2 Timothy 1.1-7

2 Timothy Greeting 1 1 Paul, a an apostle of Christ Jesus b by the will of God according to c the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, d my beloved child: e Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You 3 f I thank God g whom I serve, as did my ancestors, h with a clear conscience, as I remember you i constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 j As I remember your tears, k I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of l your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and m your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you n to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us o a spirit not of fear but p of power and love and self-control.

2 Timothy 1:1-7

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2 Timothy 1 1 Παῦλος ἀπόστολος // Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ \\ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ κατ’ ἐπαγγελίαν ζωῆς τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ 2 Τιμοθέῳ ἀγαπητῷ τέκνῳ· χάρις, ἔλεος, εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. 3 Χάριν ἔχω τῷ θεῷ, ᾧ λατρεύω ἀπὸ προγόνων ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει, ὡς ἀδιάλειπτον ἔχω τὴν περὶ σοῦ μνείαν ἐν ταῖς δεήσεσίν μου, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας 4 ἐπιποθῶν σε ἰδεῖν, μεμνημένος σου τῶν δακρύων, ἵνα χαρᾶς πληρωθῶ 5 ὑπόμνησιν ^ λαβὼν τῆς ἐν σοὶ ἀνυποκρίτου πίστεως, ἥτις ἐνῴκησεν πρῶτον ἐν τῇ μάμμῃ σου Λωΐδι καὶ τῇ μητρί σου Εὐνίκῃ, πέπεισμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἐν σοί. 6 δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν ἀναμιμνῄσκω σε ἀναζωπυρεῖν τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν μου· 7 οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς πνεῦμα δειλίας, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ.

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Notes

God gave us a Spirit of power, love and self-control; not a spirit of fear Intro : What is true Christian courage? What are the fake versions? How can we be en-couraged? Paul writes to en-courage Timothy, and he begins by helping him see that God's gracious gifts in the past and the present spur him on to active, Christian courage in the here and now. 1. Paul longs to see Timothy (v1-4) Paul's sincere affection for Timothy; he truly loves him. 2. Paul urges Timothy to courage, in light of God's gracious heritage (v5-7) Whom I serve/worship, 'from my ancestors'...Heritage is big here. Heritage of Israel, and Paul to Timothy, and Lois/Eunice to Timothy. But ultimately the heritage is a heritage of gifts from God. Gifts to them, and now in the present gifts to us. Why the mention of a clear conscience? First thing he speaks against or cautions against is cowardice. That the gift wouldn't be taken seriously, due to fear. Gift of God - cf 1 Timothy 4 . Needs to be actively worked at. A Spirit (i.e., Holy Spirit) of power, love, self-control - what each means. Self-control; like the athlete who keeps getting himself up and training, in season and out of season. A real pro. Never regret a training session, afterwards. 'I hated every minute of my training.' God's glory . He gives gifts and grace, keeps giving, and his gifts give a compound interest long after the people are gone; known as Christian heritage. FCF . Fear/cowardice. Passivity, shrinking back. Burying the talents in the ground. Disbelieving that God's empowering Spirit works power, love, self-control. H1. Overt and obvious fear; stopping doing things, stopping ministry. We conservatives may point the finger easily. H2. Subtle and covert cowardice. Keeping the forms but losing the function. E.g., still preaching what is technically true but no longer working hard at applying it to the actual people. Parenting, keeping forms of family life but losing the capacity to answer hard or awkward questions in real time. Coming to church meetings but not actually messaging or connecting with others in any informal way in between. Making no time for unbelievers in your life, yet praying publicly for evangelism. Person of Jesus . He is the incarnation not of fear but of power, love, self-control. Work of Jesus . Power, love, self-control shown at his cross. This weakness is the power to save and establish an everlasting kingdom. This self-giving is love. This resolute journey to death is self-control. When others betray and abandon, Jesus shows true self-control. Power to endure suffering. Union with Jesus . Power - i.e., what is effective. It is usually 'weak power', yet unstoppable power. Like mustard seed. Love , takes empowering. Self-control ; the sense of having your attention and life under direction of wisdom. Like a horse well-trained and harnessed. Gospel people are to be self-control people; not only negative but also positive - able to motivate to doing the right and often hard thing. We will see in the next few verses that this 'power' enables the Christian to endure suffering. Invitation . Come and kindle into flame the gift of God's life in your soul, a life of power and love and self-control. Confrontation . Don't give into fear and cowardice in its various kinds, but rekindle the gift of God. Consolation . The Lord's grace is enough for today. We do not lack resources, however weak we seem. The Lord gives power which is enough to endure today faithfully. Wrap up: What is true Christian courage? What are the fake versions? How can we be en-couraged? Paul writes to en-courage Timothy, and he begins by helping him see that God's gracious gifts in the past and the present spur him on to active, Christian courage in the here and now.

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