FEED YOUR FAITH, NOT YOUR FEAR
2 Timothy 1:1-7
2 Timothy 1:1 (NKJV) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, 5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
INTRO. When I was about 5, I had a nightmare one night and dreamed that a robot was chasing me around our house. We had hardwood floors and I was only wearing socks. So, naturally I was slipping and sliding trying to get away from the robot who was trying to catch me. It was scary!
Fast forward two years, I had another nightmare. This one seemed so very real to me. Now remember, I had grown up in church. I had heard the Bible stories. I knew that Jesus loved me and died on the cross for me and rose from the dead for me. However, I had never appropriated what I had heard and had never repented of my sin nor trusted Jesus Christ to be my Savior.
But on that night, I dreamed that I was going to hell. The flames of hell were hot and the agony of those in hell was great. I woke up in tears and called for my dad. I told him that I needed to be saved. There at my bedside, only 7 years of age, I repented of my sin and asked the Lord Jesus to save me. I have never had a nightmare about hell since and I’m grateful for that.
However, I have had other moments of fear in my life. Perhaps you have too. Have any of you been afraid that your company for whom you work would close? Or perhaps that you would lose your job? Have you ever been afraid that you wouldn’t have anything to eat? Have you ever been afraid of going to the dentist or the doctor? Have you ever been afraid of what the X-ray or the CT scan or the MRI might reveal?
The global unrest we’re experiencing, the coronavirus pandemic, the shakiness of our once robust economy certainly causes us to be concerned. But we don’t have to feed our fear, let’s feed our faith. David said,
Psalm 56:3 (NKJV) Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Paul writes this letter to his son in the faith, Timothy. It was a difficult time for ministry in the life of Timothy, AND for the Apostle Paul. Timothy was having trouble in the church at Ephesus where he served, and Paul was in prison. So, the letters of 1 and 2 Timothy are God’s words of encouragement when we face fearful times.
So, when we face times of fear. You may not be afraid now because you have 100 rolls of toilet paper and a case of Ramen noodles. But when we DO FACE FEAR, we must learn how to FEED OUR FAITH and NOT our fears. How can we feed our faith and not our fears? You feed your faith:
1. THROUGH THE WILL OF GOD v.1a
2 Timothy 1:1 (NKJV) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
Everything Paul did since his conversion was because of following the will of God for his life. Nothing happens to us but what God knows about it in advance. Mark Lowry said, “Did it ever occur to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?” He knows about it before it ever happens AND He allows it for our good and His glory.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
2. THROUGH THE WAY OF THE SON v. 1b
2 Timothy 1:1 (NKJV) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
The way of Jesus is life! That’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He offers life, by His grace (undeserved forgiveness and justification) & mercy (deliverance from sin and the death we deserve) and gives us peace!
John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Colossians 3:4 (NKJV) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
I want to tell you today, if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior, if you will repent of your sin and believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place for your lawbreaking and believe that He was buried and rose to life…you can be saved! You can never feed your faith if you don’t HAVE faith in Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:11 (NKJV) And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
John MacArthur said, “The apostle wanted his son in the faith to continually live in divine mercy, the inexpressible blessing of deliverance from the misery that sin deserves and creates. He also wanted Timothy to continue in full peace of mind and heart, the inner tranquility produced by divine grace and mercy. He wanted Timothy to have the best that God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord offer to redeemed sinners: grace to cover sin, mercy to overrule misery, and peace to dominate life.”
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 3). Chicago: Moody Press.
3. THROUGH THE WORTH OF FRIENDS v.3-4
2 Tim. 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
Timothy was valuable to Paul as a son in the faith and a partner in ministry. You can tell that because of the Apostle’s prayers for Timothy. Paul spoke with authority to Timothy! Hey, it’s great to have friends who will pray for you and with you. Godly friends are valuable to you!
Let me ask you: Do the people you consider to be YOUR friends, help or hinder you in your service to the Lord? If they hinder you, you need to get some new friends! You feed your faith with the kind of friends you have.
If you have godly friends, they will help you to be a godly person too! But if you have carnal, worldly friends…
ILLUST. When I was about 10, my brother, Larry got the mumps. My brother Curt got the mumps. So, I thought I would just hug and love on my brothers and they would catch my “wellness.” Guess what? I got the mumps!
Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV) The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Look at v. 4:
2 Tim. 1:4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,
Paul may have been referring to the last time Timothy saw Paul. It was likely shortly after Paul’s first letter to Timothy and just before his arrest at Nicopolis and before his journey to Rome. Timothy was probably like the believers at Ephesus when Paul left. They loved him and hated to see him go:
Acts 20:36 (NKJV) 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
You feed your faith with godly friends who will encourage you in your walk with the Lord.
4. THROUGH THE WORSHIP OF FAMILY v.5
2 Tim. 1:5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
Timothy’s mother and grandmother were great influences in his life. Why? Because they worshipped and served the Lord. They had an evident faith that was on display for Timothy to see. We don’t know anything about Timothy’s dad, he may have died or may not have been a believer. We just don’t know. But we DO KNOW that Eunice and Lois worshipped the Lord. They served God and Timothy witnessed that!
Deuteronomy 6:6 (NKJV) And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Listen, folks, your children need to see you worship and call on God during these difficult days. You feed your faith with family worship.
5. THROUGH THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY v.6
2 Tim. 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
The idea this laying on of hands may have referred to the day when Timothy got saved, or perhaps when he was called into the ministry. Either way, Paul had an impact on his life, and he was considered a fellow laborer with Paul.
What a legacy we can leave for our children when we call on the Lord and worship Him in times of crisis and calamity! That’s how you feed your faith and the faith of your family by letting them see you call upon God and worshipping Him. Plan a time of prayer and Bible reading for your family. Let your kids see you being God’s hands and mouth and feet for Him!
By the way, I believe Paul is addressing Timothy not only as a son in the faith, but as a God-called preacher of the Gospel.
6. THROUGH THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT v.7
2 Tim. 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
The word translated fear is not the normal Greek word for fear which is phobos. We get our word phobia from that word. But word use here is deilia. It is only used here and means a timid, cowardly, shameful fear that is generated by weak, selfish character. The Lord is never responsible for our cowardice, our lack of confidence, or our being shameful of Him.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 17). Chicago: Moody Press.
If you’re cowardly in your faith, that’s not because of God. Because God has given us everything, we need to follow Him in faith. What has God given us? Power, Love and Discipline. When we are shaky in our faith, it’s because we’re focusing on ourselves instead of on the Lord. Paul said:
Ephesians 1:18 (NKJV) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
“Love” is not phileo but agape. It is God’s kind of love that He has given us.
“Sound mind” has the literal meaning of a secure and sound mind, but it also carries the additional idea of a self-controlled, disciplined, and properly prioritized mind.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1995). 2 Timothy (p. 19). Chicago: Moody Press.
ILLUST. Dr. W.A. Criswell had an unusual experience in his life. Some of the men in his church asked Mr. Yousuf Karsh to come to Dallas to make a portrait photograph of him for his 35th anniversary as pastor of First Baptist Church. Mr. Karsh was the most famous portrait photographer in the world. A large book of Karsh’s photos, Faces of Destiny, has his photographs of Albert Einstein, Albert Schweitzer, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, John Kennedy and many presidents of the United States. He was born in Armenia, Turkey, and his studio was in New York City.
As Dr. Criswell visited with Mr. Karsh, he asked him who, out of all the great men and women of the earth he had photographed, would he select as the greatest of all? Dr. Criswell thought he might say, “Winston Churchill” or “Albert Einstein.” But he said, “Out of all the people with whom I ever worked in photography, far and above the greatest to me was Helen Keller.”
Dr. Criswell said, “Helen Keller?”
He replied, “Yes, Helen Keller.” She was blind and deaf. The only way to reach her was through the sensitivity of the fingers on her hands.
Dr. Criswell asked, “Why Helen Keller?”
Karsh replied, “One cannot describe the beauty of her character and the gentleness of her spirit.” I haven’t gotten over that yet. He’s comparing that woman to Winston Churchill, to Albert Einstein, to Dwight Eisenhower, to the greatest men and women in the world. A handicap is a compliment from God!
“Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.” –Yousuf Karsh
Hey folks, we may be in a dark time…not just for our country, but the world. Stay close to Jesus. Whatever you think about what’s happening…regardless of who’s at fault…God has allowed this to happen in His Will. The Way of the Son is life in Jesus Christ. The Worth of our Friends are valuable to us! Let’s Worship as a Family. As we are able, let’s do the Work of the Ministry…we can be the Lord’s hands, feet and mouth in this dark and difficult time. And we can do that because the Witness of the Spirit in our lives is one of Power, Love and Discipline.
Let’s feed our faith and not our fear.
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV) Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
