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Do not be ashamed… (3 points)
- 1st – Do not be ASHAMED of… vs. 8 (5 reasons)
- 1st – We are encouraged to not be ASHAMED … vs. 8
- The word ASHAMED – 11x in NT – means to be embarrassed / refuse to associate with…
- If I am ashamed to call a person my friend – I do NOT want to be seen with them…
- The danger of being ASHAMED when it comes to Jesus – is it works both ways!
- Luke 9:26 – “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory…”
- What are we NOT to be ASHAMED of – two things!
- 2nd – Of the TESTIMONY of our Lord…
- TESTIMONY – from the root word MARTYR – meaning to life and example of Jesus…
- The world hates Jesus so much because He convicts the world of sin and righteousness…
- If it were not for Jesus men could do whatever they wanted without consequence…
- Like a LIGHT shining in the darkness – Jesus reveals the sin of the world…
- Because men LOVE sin – they hate the LIGHT that reveals their sinfulness!
- John 3:20 – “Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
- Why it is that people do not see that Jesus is the answer to their lives…
- It is NOT that they cannot find Jesus – or that the Gospel is difficult to understand…
- Men stay away from Jesus because they LOVE their sin!
- 3rd – Nor of me His PRISONER…
- Not that Timothy was ashamed – it was a warning not to become ashamed…
- ASHAMED – (aorist / subjunctive) – do not let yourself START to be ashamed…
- The fact that Paul was in prison was proof HARD times were coming…
- Choosing to follow Jesus Christ was going to come with a high price…
- Paul wanted to make sure Timothy did not back down just because things got tough!
- Interesting that Paul did not consider himself a PRISONER of Rome…
- He saw Himself as a PRISONER of Jesus – because he was there for the sake of the Gospel!
- And he commanded Timothy SHARE with him in his sufferings for the Gospel!
- Not that Timothy was ashamed – it was a warning not to become ashamed…
- 4th – SHARE in SUFFERING (imperative) – only here NT – to endure hardship or affliction…
- Paul was painting a BLUNT picture – to live for Jesus is to be HATED by the world!
- John 15:19 – “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
- If we did the things the world does – they would embrace us / love us…
- If we sat down at the drinking table / if we joined in the gambling…
- If we laughed at the dirty jokes / If we passed on the latest gossip…
- The world would embrace us – because are joining in with them – justifying them!
- The challenge is to be a light to the world – rather than blending into it…
- On Sundays – at church – we are more than willing to make a stand for Jesus…
- But how about at the store – how about at work – how about in our homes…
- It is easy to say we believe when people are nice – how about when they persecute us!
- It is far easier to blend into the world – than to stand for the Lord…
- But if we seek to please the world – follow the crowd – go with the flow…
- We are choosing this world rather than Jesus – it means we reject Jesus!
- James 4:4 – “Whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
- Therefore do not be surprised when the attacks come…
- When people make fun of us – attack you with cutting words – because of Jesus…
- Because we want to go to Bible studies – because we do not want to live in sin…
- Because we do not do the things the world does – convicting the world of their sin!
- Do not take it personally – and do not be angry with the people in the world…
- It is not us they have a problem with – they do not like who we stand for…
- If they hated and crucified Jesus – they will not treat us much better!
- II Timothy 3:12 – “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
- Paul was painting a BLUNT picture – to live for Jesus is to be HATED by the world!
- 5th – By the POWER of God…
- We are NOT be ASHAMED of the GOSPEL – and we MUST share in the suffering…
- But notice Paul does not leave us to question HOW – it is ONLY by the POWER of God!
- POWER – dynamis – the same POWER used to raise Jesus from the grave – Ephesians 2:19-20
- Maybe we think we are not very good and putting words together…
- Or we do not know very much about the Bible – so we are embarrassed to SHARE…
- But it is not fancy words – or eloquent teaching that brings men to salvation…
- It is just Jesus – He gives us His POWER to share His TESTIMONY so men can be SAVED!
- Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ASHAMED of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”
- 1st – We are encouraged to not be ASHAMED … vs. 8
- 2nd – Why we should not be ASHAMED… vs. 9-12 (4 reasons)
- 1st – Because God SAVED us and CALLED us… vs. 9
- CALLED us with a HOLY CALLING – hagios – to be HOLY or set apart for God…
- We must be Holy because He is Holy – Leviticus 19:2
- We are to be set apart for God – in ALL of our conduct – everything we do!
- God calls us to be set apart – we are called to be saints [same root word] …
- The NT word for church – ekklesia – means to be called out of the world!
- NOT by our WORKS…
- We were SAVED / CALLED – according to His PURPOSE (more on this in a moment) …
- And we were SAVED CALLED – through His GRACE!
- Titus 3:5 – “God saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins.”
- All religions are the attempt of men to reach up to a perfect God in heaven…
- Men love to act holy – boast about how good they are – all their works…
- Men love to tell you how much better they are compared to others – self-righteous…
- But religion always falls short – because we can never be good enough to earn heaven!
- Matthew 5:48 – “Be perfect, just as your father in heaven is perfect.”
- Christianity is not about a religion – it is God reaching down to men!
- Jesus did all the work to save us – we go to heaven as a FREE gift from God!
- We cannot boast how good we are – we are NOT good – we can only boast in God!
- Given to us before TIME began…
- When did TIME begin – the origins of ALL things can be traced back to Genesis 1:1
- Meaning our SALVATION and CALLING were GIVEN to us BEFORE creation!
- A hard concept for us to comprehend – God chose us before He created the world!
- God chooses based on His foreknowledge…
- Romans 8:29 – “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined…”
- God is eternal – which means He has no beginning or end – Revelation 1:8
- God existed BEFORE there was TIME – God is outside of TIME!
- Ephesians 1:4 – “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…”
- In a sense God CHEATS – He knows every choice before they every make it…
- God sees EVERYTHING – He knows exactly who will believe in/receive Jesus…
- So He chose those who He knows will choose Him!
- If we do NOT choose God – then we will not be CALLED to ETERNAL life with Him…
- If we choose to believe in Jesus – we will find out – God had already CALLED us!
- CALLED us with a HOLY CALLING – hagios – to be HOLY or set apart for God…
- 2nd – Because His PUROSE has been revealed to us… vs. 10
- His PURPOSE was revealed at the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…
- Did you ever wonder why we call Jesus – Christ – like it is His last name…
- Jesus is His name – [יְהוֹשֻׁעַ] – Yahweh Shua – God is Salvation…
- Christ is his Title – [מָשִׁיחַ] – meaning the anointed one!
- When Jesus Christ appeared – virgin birth – the PURPOSE of God was revealed…
- Colossian 1:26 – “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.”
- The mystery of God – that from the beginning He planned to die for the sins of men!
- The Lamb of God was slain before the foundations of the World– Revelation 13:8
- God knows all things – He sees the end from the beginning…
- God knew that by creating man – it would mean He had to die – Isaiah 53:5
- How much does God love us – He created us knowing it would cost Him His life!
- The mystery of the cross – is the revelation of His GREAT Love for you and me!
- Romans 5:8 – “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- When Jesus appeared – FOUR things happened…
- 1 – He abolished THE death – speaking of the second death – I Corinthians 15:55
- 2 – He gave LIGHT – to show us the way to overcome death – John 8:12
- 3 – He gave us LIFE – He came so we would have ABUNDANT life – John 10:10
- 4 – He came to give us IMMORTALITY – would we say ETERNAL life – through the Gospel!
- So there is no reason for us EVER to be ashamed – we know how the story ends…
- We have no longer need to fear DEATH – we are free to live an abundant LIFE…
- Knowing what will happen when we die – we see Jesus face to face!
- Death is not the end – far from it – it is the beginning of ETERNAL life!
- His PURPOSE was revealed at the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…
- 3rd – Because we are APPOINTED… vs. 11
- APPOINTED – (aorist / passive) – to be set in place
- Paul was APPOINTED to be a preacher / apostle / teacher of the GENTILES…
- PREACHER – a herald – one who BRINGS the messages of a King…
- APOSTLE – an ambassador – someone who is SENT OUT to tells others about the Gospel…
- TEACHER – 58x in NT – someone who instructs believers in the Word of God!
- Paul did not choose his CALLING – he was APPOINTED…
- Acts 9 – Saul was on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus…
- A voice from Heaven called out saying – Saul why are you persecuting me…
- When he came to the city – a man named Ananias came to pray for him…
- The Lord had told Ananias – Saul is my CHOSEN vessel – Acts 9:15
- Acts 9:20 – “Immediately Saul preached the Christ… that He is the Son of God.”
- And he became the apostle the Gentles – Romans 11:13 / I Timothy 2:7 / Galatians 2:7
- Like Paul – God has a PLAN for our lives…
- He has APPOINTED (passive) us to a purpose in His Kingdom…
- The question inevitably becomes – how do I know what His purpose for me is…
- The key is to NOT be ASHAMED – as we BOLDLY stand up and PREACH Jesus…
- That is when we will find out exactly what He had called / APPOINTED us to do!
- APPOINTED – (aorist / passive) – to be set in place
- 4th – Because we are secure… vs. 12
- The APPOINTING of Paul – brought constant SUFFERING (present) …
- Yet in spite of his SUFFERING – Paul was NOT ashamed…
- Because he KNEW whom he had BELIEVED and was PERSUADED (perfect) …
- Jesus was able to KEEP (guard) that which Paul had COMMITED…
- COMMITED – only here NT – to make a DEPOSIT!
- A DEPOSIT that will be there for us until THE DAY – Day of Judgement!
- When you make DEPOSIT in a bank – you want to make sure it is secure…
- You want to know that when you come back for your money – it is still there…
- But if a bank has a reputation for always being robbed…
- We might be ashamed to admit that we foolishly trusted our money to them!
- When we put our faith in Jesus – we made A DEPOSIT…
- We gave Him our life with the promise one day we would receive eternal life!
- We put our DEPOSIT in a VERY SECURE bank – God will deliver His promise…
- Therefore we have no reason to worry – no cause to be ashamed…
- Because we know God will fulfill His promise and give us eternal life!
- Philippians 1:6 – “Confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”
- The APPOINTING of Paul – brought constant SUFFERING (present) …
- 1st – Because God SAVED us and CALLED us… vs. 9
Hebrews 10:24 – “Consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”
3rd – Examples of not being ashamed… vs. 13-18 (3 examples)
1st – The example of Paul… vs. 13-14
Hold fast (imperative) to the PATTERN – sound words you have heard from me…
PATTERN – 2x in NT – (from root typos) – an outline / sketch / or example…
Timothy knew how to NOT be ashamed – by following Paul – I Corinthians 11:1
If you want to learn how to do something – watch someone who knows!
We need to be careful whom we spend time with – who we are influenced by…
We all follow the example of someone – they lead us either towards or away from God…
Surround yourself with godly people – those who encourage your walk in the Lord!
An example of FAITH and LOVE…
The reality is not everyone who hears the Gospel – will believe…
As a matter of fact most likely only a small portion of those who hear will believe!
Matthew 7:13-14 – “For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
When we share the Gospel with others – they may reject us / mock us / ridicule us…
But consider the alternative – there is a VERY real consequence to rejecting Jesus!
We do not share Jesus because out of some sense of obligation – or for some reward…
We share the hope of the cross with them – because we LOVE them…
And we know there is NO other way to escape the JUDGEMENT that is coming!
For those who reject the Gospel – refuse to come to Jesus – there is JUDGEMENT…
Where the last thing they ever see will be God on His throne – then eternal darkness…
Revelation 20:10 – “The lake of fire and brimstone… tormented day and night forever…”
This is the Second Death – and the worst part of all – eternal separation from God…
Left to weep and gnash for eternity with no hope – no salvation!
Matthew 8:12 – “Outer darkness… weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Keeping people from Hell is worth a little ridicule – worth being made fun of…
We are talking about their eternal destination – people are worth fighting for!
An example to live by the Holy Spirit…
The GOOD (kalos) thing which was COMMITED to you…
COMMITED – same root word as APPOINTED – we would say the calling of Timothy…
How was Timothy to KEEP (guard – imperative) his calling…
Through the Holy Spirit who DWELLS (inside the house) in us – I Corinthians 6:19
I have been in many churches whose response to a lost world – create a committee…
They elect officials who endlessly discuss ideas of how to spread the Gospel…
And in the end – nothing happens – it is just a lot of words with no action!
God gives us His Holy Spirit to give us the POWER to take action!
When was the last time we shared Jesus with someone – told them the Good News…
We may NEVER have told anyone – because we have no power!
Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD.”
How do you get the Power of the Spirit – just ask…
Luke 11:13 -“Your heavenly Father [will] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask…”
Not just once –over and over and over again for – daily asking for the Holy Spirit!
Matthew 7:7 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find…”
We need to be daily filling up on the Holy Spirit to NOT be ashamed – KEEP our CALLING!
2nd – The example of Phygellus and Hermogenes… vs. 15
Timothy knew that all those from ASIA had TURNED AWAY (passive) from Paul…
ASIA – when the Bible talks about ASIA it is NOT referring to the continent…
The reference is to the Roman province of Asia Minor – modern day Turkey
Everyone from the churches in ASIA minor – had abandoned (passive) Paul…
Since the persecution and executions began under the reign of Caesar Nero…
Many of the believers in Jesus had gone underground – into hiding…
And when Paul was arrested very few people were willing to come see him…
They feared for their own lives if it was discovered they were his friend!
In particular two men – only here NT – Phygellus (fugitive) and Hermogenes (lucky) …
They were men who were friends of Paul – till things got TOUGH!
Given as an example – of what happens if we serve God in OUR own strength…
When things get TOUGH – we will fall apart – and run away from God!
3rd – The example of Onesiphorus… vs. 16-18
The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus (help bringer) …
He often REFRESHED – only here NT – to cool off – bring a nice breeze…
And he was NOT ashamed of the CHAINS of Paul (visited him in prison)!
Hebrews 13:3 – “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also.”
My Father went into nursing homes / and prison for more than 30 years…
It was not a glamorous way to serve – or easy – sick elderly / hard prisoners…
But as a result I do not think I could count the number of people he led to Jesus!
We are called to refresh one another – not just when it is convenient or easy…
There is great joy as we get to pour the love of Jesus into the lives of others!
Proverbs 11:25 – “Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Onesiphorus went to Rome to find Paul…
He had ministered to Paul MANY times while he was in Ephesus…
But when Paul was arrested the second time…
He left Ephesus and traveled 1000km – likely taking him months to get to Rome…
And when he arrived – he searched zealously (only here NT) till he found Paul…
In other words it was no accident – he WANTED to encourage Paul!
As a result Paul prayed the Lord would grant him MERCY – in THE Day!
Standing up for Jesus does not happen by accident…
When you first meet the women / man you marry – there is GREAT excitement…
But over time – if we are not careful – we can lose the joy – the love we once had…
Good relationships do not happen by accident – they take time and effort!
Often times we get complacent in our walk with God – it becomes routine…
The joy we once felt – the excitement of following Jesus – melts away into apathy…
It takes work – effort – to keep on fire for the Lord – dedicated to following Him…
We have to make the time – to kindle – stir up – the fire of our love for the Lord!
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