"8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.
9 He has saved us and called us
with a holy calling,
not according to our works,
but according to His own purpose and grace,
which was given to us in Christ Jesus
before time began."
II Timothy 1:8-9
Good Morning Beloved,
Thank you for joining us today.
Heavenly Father,
Father, we rejoice in having the joy and privilege in learning another portion of Your Holy Word. Such a rich passage in Your Word. Lord, may You bless us with new wisdom, so that we understand like we have never understood before. After today's message from You, may our spirit's be rekindled afresh, with a higher priority on the expansion of Your kingdom.
Father, place within each of our hearts, that perfect love, the kind that casts out all fear. Grant to us the discipline and self-control to order every element of our life that You’ve given us, that it might be used with a renewed energy, empowered by Your Spirit, that we might live out our days with an eternal meaning and purpose.
Father, we just pray, that not one of us would ever be ashamed of the one who was not ashamed to call us brother, never be ashamed of the One True God, who is not ashamed to call Himself our Father. And may we never be ashamed of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Redeemer, the One You sent to earth, to sacrifice His own life, that we may have ours and be in paradise, with You.
In Christs' precious name
Amen and Amen
Today, in our scripture lesson ,the Apostle Paul gives some helpful advice to Timothy
to remain solid and grounded in Christian service, and endure the suffering during the difficult days to come. Open with me your Bibles, the II Timothy chapter 1. II Timothy 1:8-9.
Follow along with me, if you would, as I read to you from this marvelous passage.
"So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."
Look, it is so easy for us to serve Christ when things are well, when everything is going good. Life is exciting. It often leaves us feeling personally rewarded, as though God is pleased with what we're doing. As if to say, "God must be really pleased, look at all He's doing for me." Wouldn't you agree? However, without the proper foundation, in contrast, it's easy to want to quit during difficult times, when nothing is going our way. The want to just give up when the load we carry becomes too heavy, in a time of trials or mounting persecution.
"A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."
James 1:12
Timothy may have become afraid to preach the message of Jesus Christ.
And, he would have had good reason to be afraid. The fact that believers were being arrested and put into prison because of their faith. And, quite often, it was far worse, they were being executed.
Paul told Timothy to expect suffering But Paul promised Timothy that God would give him strength when it was his turn to suffer.
Even at times when there is no persecution, it can be difficult to share our faith in God. People, especially in today's culture, are not always receptive to the gospel. Fortunately, like Paul and Timothy, we have the Holy Spirit to call upon to give us courage. Regardless, of the age in which we live, no matter what state of the world, we must never be ashamed to testify, to witness, to share the gospel, message with others!
Beloved, we should be unashamed to testify, to tell others what God has done for you.
To proclaim, "God is Good to ME!!!" Shout it at the top of your lungs, without holding back!
Shout, to let the whole world know what an awesome God you serve
and all the goodness He has poured into your life and your heart!
Tell the world what God has done for me.
And, God will do it for you too!
Who cares what the world or the person walking by you may think!
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
Romans 1:16-17
Paul's testimony: He persecuted the believers before His conversion, he was called by God, and ended up preaching the gospel.
So, what's your testimony?
Where did you come from, where are you going and what are you doing today?
That's the important thing about your life.
What are you doing in your life right now that counts for Christ?
How are you serving Him?
God help us to live for His glory!
Unashamed to be a prisoner for the Lord "or of me his prisoner."
So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.
II Timothy 1:8
Paul never refers to himself being a prisoner of the Romans or a prisoner of the Jews.
Even while he was in prison
Paul saw himself as a prisoner of the Lord!
He knew he was exactly where God wanted him to be.
Paul did most of his writing from either house arrest or prison.
Paul was well aware of how an angel freed Peter from prison.
Paul was well aware of how Philip just disappeared from one place and appeared in another.
Paul knew that the iron bars and soldiers were not really holding him there.
He knew he was right where God needed him to be,
so he calls himself a prisoner of the Lord instead of a prisoner of man or circumstances.
Are you still living a life in bondage? What are you a prisoner of today?
Is it your circumstance? Addiction? Sexual desires? Guilt?
We must boldly proclaim, out loud, and to the world unbelieving; "I refuse to be a prisoner in bondage! I will not live another moment in the pain of the past, I will not live another day in fear of the future. I am set free by the blood of Jesus Christ."
We must be unashamed to live our life in Christ! We must be unashamed to share the gospel, and unashamed to suffer for the gospel.
"Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God."
II Timothy 1:8
We’ve been saved to serve, told to tell, and won to win!
Because we know the truth in Jesus we are responsible for sharing that truth to others!
And we must be unashamed that we are God’s appointed persons to do it.
Are you unashamed to be saved and to called to live a holy life? Because, "He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
II Timothy 1:9
I know, some of you may be asking, "How can I live a holy life?" We must first understand what holy means. To be holy means to be set apart To be holy means to be separated from sin and evil. God is holy! And it is impossible to be apart from God be holy.
We must have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and the Holy Spirit filling us with His holiness.
We can only live a holy life through the power of the Spirit.
The first step to living a holy life is to accept Jesus as Savior.
Romans 10:9-10 tells us, " If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation."
Then, we must, "Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
Once you have taken these steps of salvation, we are declared righteous or Holy unto God.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
"Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:1
Then God has a plan or design or purpose for your life
So that we can live a holy life by being obedient to God in all the different areas of life
Knowing God Word and obeying God’s Word is the key.
I know, it’s not always easy to choose obedience to God, especially if we’re trying to do it all on our own. Especially, if we're under the influence of worldly temptations. Believe me, Satan would love nothing more than to bring us back into bondage through disobedience!
But we have the promise, "You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
I John 4:4
Jesus is the real deal.
Christians will win in the end.
We are champions, I am on the honor roll in heaven!
Beloved, let me tell you, I am unashamed of Jesus Christ!
I am unashamed of the Gospel!
Unashamed of the purpose and grace of Jesus
"but according to His own purpose and grace."
II Timothy 1:9
In Closing...
Evangelist Dwight L. Moody loved to study the Bible topically, and it occurred to him one day that he had never studied the subject of grace. So, setting aside a day, Moody gave himself a day to study of God’s grace. However, he found, a second day was needed. He discovered, by even a third day, Moody had still not finished his task. By the late afternoon of the third day, however, Moody was so filled with his subject, that he had to go out on the street and talk to somebody about it.
He stopped a complete stranger, Moody said, "My friend, do you know anything about grace?"
Surprised at the question, the man replied, "Grace who?"
Do you know anything about grace, the grace of God? Are you sharing God's grace with others who may not know anything about it? There are many things that we all do in life that may cause us shame, but there is one thing for which we should never be ashamed and that’s our faith in Jesus Christ! We must be unashamed of Jesus Christ!
Beloved, its one thing to know God's grace, however, we need to live it and shout it from the housetops. A light is not to be hidden but rather to be put on a stand where it can forth it’s light!
Be Unashamed.
We have the light of the Living Savior is us!
We must "Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!"
How would your life look different if you lived with absolutely shame? What would change in your?
So what is keeping you from living life free from shame?
I am unashamed!
Are you?
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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