Sunday, July 9, 2017 - I Am Without Fear!
Pastor Roger Marcos
July 9, 2017
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Timothy, who was put in charge of an awesome church at Ephesus to finish the race that God had called him to run in the midst of discouragement. So really the book of 2 Timothy is a call to perseverance. We’re all called to do different things and God wants us to persevere in whatever calling we have.
The book written about A.D. 67. This is Paul’s final book that he composes prior to his death and many people considered it HIS “LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.” It was written during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment under the reign of Emperor Nero.
And what is the book all about? He’s telling him to persevere in the midst of fear. It is a call to faithfulness in the ministry, advising Timothy the Lord, will give him the ability to overcome any all that would try to stop fulfilling the dreams God has place him in his heart.
Fear is used here - it means to lack courage, to give up hope, to run scared from the ministry God has called us to.
There is only one real fear object for the Christian - THE ONLY LEGITIMATE FEAR IS.FEAR OF GOD
Fearing God means to have respect for Him and to obey Him. It means that you acknowledge Him to be your Creator and thus to have the right to be your Lord.
Psalm 112:1 Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
Proverbs 19:23
The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
Proverbs 22:4 The Reward of Humility and the fear of the LORD, Are riches, Honor and Life.
How blessed is the man who fears always, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14
2 Corinthians7:1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete purity because we fear God.
Whatever fear you might have today, there is no need to continue living in the defeat of that fear, because God has given us a specific pieces of equipment that will give us the courage to overcome.
GOD HAS GIVEN ME.
I. THE POWER TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WORK. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:6-7
A. Feed/Fan the Flame.
Feed it, Timothy. Feed it. Feed this flame! Because if you don’t, it will go out. Don’t quench this spirit, Timothy. It is a gift from God. Fan it till it is white-hot. Feed it till it is all ablaze. Everything else in this passage serves to explain and empower that feeding, that gift, that courage, that speaking and suffering for that gospel. Timothy, keep feeding the white-hot flame of God’s gift - of unashamed courage to speak openly of Christ and to suffer for the gospel.
- Set your life On Fire.
- Seek those who Fan your Flames.
Paul passes the baton of the gospel ministry to Timothy in the midst of the most difficult times when the penalty for that faithfulness was death. Timothy had proven himself over and over. Paul wrote in
Philippians 2:22 that Timothy had proven character. His faith had been tested time and time again and found genuine, real and true.
B. “FOR THIS REASON I REMIND YOU.” - 2 TIMOTHY 1:6
This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
Paul writes to Timothy affirming his sincere, genuine and rich faith.
Now, Paul remind Timothy that the product of a sincere faith is a faithful service, so kindle afresh the gift of God and use those gifts to preach the Word and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul isn’t reminding Timothy of anything new. Rather he is reminding him of truth that he already knows.
Fan into flame the spiritual gift God has given you by trusting in His power to accomplish His work.
GOD HAS GIVEN ME.
II. THE LOVE TO MOTIVATE MY ACTIONS.
2 Tim. 1:7 7For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
- I find it interesting that in Paul’s list of equipment for overcoming fear and timidity that he lists love between power and self-discipline.
- God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of .love - 2 Tim. 1:7
- Power enables me to accomplish what God wants done, but if I don’t have love for God and for my neighbor, I’m going to live in fear and timidity.
- As a human being I have been wired to need a reason for doing the things that I’m doing - if I don’t have that reason I will not be motivated to act.
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Eph. 5:2
No matter what spiritual gift God has given to us, our motivation to act upon it with courage is motivated by our desire to love others.
- When WE choose to move out in the power of God WE ARE not only acting in faith, WE ARE also acting with the compassion of Jesus Christ Himself.
GOD HAS GIVEN ME.
III. THE DISCIPLINE TO FOLLOW THROUGH.
God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of POWER, LOVE .self-discipline - 2 Tim. 1:7
Make sure the message goes on after he is gone. Make certain the torch is cleanly passed. Make sure Timothy knows what to do.
It is irresponsible not to pass on what you live for. And it is irresponsible not to make ready for the next generation.
II Timothy reminds us that the gospel is worth the battle, that God is faithful to equip us, strengthen us, and uphold the truth of His word. Chapter 1 tells us how Paul begins to pass the torch. He does it in a very personal way by telling Timothy of his confidence in him and calling him to join Paul in standing strong even if it means suffering for the sake of the gospel.
Conclusion:
God has given us the tools necessary to accomplish His will and to minister according to our spiritual giftedness - now it is time to Act and to Rebuke Fear.
- Let’s fan the flame that God’s Spirit has placed within us - and let’s start today.