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Speaker 1Good morning, everybody. How are you? Good morning. Doing alright? Hey, Dave.
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You're here this morning. Real, really, really alive and awake. We've got a breather now. After Christmas, our announcements, we'll get to the announcements in a minute. But would y'all stand up and we'll sing, Rock of Ages?
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It just feels like we're coasting. After Christmas, the buildup and everything, we're on the backside of that hill and we're kinda coasting into the New Year here. Would you stand with me? We're going to sing Rock of Ages. I'm going ask Scott if he'll come forward.
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Speaker 2Of rock ages cleft for me let me hide myself in thee let the from thy wounded side which flow be of sin a double cure, save from wrath and made me pure. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no longer know? Simply to let me hide myself in Amen.
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Speaker 1That's amazing how well the songs fit in with what the sermon is every week. So, Amazing Grace. Hymn number 343.
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Speaker 2To sing God's praise than when we first begun
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Speaker 1Amen. Thank you. Y'all can have a seat. We have a few announcements this week. We do have Monday nights at First B.
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It's happening this week. It's happening differently than it usually does. There will be a meal and there may be some music. There will probably be a message, but there's it's gonna be six and a half hours long. It's New Year's Eve tomorrow night, and so Chris Darren and Nick Stern are gonna, plan on being in and just having a hangout all evening New Year's Eve party.
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So they'll start about six or so, but they'll be here until probably 12:30 or one, doing the Monday nights at 1st B. That's happening, but Awana is not happening. There's no Awana tomorrow night for New Year's Eve. So it'll start back up the following week on the seventh. So, that's not happening but the Monday nights is.
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It's just a longer session. Congregational meeting will be January 13. So, two weeks from today at 10:15 between services. If you normally come to this one, you might wanna get here early. Get here, and we'll be voting on the budget and new elders and things like that.
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There's not a whole lot of different business. It's the normal normal business for a normal business meeting. This is a normal time of year to do that. You're not voting on buying property or firing a pastor right now. So there's no there's no requirement of a core of those.
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I don't think so, anyway. It's not on the agenda they gave me anyway. So, anyway, this that's the thirteenth. The twenty fifth through the twenty seventh is the men's winter retreat. It's the men's snowmobile retreat.
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But so many people go that aren't snowmobiling. I wanted to start saying it's a winter retreat. Some people go and do snowshoeing or take cross country skis, or there's one guy who takes a snowboard and has a snowmobile haul him to the top of whatever big hill that they wanna be on and he backcountry snowboards down. Whatever he wants to do. It's a men's winter retreat, January twenty fifth, twenty sixth, and twenty seventh.
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That's always a good time. It's a $100 for guys. That includes your meals and lodging, and it's 50 for, boys if the boys wanna go along with with their dads. So, community Bible study, CBS prayer group is happening here in this, winter seasons. Wednesdays starting January 16.
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So it'll be two sessions, but it's a, you know, the evening session and the morning session are studying the same thing. It's just two different times, whichever is more convenient for you. Both of them are coed groups. So usually ladies attend the daytime one, and ladies and gentlemen attend the evening one. But they changed it from Monday's last go around to Wednesday's for the morning group.
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So mornings 09:30 to 11:30, and evening 06:30 to 08:30 or nine That will be they're studying Hebrews. They're starting about the middle of the book of Hebrews. So if you're here for the first of it, then, yeah, come on. But it's a good spot. If you haven't been here for the first few chapters, you could still catch up, I promise.
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So it's a good time. CBS is growing, and that's really good. So, this is a international ministry that's been around for a long time and really, their goal is that people would study the Bible together and it's really, really good. They try not to add anything or take anything away. CBS Prayer Group, If you need more information about that, Ant Stalker is a lady to talk to and there is childcare available in the morning.
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So, covenant ceremony. We had this morning, Phil and Nancy Baxter come forward. We we have a list. Now if your name is on this list and you are here, we will covenant you in right now. So I have been remiss in doing not doing this.
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We just don't do it very often. And we don't really run on protocol. Have you all noticed that? I'm not a real strong protocol guy. But these are folks who have come in, they've been through discovery class, and they have signed on as new members, and I want to covenant them in.
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So I'm gonna bring Kipper and Ms. Ann Haydock here forward. Is there anybody else in here? So, Steven, Susie Baldock, you all know they've been coming to church here forever but they were not officially members. There's Tim and Melanie back there.
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Jim Reed who's in town right now. Jamie and Eula Monroe also out of town right now. Sam Stephens is out of town. Phil and Nancy were in the early service. But these folks right here are coming to be members of First B, First Baptist Church.
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And so I will give you a chance to say anything you want to say. If there's a microphone up here, Scott's got the mic. So, you don't have to say anything. What you have already told me is that you profess Christ as your savior and that's the only bar to membership in this church is that you profess Christ. So, regenerate church membership is what we're going.
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Miss Andy, you want to say? You don't have to. I
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Speaker 3understand that feeling. Yes. On behalf of everyone up here. Well, I just wanna say, you know, thank you for welcoming us all into your your body. And we just you know, we love Jesus, and that's what it's all about.
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And we're thankful that we can enjoy our Lord and Savior with everybody else here.
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Speaker 1So Amen.
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Speaker 3And so happy new year.
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Speaker 1Thank you. No. Okay. So I what we normally do, we have in the back of our little membership packet for individual members. It has a little covenant between them, and all of us have gone through that together, kind of saying, what are the expectations for the church, and what are the expectations?
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And it boils down to this. Our motto here is, with all we are loving God and loving people through Christ. And so I'll ask y'all as people come and seek a membership, would you promise this body that you will do what you can, what God has empowered you to do to use your gifts, to build up his kingdom primarily but through this local church. Would you do that? Amen.
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And now, for the body here, I know that y'all are representative. Some of your members and some of you are not. If you're a member of this church and you or if you're a regular attender of this church, will you promise to these folks that you will to the best of your abilities using the gifts that God has given you, encourage and build up the body of Christ, and these people in particular, would you do that for them? Yes or no? Yes.
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Amen. That's good. Well, I appreciate that, and we welcome you as new members. I'm glad y'all have been coming for a while. And that's kind of a phenomena that I don't push membership because I try to stick to exactly what the word says and I don't see specifically church membership often in the Bible.
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It doesn't come up that way. So, you won't hear me say it a lot from the pulpit but there are some benefits to knowing that you know that you're a member of a body. But I think it's more American than it is Bible. Does that make sense? So it's really, really nice.
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You don't hear me pushing it, but we're thankful that you're here. And we all want to treat each other well whether you're a member, a regular attender, or somebody that's a visitor for the first time. Amen. Would you allow me to pray for you for a second? God, I pray that you'd use Tim and Melanie and Kippur and miss Ann in your plan for this body and for this community and for the world.
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Lord, we are all called to serve from here to the uttermost parts. I pray that you would strengthen them in their area of gifting. I pray that you'd give them a clear understanding of what those gifts are and lord that they would serve with the strength that you provide. In Jesus name, we ask your blessing on this body and on these new members. Amen.
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Amen. Thank you. I think that's the last announcement. Normally, I'd say greet one another. But if your tag number happens to be 18881, not only do you have a palindrome for a license plate, but you lost your front license plate.
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It was back here in the parking lot. So if this happens to be you, see me afterwards and I'll give it back to you. It's only a small finder's feet. Would you stand up and greet one another and we will bring you back together with a song. Thank you, Ray.
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Good morning. How are you? Praise God, man.
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Speaker 2Good to see a lot of visitors here today. Amen. My eyes may see. Glimpses of truth thou hast for me. Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclass and set me free.
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Open my ears voices of truth thou soundest clear and while the wave notes fall on my ear everything falls will disappear silently now I wait for
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Speaker 1surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. Y'all know this one. Hymn number two nineteen.
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Speaker 2Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place I can feel his mighty power and his grace I can hear the of angels wings I see glory on each face surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
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Speaker 1Let's sing it again.
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Speaker 2The presence of the Lord is in this place can feel his mighty power and his grace I can hear the brush of angels wings I see truly the presence
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Speaker 1Amen. Thank you, Scott. Can I get the frontline team to come forward and I'll ask the Lord to bless him? God, I do pray that you would bless each soul present here today, lord, through your word and I pray lord that you would move in us in the way that you choose, lord. Let your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.
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I pray that we would be sensitive to your spirit and that we would be attentive to what you say and that it would prompt us to act. So, God, I pray that in the act of obedience of giving lord offering back to you that which you've given to us. So, that your good gospel may advance. I pray that you would do that lord in this community through this church. I pray that there would be an ever growing circle of people that are associated and feeling more and more in the family of God that they would hear the gospel with words but that they would see it lived out by these people that are here gathered right now.
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God. Also pray that your gospel would advance into dark places that it is as of yet unknown. Lord I pray that anyone that finds themselves in darkness. Lord, would find themselves exposed by your great light. I pray that we would be sending forth the evangel, the good news of the the message of the cross.
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In Jesus name, lord, we pray and we ask you to do the work that only you can do but lord, I pray that we would be sensitive in doing the work that you've given us to do. In Jesus name, amen.
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Speaker 2We're gonna sing a beautiful song called angels we have heard on high, and it's a privilege to be here and worshiping God through music. Amen?
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Speaker 1Thank you, Armin. So here we go. We are gearing up. Am going back to our chronological study. We're in order again.
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You know, we have been going through this, and last book that we finished in order was first Peter. And so we had studied First Timothy, but First Peter was probably written right in between these two books. Paul's writing to Timothy, and Peter was writing to those far flung reaches of the Roman Empire. And first Timothy and second Timothy, there are some similarities certainly, but there's there is a difference in tenor, a difference in tone of this book. It is, very personal from Paul to Timothy.
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And so Paul is writing now from Rome, and he's writing under oppression, an oppressive regime. He's writing under Nero. Nero, you know, sets Rome on fire and then blames the Christians for it. Paul is in jail when he writes this book to Timothy, and it's pretty tough. It's it's obvious that he's under pressure.
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He's feeling wintertime coming on. He's asking for his coat later on in the book. He knows that it's a hard time coming, and he does not appear to expect to live very much longer. And he was right. This is the last book that we have from the Apostle Paul.
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So everything else in the New Testament we study after this is probably not is is is gonna be by somebody else. Now Hebrews, I will jump in here and say, we have not studied Hebrews yet. Rich Stig is convinced and believes for sure that Paul wrote Hebrews, but he never names that he wrote it. And so there's a possibility that he wrote it. Yeah.
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There are some me too's there. That's good. But in order, in the way that we have received it, as best I can tell, I think this is the last book that we have from Paul but Hebrews is a special case. I will throw that out there. Okay.
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Second Timothy, he's in jail and it's tough. Happy New Year by the way. We talked about suffering, suffering, suffering, suffering all the way through first Peter and there's going to be more of that here in second Timothy but it's because they have undertaken to do the will of God on Earth. Happy New Year. I think that this is a good New Year sermon.
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As I was looking over, I was trying to decide, okay, we pulled away for Christmas and we went through the suffering servant passages of Isaiah building up 700 before Christ, Isaiah's prophecies, and then Luke for Christmas, right? Twenty third last week, we would did that but I think this one's a good New Year's and it's right in order to approaching the future boldly rather than shrinking back or being reticent, timid about things. Approaching the approaching the future boldly with power and love and discipline. I use that as a direct quote from this passage, but we'll get get to that in just a minute. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus.
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Now apostle means one who was sent out. Apostolos or Aeropostle, you know, the Aeropostol, the the clothing company. It was like air postage. It is that which is sent out by air. This is an apostle of Christ Jesus.
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He is one who was sent out by Christ, compelled by the love of Christ to go forward. Paul, an apostle, sent out one of Christ Jesus and by the will of God, he talks about under the sovereign hand of God. This is the will of God for me to be doing what it is that I have been doing and be doing this in writing this letter. An apostle by the will of God. He knows that he was on his way to Damascus to to persecute Christians, drag them back to Jerusalem to be prosecuted and possibly killed.
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He knows that that's what he was doing when God came to him Vision of Christ came to him, knocked him down, blinded him, and he received the gospel. Being a persecutor. So, when he says by the will of God, he knows that it was not his own doing. Does that make sense? Okay.
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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. According to the promise of life, this is now an old man. He was probably born four or five years before Jesus was born. Paul was. And so now, it being sixty four AD, '64 to sixty seven AD depending on that.
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He's he's an older man for that time especially. And he's in jail in a dank, dark, wet, Roman prison approaching winter and why he says that he writes, uh-oh, check the airflow. I have to stand over here for a while. According to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, that's what he's going with. According to the promise of life.
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Now, everything's looking pretty bad for him but he is living out his faith and according to the promise of life in Christ, he knows that he can have an abundant life in any circumstances and he said that before, I've learned how to be abased and I've learned how to be in plenty. Paul, one who is sent out by Christ Jesus by the will of God and according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus and to Timothy. Timothy, my beloved son. He's already called him in the first Timothy, my true son in the faith. Timothy was the co author of four or five of the books that we have in the New Testament with Paul.
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He picked him up on the second missionary journey. You know, he'd had Mark, John Mark with him on that first missionary journey that he was on with Barnabas and then beginning of the second, there was a split. Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply about whether they should take Mark with them who had abandoned them on the first trip, right? So, he didn't want to take him. Interesting because in this book, he mentions Mark.
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It's so cool. It's a very personal book. To Timothy, my beloved son, my true son in the faith, he said in the first one, grace, mercy, and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our lord. He equates or puts them together in that and right there. God the father and Jesus Christ our lord.
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Those two things at the time, that was kind of revolutionary to think of God and Jesus Christ like he's hold them together. It's a very high Christology in this book. He sees Christ as being the access because he is the access to God. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our lord. Now, point number one and I do this every single time when we start off a book because Paul, no matter to whom he is speaking or I keep on doing that.
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No matter who you are or to whom you are speaking, always start with grace and peace. Can we just start with grace and peace? There's enough anger and animosity and there's enough discord and there's enough war quite frankly. There's enough of people expecting you to prove yourself before they will give you the time of day. Can you just start off with grace, unmerited favor?
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A conversation? Can you start off with grace and peace? It's a great thing if you can do that. Have you all ever been on a call with customer service? If you can start a call with customer service with grace and peace, it will make their day because there aren't a whole lot of people calling customer service that are hearing nice, pleasant things.
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Let them know you're not angry with them. They have a clear record. Grace and peace. Always start with grace and peace. I say that because Paul always does.
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He says, grace and peace to you from God our father and Lord Jesus Christ. That's a really good way to say, you know, God's given me grace I didn't deserve. It was unmerited favor when he gave it to me and he's offered me peace and I've accepted it and I can pass that along to other people. Now, in this case, he adds mercy. Do you know the difference in grace and mercy?
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Grace is unmerited favor. That is when you get something good that you do not deserve. That's grace but mercy is when you don't get something that you do deserve like for any sin, for all sin. We deserve death, hell, and the grave. If we don't get that, then that's the mercy of God.
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He shielded us from that which we deserve. So, adding mercy in there is subtle but it also says to Timothy, his true son in the faith that yeah, you might have fallen short at some point but God's mercy is available for you. I want you to know you can rest in the grace. He's given you heaven above and abundant life now. Graciously and he's also shielded you from what you do deserve.
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Grace, mercy, and peace. From God the father and Christ Jesus our lord, I thank God immediately. He's thankful at the beginning. I thank God. I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did.
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He's saying, I don't have anything to be ashamed of. He starts off right there. I have a clear conscience. His forefathers were looking towards God for their salvation. They were looking forward to some future Messiah, the way that God would make and when Paul says, I'm thanking God now.
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I'm thanking him with a clear conscience just like my forefathers had knowing that I am living out the life, looking to God for my salvation. I'm serving with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did. As I constantly remember you, Timothy, in my prayers, both night and day. You're never far from my mind. How many of y'all got Christmas cards this year?
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You get Christmas cards and they say on them something along, I think of you and I pray for you often. I think of you and I love you and I miss you. It's a great little personal touch. The printed card is great. The picture is wonderful but when somebody writes it by hand, this is a handwritten letter.
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As I constantly remember you in my prayers both night and day and longing to see you. Paul's heart was desperately aching to be able to see his true son in the faith. Now, what's the condition of where where was Timothy? Where was Paul? Paul, we know was in jail.
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He says that. He's asking for Timothy to come visit him. He says, bring my coat. You know, when you come, winter time's coming. Also, bring the scrolls.
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That's very important to me. If we know that, what was first Timothy? Where did Paul leave Timothy? He left him in charge of the church at Ephesus. He was the overseer, elder of the church at Ephesus and so when he's asking him to come along, Paul knew about the church in Ephesus.
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He had been there longer than anywhere else during his ministry. He also knew the elders. He knew the people that were there. He called them all together on the beach at Miletus and he had this tearful separation where he shared with him in Acts. He said, some of you, leaders of this church, some of you are going to turn out to be wolves and I know that that's true and it's hurtful.
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Some of you are going to turn out to be wolves but stick to the word. Stick to the faith, the faith in Christ. Stick to it and then, when he calls Timothy and says, I've left you there in charge in Ephesus. He knew there were wolves there but he knew of Timothy that he was the man for the job because he was a sincere and humble servant of the church. So longing to see you, even as I recall your tears.
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Can you imagine church hurt? Who doesn't have church hurt? Who does have church hurt? I'll cover my hands. We all have some form of hurt's hurt, what hurts worse?
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Ain't no mean like Christian mean. Okay? Do you understand what I'm saying? Once a church turns against you or leaders of the church turns against you, it's pretty hard. And so when Paul is writing this very personal letter to Timothy, who he whom he has left in charge, he says, I'm longing for you.
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I'm longing for you even as I recall your tears, but it's not just so that I can help you out, so that I may be filled with joy. I can't wait to see you. We have visitors in from out of town there from Georgia this week, and I haven't seen them since Carl and I went down in November two years ago, year year and a half ago. Went down and did a baptism in Georgia on another trip and they're here today. And we've been longing to see each other.
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You know how that feels. We all don't because it's like being on an island out here. Everybody's got family somewhere else that you long to see. So this is the same thing. Ephesus to Rome, I'm longing to see you.
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Even as I recall your tears, I know that it's hard, so that I may be filled with joy. So point number two today at least, always start with grace and peace. That's that's always gonna be a given. But point number two is that second Timothy is a deeply personal book and are there things that you would say to your close group of friends that you wouldn't say in a full room church setting? Yes, there are.
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Now, we have a book that was written specifically to a person. Philemon was written to a person, but he also wrote it as a companion to Colossians. He wrote a letter to the church, and he wrote this to this one guy. Second Timothy seems to be a deeply personal book. There are more personal instructions about things and you know, like we can apply the things that are and I hope we will apply the lessons from today but we can't take Paul his coat.
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We can't bring him the scrolls, you know. It's a deeply personal book for meant for that guy for that time with full of good, good things for us. Next verse says, for I am mindful of the sincere faith that is within you. I know this. I know that you are a believer and I was there when you accepted the word I know.
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That first dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother, Eunice. It's very personal, right? This is family. Your grandma and your mom. I know that you have a sincere faith.
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You started learning it from them. Both of them have accepted Christ. His mom, we know from the other book was Jewish. His dad was Greek. I'm mindful of the sincere faith that's in you.
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It first dwelt in your grandmother Lewis, Lois, and your mother Eunice and I am sure that it is in you as well. Yours is a sincere faith. You are a servant of the cross and I know it. I don't have any doubt about you. Do you think this is encouraging for this guy who is seeking to minister in Ephesus?
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Would it be? Yeah. Because if you have been under attack, which is what wolves do, right? If you have been under attack for a while, Paul's writing a very encouraging letter. To encourage someone is to fill them with courage.
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So to encourage is to fill someone with courage. It might be external, but if there's somebody that feels like it's downtrodden, I feel like I can't go on and they get a pat on the back or a note. I mean, I get notes and little cards and little presents or whatever on the desk, I'll walk back from a Sunday and feel like, whoo, I just ran a marathon. I'll get down there. It'll be a nice little note.
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Hey, that word was for me today.
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Speaker 2Praise God.
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Speaker 1That's very encouraging. You can actually fill someone with courage to encourage them. And second Timothy is a deeply personal and very encouraging book. Now, I will say this, theologically, there are a lot of things that hang on second Timothy like second Timothy three sixteen is where we get the all scripture is God breathed. You know how often that shows up in theological conversations but it's in the context of you can trust what it says, Timothy.
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Go with what it says rather than what all the heretics around you are trying to promote. Go with what it says. Just stick to what it says. It's good. Look at all the encouragement that he has had just in this few from the opening.
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You know, the first two verses are just from Paul to Timothy and he says, I thank God for you. I constantly remember you in my prayers. I'm longing to see you so that I may be filled joy not just so I can reprimand you, give you a little nudge. It's so that I may be filled with joy. I look forward to seeing you and I'm mindful of your sincere faith and I'm sure that it's in you.
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All of those things are encouraging, aren't they? And for this reason, all that encouragement, for this reason, I remind you, Timothy, to kindle afresh the gift of God that is within you. Now, first Peter four, we got to this place where it says, just as each one of you has been given a gift. So, if you are a believer in Jesus, you have been given a spiritual gift and you are to be using that gift, it says, for the upbuilding of the church. So, Paul is saying to Timothy, I remind you to rekindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.
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Now, we don't know what that gift was specifically in Timothy's case. I think I'd know. I think that he was a very merciful, soft hearted pastor, teacher. That's what I think Timothy was because that's the way Paul describes him in in the first Timothy, excuse me, in second Timothy and in Acts, we see that. He's a soft hearted guy.
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Actually, the first Timothy when he when he says to him, he says, Timothy, you don't have anything to do with those younger widows because he felt like he could be drawn away from the ministry, pastor teacher ministry that he had to be drawn into that mercy ministry that would be all encompassing for him. So in his particular case, I think that his gift was probably pastor teacher with a strong mercy dose. That's my aspect but that's kind of who I am too. So, I might be reading that in. If you read about other comment or read by commentators, other commentators, a lot of them will say, well, it was the gift of evangelism or it was the gift of teaching or it was the gift of administration because he was left in charge of this church.
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But it doesn't say specifically and I'm thankful when there's ambiguity there because if we nail it down too hard, then it kinda makes us feel like our gift might be lesser. But just as each one of you has been given a gift, you are to be using it for the upbuilding of the body. You can take that away. I remind you to rekindle it afresh. As we are approaching the New Year, how many of y'all have made resolutions?
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Are you thinking about seeing some nods? No. Nope. Not doing that. I've done that before.
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That's funny. I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you. If if you think, I think I'm gifted in something. It might take a while using, you know, the remember the banana sermon, the green bananas. You might be using an immature gift but as you use it, it will be either affirmed or denied whether that's your gift or not and I said, just keep on.
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Try to rekindle afresh the gift of God which is in you. Now, if we look back to which gift in first Timothy, he said, do not neglect the spiritual gift that you received through the prophecy that was spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. There was some manner of authority that was conveyed on him to be using whatever gift it was. Probably, like I said, pastor, teacher, do not neglect the spiritual gift that you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you and Paul mentions it again right here. He says, I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God.
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It sounds like Timothy had grown weary in doing the good work that God had for him that Paul had had nudged him towards. I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. I was there when we said you're the man for this job. For me to be here and do this, the elders came around me, they laid hands on me and they said you're the guy. You're one of us, you're an elder here and you're the one that's gonna be the primary teaching elder here.
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And that honestly, that's really good to know that you have that kind of a backing and you have that kind of authority, you know. I rest on the authority that the word gives. You know, I try to hide behind that. I remind you, kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands for God has not given us. He groups himself together with Timothy which is also encouraging.
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He's the great apostle Paul, right? For God has not given us a spirit of timidity. If you look up timidity, you'll see Delia is the word Delia, Delia. It means cowardice, a shrinking back from timidity where you just, I don't think I'm gonna say anything right now. Retisense.
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So, I'm not sure exactly how to explain this best but there are some things that you just have to go all into. You have to go all in. Snowmobiling is one of those things. If you're gonna go up a hill snowmobiling, do you go, you go, you do that, right? You just go all in.
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You can't be reticent. You can't be cowardly about it going up a hill. You gotta go for it. I also went skiing yesterday, and I fell on my greater trochanter before I even got to the hill. I fell in the parking lot.
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I'm not used to walking in ski boots and that lovely cool walk that everybody does. And I fell down, but I I I got up. And as I was skiing, I thought, I'm just gotta go for this. I gotta I gotta go for it. You can't halfway ski.
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You gotta ski. And so cowardice and timidity and reticence is actually dangerous. It can be, right? So he furthers that concept of God has not given us a spirit of timidity. He's given us boldness.
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He's given us power and love and discipline. A spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a spirit of discipline. Well, keep looking at that screen over there. God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and discipline. Now, those words as we're approaching the New Year, like I said, power, great, love, great, discipline is nice but every Sunday I preach about, we're not pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.
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It's gotta be God. It's gotta be God but then discipline shows up and in first Timothy, it shows up too. It says, physical training is of some value to discipline oneself. A day by day lifestyle that you think about and then you act on is what we're talking about. I'm I'm actually going give you a bunch of different translations.
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This is the New American Standard version of the Bible. That's what we're studying this book out of will be NASB. Not a spirit of timidity but of power and love and discipline. God has given a spirit of power and love and discipline. So, every Monday night, when we have that Awana crowd that meets here, we're pouring scripture into their hearts because we believe that's where the power of God is.
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The gospel is the power unto salvation. For all who believe but getting scripture into your minds is the way to get it to your heart heart and the discipline of weekly application, daily application really. That's what the books are designed for. Daily application is a discipline thing. I like that but the sense of the word will get from this multiplicity of counsel The scripture I'm going to quote.
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NIV says, power and love and self discipline which is good. It kind of does put it back on you. It feels like it's putting on you to use the word that way and that's fine. I'll get to the Greek in a minute. NIV is power and love and self discipline.
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The New Living is power and love and discipline, same as the NASB. The ESB is power and love and self control. That's one of the fruits of the spirit. So the fruits of the spirit is God is working this self control in us because as human beings, we're pretty poor at self control. I think we've proven that or and or.
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Power and love and self control. KJV, I like power and love and a sound mind. Power and love and a sound mind. That's good because it starts here. You can know that something is bad for you though and still do it, right?
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Power and love and a sound mind. We'll get to the Greek in a minute. Power and love and sound judgments, the Christian Standard Bible. The Holman Christian Standard Bible is power and love and sound judgment. The Darby alike included.
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I hardly ever include the Darby. Power and love and wise discretion. It is wisely using the knowledge that you have. Does that make sense? Being discreet about the knowledge that you have.
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God has given a spirit of power and love, the Young's Living translation. No, the Young's literal translation, power and love and a sound mind. Same as KJB. I like that one too. Timothy, you've been given a good mind for this.
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So you can think about this and then, I mean, he's asking for scrolls. He's saying, I'm still studying this. He's the great apostle but he's still studying and still studying why? To show himself approved. That comes from second Timothy.
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Study to show yourself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed. Power and love and discipline. So, power. This is the word in Greek, dunamis. So, dunamis looks like dynamis right there.
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Where do you think we get our word dynamite? It's from this word, dunamis. Dynamite. Properly, it is the ability to perform. If you need a big hole through a mountain, you drill a hole in the mountain and then you put some dynamite in there and boom, there's the ability to get a hole through a mountain.
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With dunamis, the right amount of power properly, it is the ability to be able to perform. For the believer, this power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities through his spirit, power through God's ability and through his spirit. It's not by might nor by power but by my spirit, says the Lord. Dunamis is needed in every scene of life to really grow in sanctification. So, it's a very important term.
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It's used 120 times in the New Testament and it's something that comes out a lot. Dunamis is power to be able to. Okay? Now there's another word for power. It's always translated power almost always, and it's exousia.
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Exousia is authority to do something. So there's authority. I can say if I'm a Roman centurion, I can say go do this and then they go do it because I said so because I have the authority, the power to make that happen. But the getting something done is you actually have the power to get it done. Does that make sense?
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You remember that by dynamite. The power is available. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that is at work within us. So, you have not been given a spirit of cowardice or timidity or reticence, Timothy, but you have been given the very power of God that has raised Jesus from the dead. Are you with me?
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You got power going forward into the New Year. You've got the power. Agape. Agape is love but it's not Phelos, brotherly love and it's not Eros, erotic love. It is affection or goodwill, seeking the best of the other, love, benevolence.
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In the New Testament, Agape is almost always referring to God's type of love, divine love, that which God prefers. So, you got the power of God and the unconditional love of God. That's two pretty big things to face the future boldly with and then the last one is Sophronismos. Sophronismos. Masculine noun derived from Saffron which is that which is truly moderate.
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I've told you all about Saffron. We've run into it in the list in Titus and we've run into it in the list in Timothy about qualities that an elder should have. Saffron is someone who is truly moderate, not up and down, not quarrelsome, not pugnacious, but someone who is proper, safe minded, issuing in prudent or sensible behavior that fits any given situation. It is aptly acting out God's will by doing what God calls sound reasoning, looking at things the way that they are and going forward from that. So, that is suffering as much.
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And that's the reason why we have the translation saying some of them are sound mind, and some of them are discipline. It is that which issues from good thinking
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Speaker 2about.
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Speaker 1Does that make sense? So, a resolution is a good thing. If you recognize you have the power and the love of God to help you carry through on what you have resolved. That's a good New Year's thing to think about. God has given us to believe a spirit, the Holy Spirit, that is of dunamis, power, to be able to.
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He's given you a can do ability and love that is unconditional and of the ability to act on that which you know to be true. Does that make sense? Okay. In the 12 steps of any 12 step program, at twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were the first ones. And the first thing is admitting that you have a problem, that you are powerless.
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Does that make sense to you? So if you know that I am powerless, but you also say there is a higher power, and this higher power, power, dunamis. Who loves me unconditionally? There's no shame because he loves me, and he's given me this power, and therefore, I can act on that third step. The first step is I'm powerless, I can't do anything about it.
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Second step is there is a higher power, and third step is I'm gonna let him show me and I'm gonna do what he says. Okay? Now the fourth is a fearless moral inventory, and that gets to be pretty difficult. But knowing those first three and keeping in those first three steps really is living right here. Timothy was appears to have been shrinking back from the call.
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But Paul is actually calling him to come see him too and retreat back for a moment and say, let's stoke this fire. Let's rekindle this gift afresh. You know this stuff. I want you to act on it. Here we go.
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Power, love, and discipline. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and discipline and so therefore and this is where we get to the imperatives. He's given us all background that rests the foundation that this rest on is this. He's given us power and love and discipline. So, therefore, don't be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord.
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Don't be ashamed to believe that Christ really did bear our sins on the cross. Don't be ashamed that he did things the way that he did them nor should you be ashamed of me. I'm his prisoner. Yes, I'm in jail. I'm a jailbird.
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Yes, don't be ashamed of me and our friendship. Fear and shame go hand in hand. Timidity, it's not FABOS by the way. Timidity is not the same thing as fear like fear. I'm scared to death.
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I'm shaking in my boots. It's just a reticence. It's it's less scary than Boba's fear. Fear and shame though go hand in hand and so his point at the beginning is don't be ashamed of the testimony of our lord or of me as prisoner but you, Timothy, join with me in what? In suffering.
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Join with me in the suffering for the gospel. If you're suffering for the right reasons, then go ahead and suffer. It's redemptive. It can be redemptive to those around you that are seeing you go through it but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. God, who saved us and called us.
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He saved us and he called us and he had a whole a holy calling for us to do what it is we're doing. The us there, the us there. Again, is saying, we are in this together, Timothy and I can't wait to see you. I'm longing for you. I wanna encourage you.
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But I do wanna remind you, it's not according to our works. We didn't do anything to deserve this. Even if you did learn it growing up from your grandmama and your mama. You didn't do anything to deserve it just because you've got it. It's not according to our works but it's according to his own purpose and his own grace.
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It was unmerited favor when he gave it and he has a purpose in reaching people and he's going to do it through us not because of anything that we've done. It was granted to us, graced to us. In Christ Jesus, his unmerited favor from all eternity past but now, oh my goodness, this is great but now, but now, it's been revealed. On this screen and that screen but not on that screen. It's been revealed.
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By the appearing of our savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death. Amen. What Christ did has made all the difference and this is how we can go forward. Our savior Jesus Christ who abolished death and he brought life and immortality to life, to light through the gospel. The good news that God loves us and he has made a way for us.
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We have accepted that and we have spread that. There's nothing to be ashamed of there. I was appointed to be a preacher. A preacher is a proclaimer. One who would proclaim that what which God has said.
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Praise God that he's given us a message and he allows us to proclaim it. So, that's my job. Right now, I'm a preacher, yes but he says, that I was appointed to it, not deserving it. I was persecuting Christians, Paul says. I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle.
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I was sent out and I hadn't stopped. He made thousands and thousands and thousands of miles of journey walking and on the boat. Who sent out and a teacher. How many times does he call back to the Old Testament scriptures and he takes them apart and he puts them back together in light of Christ so that people may understand better so that they may be able to walk forward better with more hope. A preacher, an apostle, teacher, for this reason, I also and this is the last verse we're going to right here.
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For this reason, I also, what do you think he's going say right there? Some of y'all have read ahead in text but for this reason, I also, I can see him saying, exalt in the glory of God or say, I have joy but what he says is, for this reason, I also suffer. He's sitting in prison. He doesn't have, I mean, it's most likely going to be a life sentence for this older guy that's worn out by all the miles. For this reason, I also suffer.
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I suffer. Pasco, by the way, is the word there, Pasco, from which we get passion through Latin. Pasco is properly to feel heavy emotion especially suffering, affectedness, experiencing feeling, or literally the sensible or sensed experience, existential feeling of the mind, emotion, or passion especially. That's where the passion of the crisis, Pasco Cristo, passion of Christ. Relates to any part of us that feels strong emotion, passion, or suffering especially the capacity to feel suffering.
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So, he says for Timothy that he feels deep and heavy emotion. It's not just the suffering, but it's the suffering and the longing and everything else. For this reason, I also suffer these things, but I'm not ashamed. I am not ashamed. I've got the gospel.
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Need nothing else. I'm fine. I have eternal hope in heaven above, and I've got abundant life now. Any jailer that comes by is gonna get the gospel. Any prisoner that's in here with me is gonna get the gospel, and that's enough.
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I'm not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. That's an old song. Have you all heard that song? So, Judy's going to play that song.
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You can come forward. I've got a few more slides but Judy's going to play through that tune. You can play through the tune to let him remember, Okay? I know whom I have believed and am persuaded is what the song says that he is able to guard what I've entrusted to him against that day. For I know whom I know and I have believed and I am convinced and I have entrusted.
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That's what I can do. That's what I have done or that's what I'm doing now. For Paul, I know it's a state of being. I know this because I have believed in the past and I am persuaded or convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. I have entrusted my soul to God and he will keep it no matter what the body has happened to him.
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That makes sense. Entrusted. That reminds me of this. You've been called for this purposes. This is from first Peter.
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I've called back to it a lot of times. This is probably the biggest moment I've had in the last year in scripture. I've you've been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered for you leaving you as an example for you to follow in his steps. He who committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth. Yet, he was reviled, right?
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He was reviled. He ended up crucified. He was reviled and he was wrongfully accused and completely misunderstood by the majority. While being reviled, he did not revile in return but while suffering, he uttered no threats but he kept on entrusting himself to him who judges right. I think that's important that who are going to please?
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God or man? We need to please God and not man. If we try to kowtow to anybody except for God, we're we're messing up. So, I am convinced. I believe and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I've entrusted to him until that day.
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So, I'm sticking with him. Now, the words of this song are important and I want you to know them. So if you don't mind, you can see them on the screen, but think about them as we're singing through it. Would you all stand with me, Scott? Would you come on up?
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Scott knows whom he has believed, but he does not know this song. But I appreciate your harmony anyway. And that's not the words on the screen. So let's hold on just a second. How about turn your eyes on the hymnals?
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And it's gonna be hymn number five twenty seven. 527. Or Blake will probably catch up with us in a minute. But if you wanna sing your part, know it. Hymn number five twenty seven.
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Pay attention to the words. I
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Speaker 2know not why God's wondrous grace to me he hath made known nor why unworthy Christ in love redeem me for his own unto him against that Amen.
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Speaker 1I I know as people, we can feel pretty fickle. Does that make sense? We can feel pretty fickle because our faith kind of seems to come and go ebbs and flows but that song and that verse is what Paul is saying, I know whom I believed in. He's able. I'm kept by the power of God.
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It's not by my own bootstraps. I'm holding myself up. I'm going read Hebrew Hebrews ten twenty three from the New Living Translation. Let us all hold tightly without wavering to the hope that we affirm. For God can be trusted to keep his promise.
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Amen. In Jesus name, lord, I ask that you'd bless in that way right there that we would draw close and full assurance of our faith and that we would stir one another up in love and good works. In Jesus name, as we see the day approaching, that great and mighty day of the Lord, lord, it's closer today than it was yesterday and as we see it closer every day, would we do more and more of this? In Jesus name, amen.
