Ain't Skeered

Ain’t Skeered

2 Timothy 1:6-10

Intro: One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, "Mommy, will you stay with me all night?" Smiling, the mother gave him a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, "I can’t dear. I have to sleep in Daddy’s room." A long silence followed. At last it was broken by a shaky voice saying, "The big sissy!" [ sermon central ]

. How many of you have seen the bumper stickers or rear window stickers that say “ain’t skeered”?

. You usually see them on pick up trucks driven by good old country boys as we call them here in Georgia. These are guys who are proclaiming, in there own way, that they consider themselves tough and that they are not scared of anybody or anything.

. For the most part that is true until it’s time to share their faith if they are a Christian.

. Then they are like most of us. We become ashamed or afraid of how our faith affects our social standing or our popularity in school or maybe how it will affect our success in business.

.Maybe we become ashamed and afraid that if we share our faith with someone that then they would start asking questions about why our words don’t match our actions. Why we don’t walk the talk.

. The greatest example of this fear and shame is found in Matthew chapter 26.

. Go back with me to the Passover meal and the last supper as we call it.

. Jesus and His disciples have shared the meal and Jesus has instituted the ordinance of communion. They bibke tells us that they sang a hymn or psalm and went out to the mount of olives. While they were on there way, they were talking .

. Jesus tells them that they will all desert Him that that night and that He will be taken up and killed but He will meet them after He has been raised from the dead in Galilee.

. Now if they had pick up trucks back then, I believe that peter would have had one of those “ain’t skeered” stickers on it.

. Peter pokes out his chest and says even if all these others here desert you, I will not. You can depend on me . I ain’t skeered Lord.

. In verse 34 of Mt 26 Jesus say’s;

“I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

. Peter says no, that won’t happen Lord. Even if I have to die with you, that won’t happen. I ain’t skeered Lord.

. all the other disciples agreed with peter saying that there was no way they would not stand with Him.

. Well Jesus goes to the Garden Of Gethsemane to pray and Judas betrays him there. Jesus is arrested and turned over to the authorities

. As all this is going on, we are told in verses 69-75 that;

. Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”

70But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

73A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”

74Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

75Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

.Peter was afraid and ashamed to be associated with Jesus.

. In our scripture today, the apostle Paul is talking to his protégé. His son in the ministry as he calls Timothy and he is encouraging him not to be ashamed or afraid.

. Paul was speaking directly to Timothy in this regard but he is also speaking to us today.

. As we look at our scripture, we will see three ways we can avoid being ashamed or afraid to tell others about Jesus.

. Lets look at our scripture. 2 Timothy 1:6-10

. 6This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual agift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.7For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.