Unashamed

In an increasingly hostile culture, we are tempted to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. How do we continue to move forward in faithfulness to Jesus without being ashamed? Second Timothy, chapter 1, talks a lot about that, so open with us and follow along.

While you're standing, would you take out your Bibles? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. We are in the book of Second Timothy right now, and we're still in chapter 1. So, open to about the last book of the Bible, Revelation, turn to the left, and you'll find First and Second Timothy right before the big book called Hebrews.

Second Timothy, chapter 1, is where we're going to pick it up at verse 6. This is the first Sunday of fall. In verse 6, Paul says, "Therefore I remind you," speaking to Timothy, "to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day."

Father, as we look into this powerful passage of Scripture this morning, I pray that You would work in us by Your Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding.

That we would be able to see and understand what's going on in this passage, but also to glean application from it for our lives today. Though this was written 2,000 years ago to Timothy, it can serve as an encouragement to us today. Lord, in the very same way, you can use it to continue the work of preparing us for the good works that you have called us to this week. We thank you that your Word is living and powerful, and that you have revealed it to us for a purpose: for our continued sanctification and transformation. So, God, do that work in us today, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

I'm not sure how long it's been, but it seems as though there has been, for a fair amount of time, a general concern among some within the church. When I say "the church," I'm not just talking about this church, but the larger church in our nation. There seems to be a concern among some in the United States that a form of persecution is on the horizon for those who follow Christ. Whether that may or may not be the case, it certainly seems to be a concern for some. There are questions about whether or not that's an actual physical persecution or if it's a social persecution. You could make the case that there already is a form of social persecution taking place among those who are followers of Jesus in our nation.

Even in thinking about this concern that a number of people seem to have, there are a few things that I think are important to point out. First, this fear of persecution is not necessarily unfounded. If you go back and study church history over the last two thousand years, you'll see very clearly that from the earliest days of the church right through to today, there have been times of persecution against followers of Jesus. It's throughout church history, and even as it has been throughout church history, it's happening at this very moment. If you don't believe that it is, go on the internet and search "Voice of the Martyrs." Read some of their literature and see some of the things that are happening in other places in the world. There are people at this very moment, as we are seated here in Southern California, who are experiencing persecution or oppression, whether it's state-sponsored or just the society in which they live.

Live, there is oppression and persecution of followers of Jesus happening in the world. When you talk with people and they express concern about impending future persecution, that fear is not necessarily unfounded. However, another important thing we need to consider is that this fear seems to be somewhat unjustifiable, at least in our context here.

We are blessed by God to live in perhaps the most free society in the world at this time and at any other time in history. We are fortunate to reside in a nation that has a constitution enshrining the religious liberty that you and I so greatly enjoy. Although there have been issues where people have come against certain individuals' religious liberties, the judiciary has upheld these rights. For example, people often bring up the recent case of the cake maker in Colorado, citing it as a form of persecution. Yes, that situation arose, but the Supreme Court upheld his religious liberties. We should be grateful for the fact that we live in a nation such as this, so having a pressing fear of coming persecution might be somewhat unjustifiable.

Thirdly, in considering this fear, we must recognize that it may also have some biblical flaws. The anxiety or fear that we sometimes feel regarding coming persecution has its flaws. First, the follower of Jesus is never promised in the Bible a life without difficulty or suffering. In fact, quite the contrary is true. Jesus, in the Gospel of John, prepares His disciples for His crucifixion and the challenges they will face afterward as they go out to do the work He is commissioning them to do. He says in John 16:33, "In the world, you will have tribulation; you will have trouble." That is a reality.

Paul expresses a similar sentiment in the very same book we are studying. In 2 Timothy 3, he states that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Physical suffering may take various forms, including social suffering. However, all who desire to live faithfully to Christ will experience some form of persecution. There is a flaw in the anxiety surrounding the possibility of persecution; the Bible never promised us that we would have things perfectly.

A second flaw is that Jesus commanded us not to worry about such things. We should not be concerned about the challenges we might face. If we sat down and came up with all the "what-ifs" that could occur in this life, we could fill volumes of books with them. The reality is that it would be highly unlikely that we would suffer from any of those scenarios. Jesus tells us not to worry about these matters.

One of the most famous passages of Jesus's words on worry is found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6. He says in verse 25, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life." I love the King James Version translation, which says, "Take no thought for your life." The reality is that most of us think about our lives constantly. We take a lot of thoughts for our lives, pretty much all the time.

A few verses later, Jesus continues, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow. Sufficient for the day is the trouble thereof." This means you have enough to deal with at this moment today without worrying about tomorrow. How many of you know that's true? Yet, when you come to church on a Sunday, I bet many of you, as you're arriving or at least by the time you're leaving, are thinking about what you need to do tomorrow. We can become so consumed with these thoughts.

This pressing fear about impending persecution is flawed in several ways. We were never promised an absence of trouble. Jesus commanded us not to worry in the face of these challenges. Additionally, He promised that if such persecuting suffering ever comes to us, He would empower us to endure it. He would enable us to face those challenges and give us the strength through His Holy Spirit to navigate those situations.

One of the verses that supports this is found in Mark's Gospel. Jesus speaks about future persecution to His disciples, saying in Mark chapter 13, verse 11, "But when they arrest you." He does not say "if they arrest you," but "when they arrest you."

Worried ahead of time or premeditating what you will speak can be overwhelming. However, whatever is given to you in that hour, speak, for it is not you who speaks but the Holy Spirit. I've talked with a number of Christians over the years who feel oppressed by the possibility of suffering as a Christian. They often have this question: Would I be able to stand in the face of persecution?

The calculus there is that you don't have to suffer. If you would just deny that you believe in Jesus, then nothing would happen to you. Perhaps you have thought about whether you would have the ability in that moment to stand and remain faithful to Christ, as other Christians throughout church history have done. That thought may have crossed your mind, and you wonder if you would be able to do it.

Well, Jesus says not to worry about that situation. If you are ever in that circumstance, God, by His Holy Spirit, will give you the words to speak. That is such a freeing truth—not having to think about how you would respond or what you would say. You can't plan for that possible "what if," but if it ever came, the promise of Christ is to not worry about it. In that moment, He, by His Spirit, will give you the words to say.

Another reason why this fear of persecution is potentially flawed is that Jesus promised us a future deliverance—a deliverance to a world where there is no suffering. He will take us from a world of suffering to a world where there is no suffering, and that is wonderful news.

In the last book of the Bible, which is called the Book of Revelation, or sometimes the Apocalypse, we find the vision that the Apostle John had of the future. At some future point, he says this in chapter 21: "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth." In Revelation 21, verse 1, he notes that the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. A few verses later, he writes, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Now let me ask you, does that not sound great? A world with no pain, no suffering, and no tears? Other passages talk about no sickness, no...

Disease talks about no more war, which sounds spectacular. This is what Jesus says He has awaiting His followers. To His troubled disciples the night before He was crucified, He said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions. Were it not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." This is the promise that we have of deliverance in Christ Jesus—that He will deliver us from anything that we might experience of suffering in this life.

Now, all of this I believe is theologically sound. You can build the case that these fears might be unjustifiable; they might have some flaws built into them. There is a lot of good theology to back that. However, you might say, "Okay, I see the theology of this, but Pastor Myles, I still am a little concerned. In the back of my mind, maybe I'm still a little fearful that I might have to suffer for the name of Christ." To that, I have to say, "Okay, you're right."

You see, we can have the theology all perfectly mapped out. We can approach these kinds of issues with good theology and solid, reasonable rationality, and yet still have fear. Let me illustrate it like this: My wife is terribly afraid of flying. Is there anyone else who fears flying? There we go. Some people fear flight. She is terribly afraid of flying, which is unfortunate because I love to travel. She has graciously accompanied me on many trips, but she is always fearful.

Every time we have this discussion about her fear of flying, I go through some good theology with her. I remind her that God is in control, that God is on the throne, and that her life is in His hands. He knows the times of our lives. I present all that good theology; it's like perfect theology. Then, I go through great reasonable rationality. I talk about the statistics of air travel and air disasters, explaining that she is far more likely to die in a car crash and that everything is going to be just fine. I can go until I'm blue in the face, presenting all the rational stats of why this fear is irrational and illogical, and why we have good theology. And you know what?

She's still afraid. Still afraid. We can talk to ourselves with good theology; we can reason with ourselves using rational thinking and still be challenged by fear.

At this point, you might ask how this applies to the text we are in. I'm glad that I asked it for you. It does. If we have fears and anxieties that are theologically discounted and rationally unreasonable, and we're not even facing the potential of imminent threat of persecution or suffering, it's not even a reality at this moment. Maybe it could be in the future, but if we have these kinds of fears, we can discount them theologically and rationally, especially when we're not even facing difficulty.

Think about Timothy, who was actually facing imminent suffering and the potential of persecution. In facing this imminent suffering, his mentor, the Apostle Paul, who at this very moment when he writes this letter is in prison in Rome facing imminent execution, says to Timothy, "I want you to take over my role."

Now, let's back up a little bit and think about Timothy and Paul's relationship. Timothy first met Paul when he was probably about 15 years old. Paul came preaching the gospel to the town where Timothy lived, which is in modern-day Turkey. At the time, it was a region called Galatia, and Timothy lived in a town called Lystra. Paul preached the gospel, and from everything we can tell from the Scriptures, Timothy's mother and grandmother became followers of Jesus through Paul's preaching on that missionary journey, as recorded in Acts chapter 13.

Then Paul left. He had a traveling partner named Barnabas, and they were gone for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months. When Paul came back to Lystra, he had just been beaten and stoned with rocks to the point of death. You can be certain that when Paul came back to Lystra and saw Timothy for the second time, he still bore the bruises and marks on his body, telling a story about how he was almost killed for his faith in the gospel. After that, Paul and Barnabas left again, only to return a couple of years later.

Paul comes back a couple of years later and says to Timothy, who is now maybe 17 years old, "I want you to come with me on a mission trip. We're going to take the gospel and carry it to people who've never heard it before." Timothy responds, "I'm in! Let's go!"

One of the first cities they end up in is a city called Philippi. While they are in Philippi, the story is recorded in Acts chapter 16. Timothy watches with his own eyes as Paul and his traveling companion Silas are arrested, beaten with rods, and thrown in prison. This is Timothy's introduction to the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. For the next decade and a half, he lives his life journeying with Paul, watching him being beaten, watching him being arrested, and going through all these challenges.

Now, Paul is awaiting execution, and he says to Timothy, "I have selected you to be the guy to carry the torch." Timothy, understandably, feels hesitant. When you read through First Timothy and Second Timothy, it becomes really clear that Timothy was fearful. He had anxiety and was concerned about the possibility of what he was being asked to do.

In this, there is an encouraging point: it is not a sign of unfaithfulness to be fearful. This is really helpful because, like it or not, the way God created you and me includes this faulty issue where we can be totally paralyzed by fear. If you look at the makeup of the human brain, the way your body takes in sensory information first passes through a portion of the brain that deals with fear. This portion tells the pituitary gland to release adrenaline, among other things.

As a result, we experience all of these problems with fear, even as followers of Jesus who have genuine faith. In Second Timothy chapter 1, verse 5, Paul comments on the genuine faith of Timothy. However, even though he had genuine faith, he still experienced fear. I do not think that it is unfaithful to be fearful.

Fearful. In fact, I would say that this walk that God has called us to, which Paul refers to as a walk of faith and not by sight, involves a certain level of fear. I'm not sure that you can walk by faith and not by sight without experiencing at least a little bit of fear. Now, it doesn't mean that you have to be totally paralyzed by that fear, but it is there.

If you've ever participated in an exercise where you build trust with a team, you might recall being blindfolded while your team members guide you. There is some timidity involved when someone else is leading you, and you have to trust them. You might wonder, "Are they going to lead me in the right way? Are they going to look out for me?" You can be certain that Timothy was concerned about some of these things. However, it is not a sign of unfaithfulness to be fearful. Timothy had anxiety, and he was fearful.

So, what does Paul do? Paul encourages him in the text we find in 2 Timothy chapter 1. Look at verse 6: "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands." Paul reminds Timothy to stir up the gift of God that is in him because of the real temptation to be fearful, even though he has genuine faith. Verse 5 states that Timothy had genuine faith.

Because of the real temptation to be fearful, Paul says, "I am reminding you, Timothy, as you begin to move into this work that God is commissioning you to, to stir up the gift of God which is in you." This exhortation from Paul reveals five important truths regarding gifts.

First, you have a gift in you. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have a gift within you. Paul discusses this quite a bit. All Christians are gifted. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, he goes into this in depth. In verse 1, he says, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant." Then in verse 4, he states, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. There are diversities of activities, but the same God who works all in all." The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one. So, if you are a follower of Jesus today, the Spirit of God is at work in you.

God has given you gifts. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one, and these gifts are for the profit of all. First, in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 6, it shows us that you have a gift in you as a follower of Jesus. Secondly, it shows us that this gift is from God. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God. It is God who gifts His followers with these gifts.

Again, back to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 11, it says that one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one, each Christian individually, as the Spirit of God wills. God determined to give you gifts by His Spirit when you became a follower of Jesus.

Another thing we learn from 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 6, is that Paul reminds us to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands. The third truth is that this particular gift, which Paul is referring to, will enable Timothy to do the work that God has commissioned him to do. This gift came by apostolic prayer and the laying on of hands. There was a point in Timothy's life when Paul and others gathered around him, as mentioned in 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 14. They laid hands on him and prayed for him, asking God to uniquely and particularly gift him for the work He was calling him to, enabling him to carry the gospel as Paul and other apostles had done.

The fourth truth we learn in verse 6 is that the gift does not overcome the gifted individual. This is really important; it does not overpower the individual. Rather, it needs to be stirred up. I highlight this because Paul says to stir up the gift of God that is in you. There are some people, sometimes seen on Christian broadcasting channels, who appear to have a gift that somehow overpowers them, and they cannot contain it. It seems to take hold of them, putting them in a trance. That is just not biblical. It does not fit with what the Scriptures say, nor does it align with what Paul states here in 2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 6.

Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians, chapter 14, where he says in verse 32 that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. They have control over these things. Since Timothy had control as it related to this spiritual empowering, there was the danger that Paul seems to be speaking to in this passage: that Timothy could hold back from using that which God had given to him. Therefore, Paul says to stir up the gift of God that is in you. Use it; don't allow it to remain dormant.

This leads us to the fifth truth that we learn about this gift in this verse: these gifts can remain dormant, but if they're not used, they're not revoked. There is the temptation, out of fear, anxiety, shame, or whatever it may be, to hold back and not utilize the gift that God has given to you. Yet, Paul says, "No, Timothy, stir it up!" The gifts and callings of God are irrevocable, as stated in Romans, chapter 11, verse 29. God has given this to you, and He has given it to you for the profit of all, so that you can use it for the building up of the body and for outreach to those who do not yet know Christ.

Since these gifts can be dormant or set aside, we need to be encouraged by the exhortation of Peter. We need to be good stewards of these gifts. Peter said in 1st Peter, chapter 4, verse 10, "As each one of you has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." You see, whether you realize it or not, if you're a follower of Jesus today, God, by His Holy Spirit, has gifted you to serve Him in His kingdom, to build up the body of Christ, and to reach out to people who don't yet know Jesus.

In your own strength and ability, you might feel totally inadequate and insufficient. The reality is that all of us are insufficient in and of ourselves. Paul even speaks to this in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who has enabled us to be ministers of the gospel." He is the one who enables us to do these things.

We need to stir up this gift. Although you might be fearful or anxious and feel tempted to shy back or be ashamed of what God has called all of us to—sharing the gospel with others—we must remember that we might feel this way because of the potential for social or even physical suffering.

Point number two is that we must stir up and use our God-given gifts in spite of fear. Timothy was instructed to stir up the gift of God that is in him. We must stir up our God-given gifts, and in another translation, the phrase "stir up" is translated as "fan into flames." We are to fan into flames these God-given gifts despite our fears.

We do this with full assurance of faith, knowing from 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. God has given us gifts, and fear is not one of them. If I am anxious or fearful, that spirit of fear does not come from God. Even though I might feel anxious or fearful, I can overcome that fear and anxiety in the face of whatever God is calling us to do. He empowers us by His Spirit, which He has given to us—the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

This power is the very same word that Jesus used on the day He ascended into heaven. It is recorded in Acts as He prepared His disciples for the work He was commissioning them to do. In Acts 1:8, He says, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and He will enable you to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world." It is the Spirit of God who empowers us to be witnesses for the kingdom of God. In and of our own strength, we are insufficient; we simply do not have the resources or ability to accomplish this task without the empowering of the Spirit of God.

So, He has not given us a spirit of fear, but He has given us a spirit of power. Then there is love. The word used for love here is often associated with God's love in the Scriptures. If you have read through the Bible, you will see this theme consistently.

Galatians chapter 5 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit, the evidence of God's Spirit in us, is singularly love. This kind of love is the same kind that Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 14, where he says it is the love of Christ that compels us. God's love at work in us pushes us to step into the potential of suffering that Timothy was going to be facing, so that we might effectively fulfill the commission that God has given to us. He is not giving us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

One commentator noted that the ancient Greek word for "sound mind" conveys the idea of a calm, self-controlled mind, in contrast to the panic and confusion that often arise in fearful situations. Imagine for a moment that you are in a fearful situation. Let me paint a picture for you: you are driving south on the 15 freeway, going 80 miles per hour because we don't obey speed limits. About a hundred feet in front of you, a tire comes bouncing out of a truck and heads straight toward you. You are fast approaching that tire, and immediately, the adrenal glands release adrenaline into your body, triggering a stress response. We have all experienced this before.

Now, imagine in that moment of stress, you tell yourself, "I will now be calm." You laugh because you know that is absurd; it would not work. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes to an hour for you to come down from that fearful stress response. Saying "I will now be calm" is simply not possible. Yet, we have the testimony of believers who have faced enormous suffering. A great book called "Foxe's Book of Christian Martyrs" is highly recommended. These believers faced tremendous suffering for the cause of Christ, and yet, in the face of that suffering, they had the peace of God that surpasses understanding. Were they not anxious? Were they not fearful? Absolutely.

Jesus, on the night before He was crucified, had a bodily reaction to this stress response to the point that He sweat great drops of blood. I have never experienced that, but I understand the depth of that stress.

Stressed? Not that much. That seems pretty stressful, and yet he faces the situation he's going through. Why? Because God has given him power, love, and a sound mind. Since God has done this, we look to 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 8. Therefore, that word "therefore" is really important. Because of this, do not be ashamed, Timothy. Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner. Share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

In these verses, we have the beautiful stitching together of things that have caused great debate in the church over the last 500 years. There has been this debate between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. When you read through the Scriptures faithfully and systematically, what you begin to find is that God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are joined together in God. Here, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He sovereignly has given you power, love, and a sound mind. He calls us to stir up the gift and not be ashamed. There is a responsibility component; we are responsible to take hold of this.

I have no doubt that as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, God is working in us too, willing to do His good pleasure. It is not either God's sovereignty or man's responsibility; it is both. God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are joined together as one. God has enabled us, by the gifting and empowering of His Holy Spirit, to follow Him by faith.

Here, Paul says to Timothy, "Do not be ashamed." First, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Now, why would someone be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord? First, what is the testimony of our Lord? The word "testimony" there means "witness" in some other translations. It's the Greek word "martyrion," from which we get our English word "martyr." So, he says, do not be ashamed of the martyrdom of our Lord, the crucifixion of Christ. Now, why would someone be ashamed of the crucifixion of Christ? Paul speaks to this in one of his other letters, 1 Corinthians, chapter 1.

In verse 23, Paul says, "But we preach Christ crucified." To the Jews, this is a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, it is foolishness. Another translation states that to those who are very religious, it is offensive, and to those who are not religious, it is foolishness.

You and I might be tempted to feel ashamed or embarrassed about this message that God has given us. The message, at face value, of a crucified Christ and our trust in Him for salvation can be offensive to some people. Why is it offensive? Because when you share this message with your friend, coworker, or neighbor, you are essentially saying to them, "You are so desperately sinful and lost that this man had to die for you." That is offensive.

Sometimes, we might backpedal and say, "Well, you know, we all have a lot of problems. You have problems, and I have problems. This guy died to take care of our problems." But the truth is, we are sinners, desperately lost and in need of a Savior, and that message is offensive. It is offensive to the religious, to those who think they have dealt with their own sinfulness by themselves. They might say, "I don't need that man."

On the other hand, it is foolishness to another group of people who look at the crucifixion and say, "You actually believe that pitiful scene of a naked man on a cross outside of Jerusalem is going to do anything for you?" That is utter foolishness. This is the perspective of many modern atheists, such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and the late Christopher Hitchens. They view it as foolishness, yet that is the message we are given.

So how do we respond to this? What is the answer? In the very same passage where Paul states that to the Jews it is a stumbling block and to the Greeks it is foolishness, he also says, "For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." The message of the gospel is the power of God.

Paul said in Romans chapter 1, verse 16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes." Therefore, Paul encourages us not to be ashamed of the martyrdom of our Lord, and he adds, "Do not be ashamed of me, His prisoner." What does that mean? Well, I think what it means is...

That Paul, although Timothy had been with him for all of his adult life, looked up to Paul and no doubt loved him, faced a significant temptation at this moment when Paul was facing execution. There was every temptation to disassociate from him.

To illustrate this point, consider a pertinent example from just this week. I'm sure you have seen in the news all the discussions surrounding the Supreme Court nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, and the allegations that have emerged from a woman about something that happened 36 years ago. I don't care where you land on this issue, but the interesting aspect to observe in this whole situation is the friends who have had to step back and say they cannot associate with him because of the mere allegation.

There was certainly a temptation for Timothy to think, "I have to step away for self-preservation." In response, Paul says, "Do not be ashamed of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

Paul emphasizes that Timothy should not be offended or ashamed of him because he is his friend, but rather because of what Christ has done for him.

Point number four: Christ suffered for us, and sometimes he calls his followers to suffer for the sake of the gospel. If Christ calls anyone to suffer for the sake of the gospel, you can be certain that this is for his purpose and for his grace. It is not arbitrary; it is not capricious. If God calls upon one of his people to suffer for his kingdom, it is for a purpose.

Paul continues in 2 Timothy 1:10, "But God's purpose and grace has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." This is God's eternal purpose.

God's eternal purpose was to bring life and immortality, eternal life, to reveal it to us through the gospel. This has been God's eternal purpose going all the way back before time began. Paul says at the end of verse 10 that He did this before time began.

He reveals it first at the very beginning in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15. Genesis chapter 3 is the story about how sin came into the world through the deception of the serpent. When God speaks in that moment to the serpent that brought about this destruction and devastation, He says in Genesis 3:15, "I will put enmity between you, serpent, and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

Here, God makes this promise prophetically. He tells the serpent that has brought about sin and the fall that this destruction is going to be destroyed by one who will come from a woman—a man who will crush the serpent's head. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise, and He brings to light life and immortality through the gospel.

Paul says of the gospel in verse 11, "to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle," which means one sent with a message, "a teacher of the Gentiles." For this reason, I also suffer these things. I am suffering in prison, facing execution, because I am a preacher of the gospel. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day.

There is no shame in living with total commitment to Christ and His kingdom, though there will certainly be people in our culture who disagree with that statement. Living with a commitment to Christ and His kingdom does not mean the abdication of responsibility to this life or your commitments in this life. However, it does mean that there is an added calculus that informs how you live.

In this life, what do I mean? When you put your trust in Jesus, He now promises to guard you until you are with Him in His kingdom eternally. He will guard what you have entrusted to Him, and that informs how we live this life. It changes the way we see the things of this life. Christ and His kingdom become a priority of commitment for the Christian over the other commitments they may have in this life.

Because of that priority, it might mean that someone would suffer, as Paul is speaking of here. He says, "Even though I am suffering, I am not ashamed because I know whom I have trusted, and I am convinced that He is going to guard my trust until I see Him." While 2,000 years ago Timothy was being tempted to be timid and to be ashamed of the message of the gospel, which is foolishness to some and offensive to others, Paul says to stir up the gift of God that is in you.

Though this message is foolishness to some and offensive to others, that does not diminish the fact that it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. This world in which we live today needs to hear the good news of the gospel and to come in contact with the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

Fast forward 2,000 years from the time of Timothy and Paul to our day, and there is, in the hearts of probably a lot of us in this room, anxiety and a fearfulness to even share the gospel with someone. There is a fearfulness just to invite your neighbor to come to church. They might think, "I'm stupid," or "I'm foolish." They might be offended, thinking, "What, you think I need to go to church? Is that what you're saying?" They might get mad at me, and so there is fear of the social pressure.

Yet Paul says it is a joy to suffer for the name of Christ because God honors that suffering. Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, we need Your grace.

We need your empowering by your Spirit to fulfill the purpose for which you've called all of us. In our fallen nature, which is so wrapped up with self-preservation and the fear and anxiety of having a social stigma attached to us, we can feel the pressure to be ashamed of this seemingly offensive and foolish message that you have given to us. Yet, Jesus, you bore our shame on the cross; you suffered in our place so that you would rescue us from this broken, fallen world.

God, I pray that you would enable us, by the empowering of your Spirit, to have boldness, especially as our culture becomes more antagonistic to the simple message of the Gospel. The message that we have in the Scriptures is offensive and, in some respects, seemingly foolish, yet it is your power. I pray that you would empower us to share that and give us the grace to be bold, for we ask this in Jesus' name.

As we prepare to go from this place, we pray that you would enable us to stand for you unashamed. The early church gathered together in the face of opposition in Acts chapter 4 and Acts chapter 5. They prayed that you would give them boldness, and you empowered them once again by your Spirit.

So, we pray that you would pour out and empower your church with your Spirit, just as you have in the last 2,000 years. Grant us that spirit of power, love, and a sound mind in the face of any opposition, so that we may share the glories of who you are and what you've done for us, even if it might invite derision or mockery. Lord, help us to be those who stand ready to be unashamed for the Gospel. Pour out your Spirit upon your church.

Lord, bless and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you.