagration was the result of an order by Nero. Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace."
During Paul's first incarceration in Rome, he was under house arrest. Within those confines, he apparently was free to have visitors and to preach and teach (Acts 28:30-31). But by the time of this epistle, some five or six years later (A.D. 66), he was in chains (2 Tim 1:16), languishing in a Roman prison and treated as a criminal (2:9) — with little light to read or write by, no sanitation, and no prospect of relief except by death. Whereas in his first imprisonment he had a measure of comfort and was granted some freedom, he was now confined in a dank and perhaps crowded dungeon. It is remarkable that, in addition to witnessing to his fellow inmates, he was able to write letters.
Worse than that, however, he was tragically deserted by everyone in Asia Minor (1:15; 4:16) but Onesiphorus (1:16), and only Luke was with him (4:11). The apostle freely forgave the defectors, saying, "May it not be counted against them" (4:16), but their cowardly ingratitude must have brought him great pain and disappointment. Like his Lord, he was forsaken by those he had served and loved the most. He had led many of them to the Lord and nurtured them not only as an apostle but as a spiritual father and friend.
The church at Ephesus had fallen still further into corrupt theology and ungodly behavior. Church leaders, including Timothy to some extent, were even weaker and less effective than when 1 Timothy was written. Heresy, apostasy, and even persecution had become more destructive.
During the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1900), extreme nationalist Chinese fomented a campaign of terror against officials of foreign governments, Christian missionaries, and even Chinese Christians. After they surrounded a certain mission station, they sealed all exits except one. They placed a cross in the dirt in front of the opened gate and told the missionaries and students that anyone who walked out and trampled the cross would be spared. According to reports, the first seven students who departed trampled the cross and were sent on their way. The eighth student, a young girl, approached the cross, knelt down, prayed for strength, carefully walked around the cross, and was immediately shot to death. The remaining 92 students, strengthened by that girl's courageous example, also walked around the cross to their deaths. The Christian faith faced many such dangers in Timothy’s day as well.
The second section of 2 Tim 1:6-18 focuses on the believers' not being ashamed of Jesus Christ. Paul founds this appeal on the motivations for serving Christ he has presented in verses 1-5. Those six motivations were to generate in Timothy the pervasive attitude of not being ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ, the underlying attitude that is indispensable for effective ministry in the kingdom. The positive expression of that attitude is courageous, unapologetic witness to and obedience of Him, no matter what the cost or consequences. It is the attitude that refuses to equivocate, vacillate, or compromise and that does not hesitate to be confrontational when necessary.
That situation, as well as the abandonment by most of his friends, made Paul's longing to see Timothy particularly poignant, and he twice implores him to "make every effort to come" and see him soon (2 Tim 4:9,21).
Paul was passing the mantle of ministry to his son in the faith and urged him to persevere in strength and faithfulness (2:1). He also understood that, despite Timothy's soundness in doctrine and personal godliness, he was prone to waver. He therefore reminded him that "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control" and lovingly commanded him "not [to] be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord," to "retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus," to "guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you." Later on in this letter he urges Timothy to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth," to "flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace," and to avoid being caught up in "foolish and ignorant speculations" (2 Tim 1:7-8,13-14; 2:15,22-23).
Paul wanted Timothy to fully understand that he (Timothy), like the apostle himself, was under divine compulsion as a minister of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor 9:16). His final words to Timothy include few commendations but many admonitions, including some twenty-five imperatives of command — several of them just cited above. Nine of the imperatives are in chapter 4, by far the most personal section of the epistle. Paul wanted Timothy to understand that these were not merely suggestions from a loving friend and adviser but were divinely inspired commands from an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In its wider purpose, the epistle is a call for every believer to seek strength and pursue faithfulness in spiritual service.
No matter how gifted a person may be, or how well trained, biblically literate, astute, or articulate, and no matter how much opportunity or privilege he may have, if he lacks spiritual courage and commitment, he will not speak and act effectively for the Lord.
Paul is calling for a level of commitment that says, "I don't care what the world thinks, says, or does. I know what God has mandated for me to be and to do, and that is what I determine, by His power, to be and to do. Whatever the consequences, I will boldly stand for Christ." The apostle specifically mentions that theme three times in this passage (vv. 8, 12, 16), because it is the heart of his message to the young pastor Timothy. It is a call for him to have an uncompromising, unflinching commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ, regardless of the danger or difficulty.
As Christians, most of us must confess to being ashamed of the Lord at some time or another, afraid of what people might think and of how their opinions might affect our popularity in school, our social standing, or our success in business. Perhaps we were afraid they would wonder why our lifestyle is often inconsistent with our faith. Yet we must also confess that the risks we have faced were much less serious than those Timothy faced, which included physical persecution, imprisonment, and possible death.
The most familiar example in the New Testament of being ashamed of Christ is Peter's denial during Jesus' trial before the high priest Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council. All the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:56), but Peter returned and followed "Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest" (v. 58). While waiting there, he three times denied being Jesus' disciple or even knowing Him (vv. 70-74). As soon as a cock crowed, "Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, 'Before a cock crows, you will deny Me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly" (v. 75).
It is possible that Timothy had become somewhat fearful or apathetic in his ministry. The difficulties and opposition he encountered at Ephesus, both from within and without the church there, may have taken a toll on his courage. His spiritual fire may have cooled. In this second letter to Timothy, Paul gives only one commendation, saying, "I am mindful of the sincere faith within you" (1:5). The remainder of the letter is devoted to exhortation. Although he does not accuse Timothy of sin, he gives many admonitions.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus made clear the cost of discipleship for those who are faithful and unashamed. "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men," He said, "I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt 10:32). He then gives the sobering converse of that promise: "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven" (v. 33). In Mark's account, Jesus spoke the same truth even more poignantly: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38).
The cost of discipleship did not begin with New Testament saints. Countless saints under the Old Covenant, and even before the Old Covenant, willingly and gladly suffered because of their unswerving faith in the Lord. Consequently, "God is not ashamed to be called their God" (Heb 11:16). Some "were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground" (11:35-38).
A Christian's being ashamed of the Lord is caused by a shameless self-interest that is unwilling to pay the price of faithful discipleship. Throughout church history, the Lord's name has suffered reproach because of the sinfulness of His people. Yet, despite our many sins, including our shame of Him, the sinless and righteous Lord is not ashamed of us! He does not hesitate to call us brethren (cf. Heb 2:11), even when we are ashamed to call Him Lord.
Speaking directly to Timothy, and indirectly to all believers, Paul sets forth eight means by which a Christian may guard against being ashamed of Christ. They are: renew your gift (1:6); consider your resources (v. 7); accept your suffering (v. 8 a); remember your calling (vv. 8 b-10); realize your duty (vv. 11-12 a); trust your security (v. 12 b); affirm your doctrine (vv. 13-14); and choose your associates (vv. 15-18).
The first thing we can do to guard against being ashamed of Christ is what St. Paul calls “rekindling the gift of God that is within you.”
This rekindling has in mind a fire that needs to be restarted. It is a fire that is ignited in the form of a pilot light when we come to faith in Christ. It is a fire that bursts forth when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. As Nicky Gumbel says in the Alpha Course all Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. We might call them Christians that are like a boiler with a pilot light. However, we see the Christians on the Day of Pentecost becoming a boiler with all burners firing.
St. Paul is telling Timothy to be filled with the Spirit again to the point that all of the burners are firing. Use the gift that God has given you for the Kingdom of God.
Some of you may say, “You know, I think I may be a pilot light Christian. I would really like to be a full burner Christian.” All you have to do is to make sure your relationship with Jesus is right and ask him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Ask him to set you on fire, to rekindle the gift that was given you at your confirmation or at your baptism. Some time after Peter denied Christ he was filled with the Holy Spirit and from that day on was never ashamed of Christ again.
That’s the first thing to do to keep yourself from being ashamed of Christ, be filled with the Spirit. A second means for guarding against being ashamed of Christ is to consider our divine resources. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity.” The Greek verb (didœmi) behind “did not give us” is in the aorist active indicative tense, showing past completed action. God already has provided for us the resources.
The Lord may withhold special help until we have special need. Jesus told the Twelve, "When they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matt 10:19-20). But God provided everything we need for everyday faithful living and service when we first believed.
From a negative perspective, we can be sure that any spirit of timidity we might have is not from God. Both testaments speak of a fitting and proper fear of God, in the sense of awe and reverence. But deilia is a timid, cowardly, shameful fear that is generated by weak, selfish character. The Lord is never responsible for our cowardice, our lack of confidence, or our being shameful of Him. The noun deilia (timidity) is used only here in the New Testament and, unlike the more common term for fear (phobos), carries a generally negative meaning.
The resources we have from our heavenly Father are power and love and self-control or discipline. When we are vacillating and apprehensive, we can be sure it is because our focus is on ourselves and our own human resources rather than on the Lord and His available divine resources.
The Greek word for power is Dunamis and it denotes great force, or energy, and is the term from which we get dynamic and dynamite. It also carries the connotation of effective, productive energy, rather than that which is raw and unbridled. God provides us with His power in order for us to be effective in His service. In Ephesians chapter one, Paul did not pray that believers in Ephesus might be given divine power but that they might be aware of the divine power they already possessed. Through Christ we have the resource of God's own supernatural power, the very power He used to raise Christ from the dead.
The love is another resource from God that Paul mentions. What we have from God is agap¢, the volitional and selfless love that desires and works for the best interests of the one loved. It is not emotional and conditional, as philos love often is, and has nothing in common with erœs love, which is sensual and selfish. The love we have from God is constant. It does not share the ebb and flow or the unpredictability of those other loves. It is a self-denying grace that says to others, in effect, "I will give myself away on your behalf." Directed back to God, from whom it came, it says, "I will give my life and everything I have to serve you.”
The word St. Paul uses for self-control or discipline has the literal meaning of a secure and sound mind, but it also carries the additional idea of a self-controlled, disciplined, and properly prioritized mind. God-given discipline allows believers to control every element of their lives, whether positive or negative. It allows them to experience success without becoming proud and to suffer failure without becoming bitter or hopeless. The disciplined life is the divinely ordered life, in which godly wisdom is applied to every situation.
When we live by the godly discipline that our gracious Lord supplies, our priorities are placed in the right order, and every aspect of our lives is devoted to advancing the cause of Christ.
“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” (1:8 a).
A third means for guarding against being ashamed of Christ is accepting the consequences of being faithful. Consequently, Paul advised Timothy to prepare himself for misunderstanding, animosity, and rejection.
Therefore refers to the divinely bestowed gift and resources Paul has just mentioned in the two previous verses. "In light of those immeasurable blessings," the apostle was saying, "you have no reason to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of [Paul] His prisoner. Do not be afraid to name the name of Christ or to be known as my friend and fellow minister.”
Being faithful to Christ and his word may bring about consequences which may cause us pain, it may bring rejection from others, and it may cause us to be labeled in a derogatory way. It may involve, as it did the early Christians the loss of something. But in the end, following Christ and obeying his word will always be worth it.
A fourth means for guarding against being ashamed of Christ is simply to remember our holy calling from our heavenly Father, who, as Paul has just declared, shares His divine power with His children.
Paul says in verse 9 “who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
These few verses are a study of soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, in miniature. The apostle was not, of course, teaching Timothy new truths, but simply reminding him of the cardinal, well-known truths of the gospel, truths that should motivate every believer to faithfulness, to courageous witness and living for Jesus Christ.
Remembering these truths and placing our confidence in the God who has given them enables us to "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience" (Col 1:10-11).
To illustrate the next two means for guarding against being ashamed of Christ, Paul draws from his own life and ministry. The first of those two means is realizing one's duty, about which Paul had the strongest personal conviction. Using the same words (in the Greek text) as he had in his first letter (1 Tim 2:7), Paul reminded Timothy, “I was appointed a preacher and an apostle.”
Faithful ministry in the Lord's service is always bittersweet. It brings suffering and joy, disappointment and gratitude. But for Paul, as it should be for every believer, suffering was a small price to pay, because his joy always outweighed his suffering, and his satisfaction always outweighed his disappointments. "For to me, to live is Christ," he rejoiced, "and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21).
Charles Spurgeon gave a vivid illustration of the overriding satisfaction that comes from selfless, godly service.
“A man shall carry a bucket of water on his head and be very tired with the burden; but that same man when he dives into the sea shall have a thousand buckets on his head without perceiving their weight, because he is in the element and it entirely surrounds him. The duties of holiness are very irksome to men who are not in the element of holiness; but when once those men are cast into the element of grace, then they bear ten times more, and feel no weight, but are refreshed thereby with joy unspeakable.”
Summing up his previous testimony, and again using his own experience, Paul gives a sixth means for guarding against being ashamed of Christ: trusting in spiritual security.
Paul was not ashamed of his Lord, for, he says, “I know whom I have believed.” The word “know” carries the idea of knowing with certainty. It is used frequently in the New Testament of God's own knowing and of man's knowing by direct revelation from God or by personal experience. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used that verb in assuring His hearers, "Your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him" (Matt 6:8). John repeatedly uses it of Jesus' knowledge. He records that "He Himself [Jesus] knew what He was intending to do" (John 6:6), and that "Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him" (v. 64; cf. 8:14; 11:42; 13:11).
His confidence did not come from a creed or a theological system or a denomination or an ordination. It came solely from a close, unbroken relationship with God, to whom he unreservedly gave his life, going about his divine mission with no concern for his own welfare, safety, or life. Without the least reservation, all of those things were entrusted to Him until that day. His only "ambition, whether at home or absent, [was] to be pleasing to Him" (2 Cor 5:9).
A seventh guard against being ashamed of Christ is affirming and holding onto right doctrine. Although our ultimate confidence is in Christ Himself, His truth is also of great importance. It is, in fact, absolutely required for faithful living as well as for certainty of our security. If we belong to Christ, we will be secure, but if we neglect His truth, our confidence in that security will wane. Many Christians, perhaps most, do not have the courage of their convictions simply because they have no clear convictions. Before you put your life on the line for what you believe, you must believe it.
During a radio interview some years ago, Pastor John MacArthur said, "What is particularly tragic about the many scandals that plague the Church today is the fact that so many churches, and so many individuals who call themselves Christian, have little concern for biblical truth and biblical standards of living. In the name of love, understanding, and peace within the church and with society, almost any theology is accepted, or at least not challenged, no matter how much it may contradict Scripture."
Much of the professing church is atheological, that is, without any significant theological convictions. Like the world around them, many people who go by the name of Christ believe that to hold and teach absolute doctrines is to be unloving, antagonistic, and even "unchristian." They fit Paul's description of those in the last days who "will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths" (2 Tim 4:3-4). When you examine those today who deride doctrine, you discover they are also like those in the last days who Paul says "will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. . . . [They are] always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim 3:2-5,7). Sound doctrine leads to holy living, and the absence of it to unholy living.
An eighth means for guarding against being ashamed of Christ is that of carefully choosing one's associates, a means which Paul implies in the last few verses of this chapter. In these four verses he contrasts fellow workers who were ashamed of the gospel with those who were not.
"Do not be deceived," he warned the church at Corinth; "Bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Cor 15:33). If we associate with spiritually courageous Christians, our own courage will be strengthened. On the other hand, if we associate with those who are ashamed of Christ and His gospel, we will soon be tainted by that shame.
Equally tragic is the condition of many children of God today who are undernourished spiritually and, consequently, are underdeveloped, confused, disoriented, and immature in the things of the Lord. There are more popular preachers today than at any time in church history, but few powerful ones. There also are more popular churches, but few powerful ones. There is much activity, but little spiritual fruit; much talk about Christianity, but little conviction; high moral proclamations, but little accountability; doctrinal creeds, but much compromise.
Spiritual weakness makes both leaders and congregations subject to almost every religious fad, no matter how frivolous. Like an undernourished and anemic physical body, they have little resistance to disorders and maladies that weaken them still further. And because they have no resources but their own, the smallest difficulty is distressing. Because they have so little understanding of and confidence in the Word of God, they turn to psychological bandages and worldly solutions. They have little defense against Satan and are easy prey for false teachers. They are spiritual "children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming" (Eph 4:14; cf. Heb 13:9). Because they have left "the elementary teaching about the Christ," and failed to "press on to maturity" (Heb 6:1), they may even find themselves "paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim 4:1).
Spiritual weakness also can come from fatigue, frustration, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the Lord's work. After Moses died, Joshua faced the formidable task of leading Israel in the conquest of Canaan. The Lord therefore encouraged Joshua, saying, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go" (Josh 1:6-7). To wavering believers in Corinth, Paul said, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong" (1 Cor 16:13). Even to the faithful church at Ephesus he felt it necessary to say, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might" (Eph 6:10).
It is not easy to stand for Jesus and the truth of his word. It is not easy to stand in the face of a society that wants nothing to do with Jesus and his commandments. It is not easy to stand in the face of friends and neighbors who want to make the Bible and the Christian faith say something it has never said. It is not easy to stand in the midst of a denomination which has in practice and philosophy turned its back on the faith that was once delivered to all the saints.
The time is coming, I believe, when those who hold to the faith of Scripture and the Early Church Fathers will have to stand for the truth of God’s Word and be counted, regardless of the cost, regardless of how we are perceived in the media and by those in the world, regardless of whether we will be accepted or rejected. We who so stand must boldly proclaim along with Martin Luther at the time of the Reformation, "Here I stand; I can do no other, so help me God! "
I want to close with a parody on that famous poem “Footprints in the Sand,” in which the image of footprints on the beach are those of Christ and a Christ follower, until there appears only one set of footprints, which turn out to be Christ carrying the believer during difficult times.
This parody, however, speaks of other prints in the sand.
One night, I had a wondrous dream; One set of footprints there was seen. The footprints of my precious Lord, but mine were not along the shore. But then some stranger prints appeared. And I asked the Lord, “What have we here? Those prints are round and neat, but, Lord, they are too big for feet.”
“My child,” He said in somber tones, “For miles I carried you alone. I challenged you to walk in faith, but you refused and made me wait. You disobeyed, you would not grow, the walk of faith you would not know. So I got tired and fed up, and there I dropped you on your butt. Because in life, there comes a time, when one must fight, and one must climb. When one must rise and take a stand, or leave their butt prints in the sand.”