Proud Of My Faith
2 Timothy 1:8-13
“So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.” vs. 8
All Roads…
I am not sure how you feel about this but lately I have been struggling a bit with the idea that our world is changing, quickly and the moral and beliefs of our society has changed. There was a time not too long ago when you could express your faith and the world would listen. There was a time not too long ago when you were actually expected to have faith. We’ve seen our world change and it’s now at a point where the present culture doesn’t seem to reflect the faith that our country was founded on. Many people call the time we live in now as the secularizing of America. I would even say that my faith now clashes with the present culture. Christianity is quickly loosing it’s footing in the United States and is no longer the predominant faith. It’s fine to state you are New Age, Muslim, Buddhist, Church of Scientology. Etc. and it’s culturally accepted. Say you’re a Christian and that you believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible and it’s likely you’ll meet up with quite a bit of opposition.
Tolerance is one of the words that gets thrown around a lot. I hear things like; we need to be more tolerant of others views and beliefs and I would go a step further and say that if we, as Christians state our beliefs, we are considered intolerant. In fact, one phrase that continually gets repeated to me is:
“All roads lead to heaven.” (show picture) The other is that phrase:
“Anything you believe in is okay as long as you believe it and it works for you.”
As I reflect on these statements, they really sound good, don’t they? They even sound kind of beautiful in a sense, a sense of peace and acceptance and they sound “tolerant.” I mean it’s okay really to believe anything as long as it works for you and others should respect that and even allow it. It sounds like a new problem but really it’s not. The church, since Christ left this earth and ascended to God’s right hand, has been struggling with acceptance. Let’s read a passage that Paul wrote to Timothy about this very thing in 2 Timothy 1:8:13:
Read Passage – 2 Timothy 1:8-13
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Peer Pressure
Even in the early church there was peer pressure for Christians to deny their faith and give up the belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Notice again verse 8a:
“So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.” vs. 8a
We can become ashamed of the gospel, ashamed of what we say is our faith. Ashamed means we are embarrassed by it and the peer pressure is to keep it to ourselves. One way the world deals with things is by “labeling.” What I mean by that is putting a label on someone is attaching a descriptive word to them. When that happens it is easier to control them. So if they label you intolerant or conservative or a fundamentalist, or anything else, it’s easier to try to manipulate others thoughts about you or to put peer pressure on you to either change or deny your views.
Suffering For The Cause
Paul continues verse 8 by saying:
“Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel…” vs. 8b
Paul calls us to join him in suffering for the gospel. Now he was suffering. He was in prison awaiting execution. We might get pressure to change but we haven’t really had to suffer for the gospel, at least here in the United States. We are actually called to go so far as suffering for our faith if necessary. In other parts of the world they do suffer for their beliefs.
Ill. In a Newsweek issue from 2012 they call Christians the most persecuted religion.
But we are called to tell others about our faith and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Here is the thing, what the world doesn’t understand, that as good as it sounds to say all roads lead to heaven, what they are denying is God. They are taking God out of it and inserting individuals and the world. By saying all roads lead to heaven, it becomes up to the individual to decide what is right and wrong. They want to decide for themselves and they want everyone to come up with their “salvation” from within themselves.
Here is a great example from my own week. I went on Facebook this week and a friend of mine posted this:
Ex. Show picture with the caption “I am trusting the universe has a plan”
Like the phrase “All roads lead to heaven” doesn’t this phrase sound good, maybe comforting, even beautiful (as well as he picture that goes with it)? But realize how empty it is. The trust is put in an inanimate object and something cosmic.
Responding To Opposition
So how do we respond? What is our response to opposition? Peer pressure? To things that sound beautiful but are really empty.
The first thing I want to make very clear is that I believe in God, one God, and His plan for my life and his plan for all of us. He gave us his son who told us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) But Paul, in our passage today, gives the church, that’s you and I, the response that we need to hold fast to our faith and to not just respond, but to live fully in the promises that God has given to us.
• Choose Your Power Source
First, you must choose your power source. You have to decide where you will draw your powere from when you face opposition. Paul said in verse 8:
“Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” vs. 8b
Paul knew his power source was God. Paul choose that. In his earlier life he tried to do it in his own strength and that didn’t work. You and I have a choice. Where or who do you choose to find your power source? You can choose yourself, you can choose the universe (like that slide), you can choose the earth, you can choose a god (small g) made of wood, stone, metal, etc. or you can choose to make God your power source. Paul also said in Romans 15:13:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
God makes it clear to us that he does not leave us alone…ever. He has put within us his Holy Spirit and that Spirit gives us power. The world says that we all have within the insight and knowledge and strength to choose our path.
Ex. Buddhism – There is no God but we all have within us the answers
I choose God as Paul choose God.
Ex. An outlet. Explain how electronic things will not work without a power source.
• Confident In God’s Strength
We can choose God because our second response it to be confident in God’s strength. I learned verse 12 as a young boy. It was part of a song and I can never forget it. It says:
“Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” vs. 12
What have I entrusted to him? My very life and soul. I would never give my life and soul to something or someone who I am not 100% convinced has the ability to keep that safe. One of the things I am convinced of is that the more I know God, the more I spend time with him, the more I trust him, the more confident I am that He is God and He is able to guard me, my life, my soul, and all that I am.
The key to this point is in the spending of time. Did you ever notice that the more you spend time with someone the more you know them and the more you have the chance to appreciate them. Yes, you also have some difficulties with the little things that can drive you bananas but you also really get to know them. Think about someone you really trust. I mean trust with your very life. How did you get to that point? By spending time together and getting to know them. By shared experience. God is the same. You spend time with God and you get to know him better. You talk (prayer), you walk (shared experience), and you see all the little ways he cares for you and the little things that somehow work out when it seemed there was no way out. This reminded me of Psalm 68:35:
“You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.” Psalms 68:35
I know pastors can sound like a broken record. Especially when it comes to things like prayer and Bible study and…church attendance. But listen to this verse. There is a key in it. When you come to this place, when you worship, have fellowship with each other, spend time in his house, it produces strength.
Ill. Ever invite someone over to your house? Why? To spend time together and be together and grow together. God provides a chance for us each week to come to his house and spend time with him and grow closer, and draw strength. Why do we think we can invite God to get us through our difficulties and not spend time with him and really develop a relationship with him?
• God The Father
The final response to overcome opposition is God himself. Let me explain by rereading verse 9:
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” vs. 9
We can get side tracked by this one issue: Why is this happening to me? But notice what this verse tells us. What is happening many times is not because of you. It’s for God’s purpose. This is where many “religions” just don’t get it. Mainly, because they make it about themselves, “me.” We can buy into that so easily. It so natural to think of me. But this verse is telling us that things we go through might not be about us at all.
Ex. Job He didn’t go through all those horrific things because of himself of something he did or didn’t do. His friends tried to convince him that it had to be because of him. He kept deflecting it back to God.
When we get caught up on ourselves, all we have is the here and now. We forget the bigger plan and the bigger picture. Paul’s words for 2 Corinthians 4:17 say:
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
Part of our response is to realize and understand that God’s bigger picture and plan has more for us than any temporary struggle or opposition we might be going through.
A note about opposition, struggles, and adversity; we usually grow more through our tough times than we do when things are going well. In an odd way; adversity helps. Our struggle can be a gift in many ways. They teach us to trust God, to trust in his power and strength, to trust in his plan.
…Don’t Get Caught Blaming
Caution: On note of caution, don’t get caught playing the blame game. When we blame we don’t take responsibility for what is happening and tend not to deal with the issue. When we accept our part and trust God to work his plan, we have the chance to grow through our adversity and opposition.
Never Alone
To end, I really want to stress the point that God never leaves us alone. That is the underlying promise of all that Paul is writing to Timothy about here. Verse 13:
“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” vs. 13
Paul stresses again and again in this chapter and in this letter as a whole the idea that God’s Holy Spirit is in us.
Ex. Corrie Ten Boom prisoner in a Nazi Concentration Camp
Her famous words, “There is no pit so deep, that he is not deeper still.”
