Let the Shepherd Lead

Originally Proclaimed: 06/23/19

Intro:

• Ordinarily, I try to refrain from using my personal stories to illustrate sermons, primarily because I know that you may get tired of hearing them.
• That said, if there is one book in the Bible, and one verse that I look to as the source and ground for my faith it is 2 Timothy 1:7
• As a I child, I was extremely shy.
  • On my best days I might wave at others.
  • On most days, I would walk around with my head buried into a book, partly because I liked to be lost in that world and partly because it kept people from talking to me.
  • I can remember liking the idea of being a secret agent. Slipping into places unseen and unknown and accomplishing missions all undercover.
  • I can also remember to my shame seeing classmates and others out in public and in other places who spoke to me and instead of replying to them I would shrink behind my mother.
  • If there was ever anyone who was afraid and timid about connecting with others it was me.
• All the while, without me knowing it, God was preparing me to receive Him as Savior and Lord.
  • Certainly not because of my initiative but due to His leading of my youth pastor at the time came to my house, shared the gospel with me, and for the first time I felt the weight of sin and the need for the Savior.
  • In those moments I asked for salvation and I know that my life changed for that moment forward. But professing faith before people seemed like a huge hurtle. I waited over a year to take that step.
  • I do not know when I first heard 2 Timothy 1:7 and the surrounding verses. Though I am not exactly sure I know when it began to sink into my life, I do know the profound impact it has had on me since those days.
    • It was a verse that I learned in AWANA with that first youth pastor.
    • It was one of the verses, that the church I joined encouraged every Christian to learn, and I remember sitting in our living room with my Mama drilling it.
    • This passage was the one I selected when my music and youth pastors asked me to preach for youth Sunday.
    • It was one of the passages my family listed in my Senior Page in the yearbook.
    • It is the verse that I would quote to myself before I went out door knocking for evangelism or when I am confronted situations where I do not know anyone.
    • And even today it is the passage I have engraved on my Bible alongside of my name to remind me that I may not be able to connect with anyone, or do anything; but God through His Spirit indwelling me can connect and accomplish whatever He desires.
    • This verse and passage is as close to a life verse for me as any verse I have ever read.

Hook:

• In saving me, and planting this verse in my life, God took a backward shy boy, and taught me that I do not need to fear others, or the great tasks before me; but that I need to trust in a God who is able to fill me up with everything I need to serve and please Him.
• So today, I want to share with three reasons that we should not fear but trust God to help us connect with others.

Message Points:

• 2nd Timothy very likely stands as Paul’s last letter.
  • It comes at the end of his life, during the time of his second imprisonment; just before his martyrdom.
  • As many people do towards the end of their lives, Paul seeks to share with his “beloved child” in the ministry last words that will help him continue in the faith. It is for this reason that 2nd Timothy is so much more personal than any of Paul’s other letters, though it is right to consider it a pastoral epistle since Timothy was a pastor assigned by Paul to Ephesus.
  • Paul had met Timothy Perhaps as early as Acts 14 when he and Barnabas first entered Derbe to minister there.
    • Certainly the believers Paul and Barnabas established in the Spirit and strengthened in that city included Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois.
    • These ladies were of Jewish descent, and welcomed the gospel. Eunice had married a Greek man, and we know nothing else of him.
    • By the time Paul returned in Acts 16 Eunice’s son Timothy was so well spoken of in Derbe, Lystra and Iconium that Paul asked him to join the missionary team.
    • From that time forward, Timothy became one of Paul’s most trusted associates in the gospel.
• This back story is important primarily because verse six begins with a curious  conjunction.
  • The prepositional phrase “for this reason” functions as a conjunction in this context.
    • Some translations that utilize paragraphs will include verses 6-7 with verses 3-5 because technically verse six begins with a prepositional phrase.
    • Others translations begin a new paragraph with verse 6 including all the verse to 12 because this phrase serves as a transitioning conjunction into a new thought.
    • In either case, this is the first of three verses that intentionally begin with a conjunction that points us towards Paul’s transition in thought.
  • The word we translate as reason was also utilized in ancient Greek to describe the basis for legal action, namely a charge, ground for complaint or accusation.
    • That directs us to look at Timothy’s background that I just described and that is referred to in verse 5.
    • Paul says that Timothy certainly has a “sincere faith” that dwelt in his grandmother and in his mother.
    • These women had trained Timothy in the Scriptures according to 3:15; and their faith is now his faith.
  • That said, Paul in essence now charges Timothy, based on the presence of that faith and resulting gift of God to fan it into flame.
    • The phrase, “which is in you through the laying on of my hands” refers most likely to Timothy’s ordination.
      • 1 Timothy 5:22 tells the elders or pastors of a church “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure”.
      • This offers us the understanding that the laying on of hands was a part of ordination or setting people apart to ministry as a deacon or pastor.
      • That said, because of the further warning no to take part in the sins of others, it seems that Paul was warning the church to verify that a candidate for ordination’s faith and calling was from God, rather than from the sinful desires of people.
    • Thus we look back to the gift of God and understand that this gift most likely was the Holy Spirit, implanted in believers at conversion and confirmed as calling a believer to a specific work at their ordination.
      • But notice what is being said, namely that Timothy needs to fan this gift into flame.
      • That idea of rekindling is used only here in the New Testament.
        • It comes from the idea of fire that has dwindled down to embers.
        • The action being advised is stoking a dying fire or coaxing a precious ember into a flame.
• Paul uses this imagery because he knows well the need to rekindle passion for one’s calling. This is our first reason for connecting today: We connect to encourage others to rekindle their passion.
  • Paul had been openly rejected in synagogues, openly debated atheists and unbelievers in the marketplace, beaten, stoned, in constant pain from his thorn in the flesh, shipwrecked and imprisoned. He had disciples and individuals he mentored who turned away from Him according to verse 15 of this chapter.
  • Paul knew that Timothy would face similar disheartening occasions in his life and ministry.
  • Friends we may not have to suffer the same persecution as Paul or Timothy, but there are many occasions when our passion for our calling grows thin.
    • We may be in constant pain and get to the point where we do not see how we can manage our infirmities well enough to minister to others.
    • We may have friends and family who reject us so certainly that we do not feel like we can every share the gospel with them again.
    • We may have been in debates with people at work about God to the point where we just want to go to work and get out of there.
    • We may see our old habits and patterns of timidity, shyness, anxiety, or depression rise up again seeming to imprison us in our own emotional prisons.
  • It is into this type of situations that Paul connects to Timothy and says, rekindle the passion we have for our calling.
    • Not all of us are called to be preachers like Paul and Timothy; but all of us are called to make disciples. And it becomes easy for us to cease from connecting to others when we have lost our passion.
    • But just as a fire is built initially from a spark to leaves and other kindling, to twigs, to branches, and then to logs; so too is our passion rekindled incrementally.
    • This all begins when we go back to the kindling of God’s Word. Rom. 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
    • Friends, when we get into God’s Word and begin to fill our life with the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit will ignite that kindling into flame.
      • From there we can begin to add small steps of faith into our life, like praying for that one person that we to come to faith in Christ or intentionally asking others how we can pray for them.
      • And then we might become so passionately bold that we actually share with someone what we learned from the Scriptures.
        • This might begin by stopping to have a conversation in a neighbor’s yard.
        • It might be starting a Bible study at work or our favorite breakfast spot with another believer.
        • It may be that we begin by sharing what God is doing for us with that new person at church or in Sunday School.
      • Then as we see our passion to make disciples grow into a flame, it will become second nature to share with as many people as possible how Jesus Christ can change their lives.
• It is into this context that we read Paul’s next words to Timothy in verse seven.
  • Notice again that this verse begins with the conjunction “for” as well.
    • This “for” is an actual conjunction in the Greek which can also be translated as because.
    • Paul is still transitioning to his new thought, but in essence says that Timothy is able to rekindle his passion because of something revealed in verse 7.
  • Curiously, Paul begins with the negative, focusing attention upon the spirit God did not give to us.
    • At the beginning of verse 7 it is more appropriate to translate spirit without the capital “S” that would indicate the Holy Spirit.
    • At salvation, God most certainly gave to us the Holy Spirit, but remember; Paul begins by telling us what God did not give to us.
    • God did not give us a spirit of fear.
      • This is not the most common Greek word for fear, but rather a related term.
      • It can be translated as fainthearted, timid, or cowardice. Timidity refers to a lack of mental or moral strength.
      • Likely Paul utilizes this word because of its similarity to Timothy’s name and apparent temperament.
      • Timothy apparently was shy and timid by nature. He would not be described as outgoing but reserved.
        • Timidity describes the disciples who were terrified by the storm in Matthew 8:26 and Mark 4:40.
        • Further timidity is mentioned in Revelation 21:8 when it says that the cowardly will be cast into the lake of fire. There the reference is likely to those who were so timid that they renounced their faith.
        • Timidity is the Greek word utilized in the Septuagint when Joshua 1:9 is translated which says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed.”
      • Timidity is a part of our existence, not because God created us that way, nor because it is given to us at conversion.
        • Timidity is a part of our existence after the fall.
        • The shame that Adam and Eve felt in the garden and fear of others that led them to cover themselves with fig leaves could rightly be called timidity.
        • And what is more, Jesus died and rose again to remove the sin and stain of timidity from our lives to replace it with something far better.
        • Paul want to remind Timothy of that fact.
• That leads us to the second reason we connect with others. We connect with others to encourage them to replace their fears.
  • In the middle of verse seven we encounter the conjunction “but” from this point forward in the verse, Paul now is referring to God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.
  • Each of the following words describe the Holy Spirit, beginning with the word power.
    • The Holy Spirit proves himself powerful when he converts us from death to life; from unbelieving to believing.
    • But the Holy Spirit’s power continues as he indwells us.
    • The reason we can fan our passion for ministry back into flame is that the Holy Spirit’s spark of power still resides in us.
  • Then Paul says that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Love.
    • This is important to note, because in Galatians 5:22 when Paul lists the fruit of the spirit as beginning with love. “Love is the first evidence of the fruit of the spirit”
    • Further in 1 Corinthians 13:13 it is faith, hope, and love that abide.
    • God’s love motivated Him to give to us Jesus Christ.
    • Christ’s love for us is what motivated him to lay down his life for us.
    • And the Spirit’s love in us is what helps us to love Christ and others enough to give our lives to them.
  • Finally Paul ends his description of the spirit with a word used only here in the New Testament.
    • The Spirit God gives is one of self-discipline or sober-mindedness.
    • Paul uses a related word in 1 Timothy 3:2 to describe one of the qualifications of a pastor as prudent or sober-minded.
    • He also uses another related word in Romans 12:3 often translated as sober judgement or sound judgement.
    • In all these nuances, the word relates to Paul’s uses of the word “self-controlled” in Galatians 5:23.
      • That word is utilized as the last of the fruit of the spirit, and perhaps here, the sense of self-controlled is the best use.
      • Thus the result evidence of the fruit of the Spirit’s presence in our lives is self-control.
    • In either case the Holy Spirit is the one who will drive out our irrational fears, and morally bankrupt timidity.
  • So what exactly are we encouraging someone to do when we tell them to allow the Spirit to replace their fears?
    • Imagine you have been working in the yard all day, and the sweat and stench of you labor has saturated your clothes and cling to your body.
      • The smell will not go away if you step fully clothed and stand in the shower.
      • The smell will not go away if you only put on new clothes.
      • Only if remove the clothes, shower and replace them with something new will you lose the smell.
    • That is what we encourage someone to do with their fears.
      • They must remove their defense mechanisms of shyness, isolation, or people pleasing.
      • They must allow the Spirit to cleanse them fully.
      • And then they must put on the new strategies of the Spirit, power, love, and self-control.
      • SO for me, as a recovering shy person, evangelism is a difficult thing to do.
        • But I know that God has given me power, love and self-control.
        • So I think of specific strategies that allow me to live in the power, love and self control of the Spirit.
          • One of those strategies is to try to speak to everyone I pass. This makes me tremendously uncomfortable, but I know that in Christ I have the power to do just that.
          • I try to always end a conversation in a way that will communicate my love for others in Christ by asking someone how I can pray for them.
          • I also try to always control my thinking by have something I have learned from the Scriptures that I can share with someone I meet.
• That leads us to consider Paul’s final verse in today’s passage.
  • Again verse eight begins with a conjunction.
    • This conjunction points us back to see what Paul just said.
    • The fact that the Spirit God gives us is one of power, love and self-control gives us the motivation to do what Paul says in this verse.
  • He tells us not to be ashamed of a Christian testimony.
    • The greatest Christian testimony is that of our Lord. He suffered, bled, and died all so that he could rise victorious on the third day.
    • But there are many other Christian testimonies, not the least of which includes Paul. He suffered greatly in life so that he could taste his reward in Heaven.
    • Do you notice a common theme? Christians suffer in this life because they have an eternity without suffering.
  • We should not be ashamed of suffering. Rather, as the verse says we should share in the suffering for the gospel due to the power we have in God.
• That is our third reason for connecting today. We connect to encourage others to redeem their suffering.
  • So long as we live in this life there will be troubles, but we are not defeatists as Christians.
  • No matter what suffering we endure, that may cause us to retreat in fear or lose our passion; Christ can redeem that suffering by give us the strength and power to carry onward.
  • That is the testimony of Timothy after Paul’s martyrdom. Hebrews 13:23 tells us that Timothy has recently been released from prison but is still ministering to others with the writer of the book.
  • Friends we do not have to live in fear of suffering or of anything else in all creation. Rather we can look to the Lord to help us to redeem our suffering.
  • And his redemption of our suffering can be something as simple as us never losing our faith in him, or as profound as using our suffering as a platform to proclaim our faith.

Conclusion:

• Come to Jesus and alllow Him to transform your life as he promises in this passage.