1. Don’t give in to fear

Paul reminds Timothy

• that his faith is in the Lord
• of the gift of God that he had received (ability to minister)

1 Timothy 4:13–16 AV

¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

¹⁴ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Three facets of his public ministry

1.   Read the Scriptures Publicly – 2 Kings 23:2

2.   To Exhort the Scriptures

a.  explanation and application of the text – Nehemiah 8:7-8

3.   To Teach the Scriptures – Acts 28:30-31

Paul reminds Timothy not to give power to fear

2 Timothy 1:7–10 AV

⁷ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

⁸ Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

¹⁰ But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Afflictions of the Gospel

Nero was on the rampage against Christians, It was dangerous and illegal to be a Christian in Rome:

Nero’s Persecution of Christians

Accused Christians of burning Rome (A.D. 64)

Nero’s Methods of Persecution:

•     Crucifixion

•     Tied in animal skins and thrown into the arena to be eaten by dogs

•     Thrown to the Lions

•     Tied to stakes in Nero’s gardens

•     Covered in Pitch

•     Lighted on Fire

•     To be used as torches for the Gardens

Paul’s Circumstances

•     Acts 28 closes with Paul in prison in Rome (A.D. 62)

•     Looks like he gets released

•     Returns to Greece and Asia Minor

•     Goes to Spain (Romans 15:24,28)

•     Get’s re-arrested and taken back to Rome

•     This time as a criminal not just due to the Jews

•     Under sentence of Death

•     in prison called Mamertinum

•     Reserved for important state prisoners

•     consisted of two vaulted chambers

•     one above the other

•     lower chamber called Tullianum (believed to be where Paul was kept)

•     only access to the lower chamber was through a hole in the upper chamber floor.

•     AKA “The Sepulcher” because people were strangled and/or eaten by Rats while in this prison

•     Executed around 66-67 A.D.

You can see why Timothy would be fearful of these “afflictions”

2 Timothy 1:12 AV

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: 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 unto him against that day.

Paul reminds Timothy that even though he suffered these things

Afflictions did not change his marching orders

•     He was not ashamed

•     He was still appointed to be

1.   A Preacher

2.   An Apostle

3.   A Teacher

Don’t let real or imagined afflictions

paralyze you with fear

instead, rely on and remember who it is that you are serving and why

2. Exercise the Power of God

Paul reminds us of the power of God

• He is the God that saved us
• He is the God who called us – When we did not deserve it

According to his Purpose and Grace

Ephesians 1:4–5 AV

⁴ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

⁵ Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

His Purpose is to adopt individuals as sons

His grace was to

•     give the undeserving sinner

•     a path to Heaven

•     by accepting the free gift

Romans 6:23 AV

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Power of God will enable you to:

Endure the afflictions

as Paul did

Because of his knowledge in the Lord

2 Timothy 1:12 AV

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: 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 unto him against that day.

Paul’s knowledge was based in Confidence on him who

saved and called him

He knew who he believed in

•     He was persuaded

•     He was committed

•     He was not afraid

•     He was not ashamed

3. Fulfill your calling

2 Timothy 1:13–14 AV

¹³ Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

Hold fast the form of sound words

2 Peter 1:16–21 AV

¹⁶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

¹⁷ For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

¹⁸ And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

¹⁹ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

²⁰ Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

²¹ For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 3:16 AV

¹⁶ As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

John 8:47 AV

⁴⁷ He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

John 14:23 AV

²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Keep that good thing that was committed unto you

Good Thing = The Gift – Your Calling

Acts 1:8 AV

⁸ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

2 Corinthians 5:19–20 AV

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

In the face of opposition – we are to “stir-up” the gift of our calling

•     not because the flame is dying out

•     but to make it burn even hotter!

Our hope at Irvington Bible Baptist Church is that this podcast provided some encouragement and has helped you to develop a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.