BIG IDEA:
PAUL CHALLENGES TIMOTHY TO REJECT FEAR AND EMBRACE
SUFFERING IN FULFILLING HIS CALL TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
GOSPEL
INTRODUCTION:
“Therefore” – based on vv.6-7
you have been called and gifted for the gospel ministry
you have received the divine empowering = “power and love and discipline”
I. (:8) EXHORTATION TO TIMOTHY TO REJECT FEAR AND EMBRACE SUFFERING
A. Reject Fear – “do not be ashamed”
(cf. Luke 9:26; Rom. 1:16; Heb. 2;11; 11:16)
1. To Bear Witness Yourself -- “of the testimony of the Lord”
“of testifying to our Lord” = testimony about Christ rather than testimony borne by Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 1:6)
Stedman: “We all can identify with that problem today…there are times when you feel ashamed that you are a Christian. You are afraid people will find out;
or if, they already know that you are a Christian, you tend to keep it quiet and not say much about it. That is a universal experience if we have any contact at
all with non-Christians…”
2. To Identify with Gospel Preachers -- “or of me His prisoner”
Paul ultimately views himself as a prisoner under the sovereignty of His Lord rather than a prisoner of Nero
“The apostle treats what outsiders might judge a disgraceful situation as a source of humble pride.” (Kelly)
B. Embrace Suffering for the Cause of the Gospel
“join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God”
this is the only alternative to being ashamed
“for the gospel” = Dative of interest
Paul may have coined this verb (only NT usage) – “he has a liking for compounds with sun” (Kelly)
cf. Rom. 1:16 – but not only is the gospel the power of God unto salvation, but God’s same power enables His witnesses to endure suffering
II. (:9-10) ESSENCE OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
A. (:9A) A Holy Calling – “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling”
B. (:9B) A Sovereign Calling
1. Not based on works -- “not according to our works”
2. Based on His Purpose and His Grace -- “but according to His own purpose and grace”
(cf. Rom. 8:28; 9:11; Eph. 1:11; 3:11)
Kelly: “If it depended on our merits, our position would be at best precarious, and on a realistic estimate hopeless; but since it depends
wholly on God, our confidence can be unshaken.”
3. Centered in Christ Jesus – “which was granted us in Christ Jesus”
4. Rooted in Eternity Past – “from all eternity”
C. (:10) A Transformation from Death to Life
1. Accomplished in History – “but now has been revealed by the appearing of ”
2. Accomplished by “our Savior Christ Jesus”
3. Abolishment of Death – “who abolished death” --
Stedman: “The death of death”
“The ancient question of Job, ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ remains the fundamental question haunting all men today.”
Very significant accomplishment! Death is the awesome reality facing everyone. It levels the playing field. Fear of death is pervasive – cf. Heb. 2:14-
15; In what sense did Christ abolish death? Even Christians still die.
4. Granting of Life – “brought life and immortality to light”
Woychuk: “The fact that the Apostle adds ‘immortality,’ (more accurately translated ‘incorruption’), brings out the thought that this new life applies also to our bodies. Decay and corruption pertain to the body and not to the spirit; so here the ‘incorruption,’ the resurrection of the body of the believer, is in view…
Death has not been annihiliated as yet, but for the believer, death has been deprived of its terrors and power. Death for the believer is not a token of God’s
displeasure, but is His wise arrangement of introducing the child of God into a life from which death is ever-excluded.”
Hiebert: “His redemptive work ‘brought to light,’ lighted up, illuminated as the blazing light of the noonday sun, that which previously existed but was
shrouded in uncertainty. The hope of immortality was in the world before but He brought it into a certainty through His teaching and above all by His own
resurrection.”
5. Summed up in the Gospel – “through the gospel”
III. (:11) ELECTION TO THE GOSPEL MINISTRY
A. Divine Appointment – “for which I was appointed”
B. Specific Gospel Ministries –
Stedman:
1. “A Preacher” – “a proclaimer of the good news”
2. “An Apostle” – “a pioneer to lay new foundations”
3. “A Teacher” – “an explainer of the intricacies and meanings of the truth”
IV. (:12) EXAMPLE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL IN REJECTING FEAR AND EMBRACING SUFFERING
A. Embracing Suffering for the Cause of the Gospel
“For this reason I also suffer these things”
Ministry and suffering go hand in hand; there is no separating the two
B. Rejecting Fear – “but I am not ashamed”
C. Explanation of His Confidence
“for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day”
2 Possibilities:
- the good thing that I have entrusted = himself; “Paul’s commitment to Christ”
(Kent)
- the good thing entrusted to me = his ministry and doctrine
Woychuk: cf. 2:2; 2:14 “the precious deposit of the gospel”
“until that day” = day of standing before Christ to receive rewards for faithful service
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) What are some of the practical ways we can “join with” our brothers and sisters around the world who are experiencing “suffering for the gospel”?
2) What encouragement can we draw from the mystery of election that our calling to holiness was part of God’s majestic “purpose and grace from all eternity” and not dependent on our merits or works … and clearly predates any decision of our will to trust in the Lord?.3) What did Christ accomplish at His first appearing and what are we anticipating as we look forward to His coming again?
4) Are we confident that God will never let us down? Do we have the assurance that God will carry us through whatever trials and suffering we might face”?
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