Power, Love, and Discipline

In one paragraph

On the last Sunday of 2018, the pastor walked through the opening verses of 2 Timothy 1 as the church began a new series on Paul's final surviving letter. He showed why this deeply personal letter to Timothy is the right place to stand as the congregation looks toward a new year, grounded in the power, love, and discipline God has already given His people. Paul writes from a Roman prison, likely...

Read together

1. 2 Timothy 1:1-2 Paul introduces himself as an apostle by the will of God, writing to Timothy his beloved son
2. 2 Timothy 1:3-5 Paul thanks God, remembers Timothy in prayer night and day, and recalls the sincere faith in Timothy, his mother Eunice, and grandmother Lois
3. 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul reminds Timothy to kindle afresh the gift of God within him through the laying on of hands
4. 2 Timothy 1:7 God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power and love and discipline
5. 2 Timothy 1:8 Do not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord or of Paul as his prisoner, but join in suffering for the gospel
6. 2 Timothy 1:9 God saved and called us not according to our works but according to his purpose and grace in Christ Jesus from all eternity
7. 2 Timothy 1:10 Now revealed through the appearing of Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel
8. 2 Timothy 1:11 Paul was appointed as preacher, apostle, and teacher of the gospel
9. 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul suffers but is not ashamed, for he knows whom he has believed and is convinced God is able to guard what he has entrusted to Him until that day
10. 1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift received through prophecy when the elders laid hands on Timothy
11. 1 Timothy 4:8 Physical discipline is of some value, cited in relation to the discipline God gives us
12. Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever, sung before worship song
13. Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, read aloud during worship
14. 1 Peter 2:22-23 Christ committed no sin, did not revile in return while suffering, but kept entrusting himself to Him who judges rightly
15. Hebrews 10:19-25 Used as benediction, confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, holding fast the confession of hope, encouraging one another as the day draws near
16. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 God chose you to experience salvation through the Spirit making you holy through belief in the truth
17. John 16:33 In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world

Talk about it

1. Paul always opens his letters with grace and peace, even when he has hard things to say. Where in your own relationships do you tend to lead with something other than grace, and what would it look like to change that?
2. The pastor pointed out that to encourage someone is literally to fill them with courage to keep going. Who in your life right now needs that kind of encouragement, and what is holding you back from giving it?
3. The sermon walked through how 'discipline' in 2 Timothy 1:7 is translated across different versions as self-control, sound mind, wise discretion, and sound judgment. Which of those renderings connects most with where you are right now, and why?
4. Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel, then immediately links that to joining him in suffering for it. In your own experience, where have fear and shame shown up together when it comes to speaking about your faith?
5. Paul says he knows whom he has believed and is convinced that God is able to guard what he has entrusted to Him. What does it actually look like, practically, to entrust something to God rather than trying to manage it yourself?