2nd Timothy 1 | Guard & Guide: Fanning the Flame

We're starting

a new series and new series, just a new book in the series

from Second Timothy chapter and chapter one this morning we just got done

looking through first Timothy and Jeff did a great job wrapping up last week.

Thank you my friend. Great job.

Good job on that song too.

That hit like I wanted it to. That's good stuff.

Y'all need to look up that song on Spotify and download it

and let it play in your ears all day long.

Anyway, second Timothy,

let me just kind of set the background here.

Paul wrote, I think, four letters to individuals.

Most of his letters were to people groups in churches,

but four of them were two individuals, the Apostle Paul.

First Timothy, second Timothy, Titus, and Philemon

were the only four written to specific individuals.

And so this is really, really,

really unique territory that we're in as far as the Scripture is concerned.

And this letter

he wrote somewhere around 64 to 65 A.D.

and the occasion of this letter is he's in prison now.

He's been in prison before, but it was a different scenario.

The first time he was a prisoner in Rome, he was under house arrest

and allowed a great deal of liberty to travel and have visitors.

And a guard was always with them.

But he had a great freedom in Rome.

The first time.

And then we know he was released from custody for a while

and for, I don't know, maybe 5 or 6 years or so.

He was free to travel. He wasn't in custody anymore.

And so he made some travels.

He always wanted to go to

what was known as Asia back then, and we think he made it there.

But he gets arrested a second time,

taken back to Rome, and now he's in prison.

But this is a different scenario. Is not under house arrest.

Now, as an old man, he's in his 60s is in

what we most commonly think of as a prison in Rome.

And what was unique about this prison is

there were basically cisterns or dungeons

in it, big circular underground rooms

with no windows, no light,

no access to anything, just a stone hole.

And over the roof was an o, a circular opening where the prisoners

could, or the prison guards could drop food down to the prisoner.

And it was like on death row, and you knew when you were there

your execution was going to be soon.

And so this is where he is

when he writes this letter to second Timothy.

It's the last known writing we have of the Apostle Paul.

He knows his beheading is going to be beheaded.

He knows that's coming soon.

And he wants to impart to Timothy, who's in his 30 probably,

that he's been mentoring these final instructions.

He was eventually beheaded in about 67 A.D.

under the,

the auspices of, Caesar Nero.

The interesting thing about Nero is

Nero was a brilliant builder.

But he just went crazy,

and I think he just got possessed, demonically.

And and he so badly wanted to rebuild Rome.

This was all whilst Paul was still like he so badly wanted to rebuild Rome

that he asked the Senate for permission to leverage the

the state taxes so that he could rebuild Rome.

He was a brilliant builder and the Senate said, we don't have enough money

in the coffers of the state for you to go through the process of rebuilding Rome.

So what did Caesar do? What did Nero do?

He lit on fire.

He lit. He lit Rome on fire.

Haven't ever heard that.

The saying that that, See, Caesar, fiddled while he watched Rome burn.

You ever heard that?

Well, he did watch Rome burn.

He didn't play a fiddle. Fiddles run.

And then I think till, like, the 15 or 14 hundreds or so. So?

So, like he didn't play a fiddle, but he probably played a harmonica.

I don't know, he just, like he wrote.

He he destroyed ten of the 14 districts of Rome by fire.

Completely burned it down.

He had to have a scapegoat for the fire because he couldn't claim.

Well, I didn't like you told me. No. So I.

So the scapegoat or the Christians

and so demonically possessed was Nero.

That in what started was probably the one of the greatest

waves of persecution against the church that the world has seen.

It was so brutal and grotesque

that Caesar would douse Christians in oil, tie them to stakes around his garden

and light them on fire so he could look at his garden at night.

So brutal was it that he would cover

Christians in in animal skins, give them a head start,

and then turn the hunting dogs loose on them?

I mean, it was just demonic in nature.

And it's under this Caesar Nero that Paul is arrested,

sitting in maritime jail, knowing that his beheading is coming soon.

And so he writes this final letter.

You know, there's.

There's

an overlooked benefit

to knowing your death is near.

Because when you have those, though, the honor of knowing

that it can bring great clarity

and if need be, correction. Right.

And so Paul's

using this time to look back on his 30 plus years

of ministry and church planting and this incredible work of God.

And he's looking back thinking, what is it like?

Have you ever thought, like, if you knew

with like sometime this year, you were going to die,

have you ever thought about what your words

would be to those you're leaving behind?

Have you ever thought about scripting that out?

Probably not.

So many of us do.

Like, oh, this is kind of a downer, but this is where Paul is in.

So look, I know that I'm going to die soon.

And so one of the last things I want to say,

and he writes this letter to Timothy called Second Timothy.

So we're just going to go through this and and I'm going to bring some things out.

But, but here's the big idea for this, for this whole mess.

Here's the big Paul's.

One big idea for Timothy is God lights the fire, but you better bring the wood

like God's lights the fire in us.

We don't choose God first.

He chooses us first. That's what the Bible says.

And by the grace of God,

he extends the first invitation to have a relationship with him.

We don't seek him out.

He seeks us out first, and then we respond to his seeking.

That's all done by grace.

So he starts that fire.

But it's our

responsibility now.

After accepting him as our Savior,

to bring the wood, to keep the fire burning.

You understand, I'm saying.

And so this one is going to tell Timothy.

So I've been praying for the last couple of days that God gives me,

a pace and a temper about this,

that isn't overwhelming.

And and I don't present it with both barrels blazing.

And so I'm going to do my best to be calm

and to just walk through this

like a gentle pastor

who don't laugh because I said so.

Anyway, verses one two, three here

this Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God,

according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus.

To Timothy, my beloved child, he's in his 30s, but grace,

mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Verse three I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors,

with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.

Let me start in verse one.

Paul identifies I am Paul and he says, I'm an apostle of Christ by the will of God,

according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus.

He he reasserts his call and at the end of his life.

And this is what's so great

about knowing that you're walking towards the finish line.

You start to assess what has has God called me to do?

Who has God called me to be?

And when that becomes clear, then you can assess, have I accomplished that task?

Have I fulfilled that purpose?

And Paul says, God, by the will of God, he has called me as an apostle.

I wasn't put in this position by a vote of a congregation.

I wasn't appointed this by a man.

This was God's call from God himself to me

of my role in this world for his kingdom.

And he is, he asserts that, and he solidifies that again in his mind

because he knows

I need to know

who I am and what God has called me to do.

And he says, he's called me that according to the promise of the life

that is in Christ Jesus.

He knows he's going to die, and his focus is not on his death.

His focus is on what

he just said it according

to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.

He knows his.

He's going to be beheaded soon, but his focus isn't on his beheading.

His focus isn't on his death.

His focus is on what life that is in Christ Jesus.

Most of us, when we and I've been with a lot of people in those final moments,

and as they get the news that that time is coming sooner than later

than they didn't expect it, most of the focus of that is on death.

Why God, why don't you?

When will you?

I mean, I understand humanly, I understand the focus on the death part.

But Paul,

having a transformed mind

is not focused on his death.

He's focused on the life that is.

He is in Christ Jesus

is a different breed.

And this is what Christ

followers in Scripture did. Did.

If any of you have had the privilege of sitting in a school like this,

teaching and preaching, you know what?

I know that

sometimes you preach it to yourself before you preach it him for years, right?

I think that's what Paul's doing.

He's reminded himself, Paul, God has called me.

I've run this race

and I'm focused on the life that is mine in Christ Jesus.

Like he's preaching to himself.

He's preaching fear out of his mind.

You know what I'm saying?

And sometimes we gotta do that.

And he says to Timothy, my beloved, grace,

mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

When Paul writes to churches and, and, and, and groups,

he always starts with grace and peace from God to you.

Whenever he writes to the individuals, Timothy,

Titus for them, he adds this issue of mercy. Why?

Because he knows individuals need mercy.

Yeah. And especially pastors,

these are pastoral epistles.

You're right.

Timothy was a pastor. Titus was a pastor.

He knows how much mercy he has needed from God.

And he says, if you're in a leadership position, guess what?

You need the mercy of God.

And so includes it here.

So that's all the setup, he says, I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors.

The clear conscience as I remember you constantly in my prayers.

Night and day.

Did you know that Paul only prayed two times

whenever it was night, whenever it was day?

Night and day.

Sometimes

God puts us in positions of dungeons and isolation

as preparation, not as punishment.

And we seem to not understand that when we go through those seasons in life

where it is completely isolated,

lonely and places of desolation, we think God, why?

Why, what have I done that this is happening

and something not all, but sometimes

those are places not of punishment.

Those are places of preparation.

Because it's in those times that God says,

if I don't strip everything away from you right now,

you will not approach me in desperation that you need to.

You won't.

You'll get so sidetracked by everything else.

And sometimes I gotta put you in a dungeon so you'll realize that I'm all you got.

I'm all you need.

And this intimacy with you and me gets revealed.

What happens is,

most of the time when we're in those those seasons of desolation

and isolation, we turn to all kinds of other things before God.

And when we turn to God, it's not a complaint, not intimacy.

We'll turn to drink.

We'll turn to distraction.

We'll turn to hobbies. We'll turn to other people.

But we will not in, in, in, in humbled desperation, seek the face of God.

To understand, understand.

And so, Paul, God puts Paul in this place.

He's got nothing else

but God

because Paul knew that's all he ever needed.

And so what does Paul do?

There's nobody to preach to.

There's no missionary journey. So what does he do?

He prays

because Paul knows prayer is the greater work.

It doesn't prepare for the greater work.

It is the greater work.

S.D. Gordon has a great quote about he says this

you can do more than pray after you pray,

but you cannot do more than pray until you pray.

Like prayer is not all we get to do.

We can do all kinds of stuff after we pray, but we can't do anything

until we pray.

You follow

friends.

This is why our first Tuesday thing is so important,

is so important.

When we get together, we see God's heart

according to how Jesus taught us to pray.

And it's just as intimate communication

praising him for who he is, thanking him for what he's done.

Affirming your will needs to be done on this earth.

Your kingdom needs to come

and then bring his supplications and requests,

seeking God of forgiveness.

Like a church that tries to do stuff

before it does that it's useless.

And I'm so proud of the

five or 6 or 7 of us that do that

every month.

Verse four.

As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

Have you ever, if you ever had those people in your life that

God put their

to bring you joy?

Yeah. Do you know what I'm saying?

Like you probably got we probably got a lot of people in my life.

I like a.

But there are some.

That it's like you are

like God's joy in my life.

And Paul is saying, Timothy, that was you, man.

And I thank God for you.

Verse five, I'm reminded of your sincere faith, of faith that dwelt

first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice.

And now, I'm sure, dwells in you as well.

So look, Timothy, I'm so thankful.

I'm so thankful

that you've got this grandma

who loved the Lord and this mom who loved the Lord.

I'm so thankful that that you had that foundation because what Paul knows is this

that second hand faith can't feel first hand relationship.

And so Paul says, I'm glad you had that heritage and the foundation.

But he says, but

I'm sure dwells in you as well.

Just because the foundation is there at home doesn't mean it's

transferred into the into the child at home.

Now it's it's God has ordained it so that it goes

from the grandparent to the parent to the child.

But just because the parent, the grandparent, the parent have

it doesn't mean the child will.

And so he's affirming.

Timothy, I'm glad that you have chosen the head of the faith heritage

that was modeled to you.

Now, let me say this.

There are some parents and grandparents in this church

have done an amazing job at laying a faith foundation for their kids.

Amazing job.

And you stand before God with a clear conscience

that father, we have done the best we could at laying the foundation.

And though you've done the best you could lay the foundation.

Your kids still have not accepted him

as their Savior and continued in him and have rather rejected him.

And that hurts.

And that's painful.

But please understand

that a child walking with Jesus

is not because the parents

have done a great job, and a child not walk with

Jesus doesn't mean the parents have not done a great job.

It's by the grace of God in that child.

Yes, that that child has to accept

and has to bend the knee of submission.

Our job is to do our job

and trust that God, in his mercy

and grace, allows that child to get to whatever point they need to get to.

So they will then bend the knee of salvation.

And so, parents, thank you for the job you've done.

Grandparents, thank you for the job you've done.

You've done all you could do.

Now we trust the mercy and grace of God to do what he does get.

Understand? I'm saying.

But don't neglect your job.

And says, Timothy, you have the foundation,

and I'm thankful that you've chosen that as well for your life.

And then the charge

for this reason, I remind you to fan into flame

the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.

This is the crux of what Paul's message will be to this man

at the end of Paul's life.

Fan into flame.

The Greek word for fan into flame

is ana zo perreo. The.

You aren't going to remember that, and I'm not going to ask you to say it,

but think of the word pyro,

okay?

A pyro is someone who what

starts fires like big ones.

That's this word.

And what he's saying is Timothy.

Timothy, this fire was started

in you through your grandma and your mom.

And by the grace of God, he lit this fire in you.

But over these past seven years or so, you're letting that fire die out.

It's getting cold and nobody can see the flames in your life anymore.

Here's this whole picture that Paul's encouraging to fan into flame

is that of a campfire, or in your house of a of a fireplace.

And the the flames used to be there, and now it's kind of died down.

But you still, if you look closely, you can see the glowing embers.

Right. You understand?

You know, if you look close, like you don't see the flame.

But if you, if you, if you investigate,

you'll see some, you'll see some coals grow in there.

He said, listen, you let the flame die down into embers,

and someone has to look real close to see if there's any fire burning.

Stoke it into flame. Timothy. Yeah.

Quite saying.

And similarly, in our

lives, God has started something.

And maybe the flame used to burn bright and hot,

but now it's kind of dwindle.

And if people look close, they'll see the ember.

They shouldn't have to look close.

You understand?

And he's saying, fuel that,

get some oxygen in it, feed it,

put some fuel on it because it's got to come back to life.

Most.

So here's my question.

How are you fueling the flame?

If your fuel consists of one day a week, listen to me.

I'm glad you're here, but that's not much fuel.

Fanning the flame.

The gift of God. That word. Gift.

It's a Greek word. Charismatic.

It means the spiritual gift given to you by discretion of the father.

Through the Holy Spirit.

When you accepted Jesus, he gave you a spiritual gift,

at least one that is to be used in the service.

The further so the kingdom, through the church and he's saying,

you have to understand what that is and fuel that so that it rages fire.

You let it grow cold.

Nobody can even see the gift you of God's given you,

because you don't use it and you're not feeding it.

Fuel it.

Notice what he says.

Fuel. Fan the flame.

The gift God gave you.

Notice what he doesn't say.

He doesn't say fan into flame.

Your hobby.

He doesn't say fan into flame.

Your career.

He doesn't say fan into flame.

Your education.

He doesn't say fan into flame.

Your athletic acumen.

Not that those are bad things,

but he says what you put fire to

is the gift of God and His testimony through you to the world,

through the church.

He doesn't say fan into flame the potential that is in you.

I get so sick and tired of people talking about personal potential

that's such a dangerous, potentially evil word. Why?

Because your personal potential can you lead you away from the kingdom?

Because my personal potential

is based on who I am, my desires, my skills.

And it's so dangerous.

When parents focus on the potential of their children.

Don't focus on potential.

Focus on calling

potential a self-serving,

calling his kingdom.

We got to be very careful.

So a lot of good things aren't there,

but they'll let us away from the kingdom.

I think every Christian would say, oh no, the kingdom is really,

really, really important to us. Absolutely.

Unless the pursuit of my potential he has, you know, comes in conflict

with a Sunday morning or Wednesday night or giving finances in,

I'm up to see my potential.

I wish

I could talk to every young parent

personally

and encourage them.

Listen as you raise your children,

be very

mindful of what you champion and critique

and what you celebrate and what you criticize.

Make sure that what you champion and critique, celebrate and criticize

is leading towards the 30 year old Christian disciple

you're raising, rather than the 11 year old athletic

prodigy.

Against an.

Parents you're raising

think you should be raising 30 year old disciples right now.

Not successful high school kids.

You get that in your head that will change everything

that you celebrate and promote and invest in.

Is it any wonder why kids

graduate high school, go to college, and get seduced

by progressive liberalism and walk away from the church?

It's really no surprise,

because most people have made the mistake of celebrating

and championing their kids potential rather than their calling.

You okay?

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

How do you know the.

Well, how do you know?

How do you know personally what you're supposed to fan into flame?

Because it's different.

God gifting of you.

What he's given you and asked of you is different than what he has to me.

How do you know? I'm going to tell you,

if God were to call you aside and you and it's

just you and God talking one on one,

and God were to say, hey,

I want to talk to you about that one area

that I gave you that you let get cold.

What would he say that one area is

if we're just you and him?

And he said, hey, I want

I want to talk to you about this, this one area that you need to stoke in flame.

What would that one that

you know what it is.

See what happens

is that our fire doesn't die.

It doesn't.

It's not from attack. It's from neglect.

Yeah. Oh, yes.

You understand that, Sean, thank you for verbalizing what other people are saying.

But then everybody else is like, oh, I'm not going to say anything other than me.

Oh, this seriously, some of you went to he was like, oh yeah.

You're like, oh, that's what he said.

I mean, right, I, you

like that fire.

It's it's, it's it doesn't die from attack from outside.

It dies out from neglect inside.

Listen, don't give anything more fuel

than you give your faith.

For God

gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.

Whatever you live

in fear of did not come from God.

Let me say it again.

Whatever you live in fear of did not come from God because he has not

given you a spirit of fear or timidity,

but of power and love and a sound mind.

Every fear that we have learned

to let control our lives is a learned fear

that's come to us from a life from the devil.

Humans are only born digital, humans only born

with two fears, the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling.

Every other fear that we have is a learned, accepted fear

and it didn't come to us from God.

Most fears, more commonly, are the result of believing the lies of the devil.

The fears in your life are not because of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Think about it

like if, if,

if I were standing right here and Jesus was right here,

like if you show him bodily form, we.

What would I be fearful of?

Not seeing,

right?

Like after the resurrection, all 11 of the apostles died

a violent martyr's death.

Fearless. Why? Because the resurrection.

Because there's no fear in a Christ follower of a resurrected Jesus.

So every fear that we let control our lives is a life from the devil.

It's not because we're close to Jesus.

Don't mean to push us more.

Every fear you have of your child,

for your child,

it's not because you're walking close to Jesus that you're fearful for him.

I understand being concerned.

I'm not saying don't be concerned. You're a parent. You better be concerned.

But you don't parent out of fear.

You don't control out of fear.

All that hell stuff you're dealing with.

Paul started

this whole thing because I'm convinced the life

that is mine, not the death that's impending,

fearless.

Right.

All right.

Is giving us

a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.

A sound mind

doesn't give in to the spirit of fear.

When you and I are paralyzed by fear,

we are acting against the spirit.

God has given us.

Because a peaceful mind lives in stark contrast

to a panic, fear and chaos of a frightful mind.

So some of you

may need to pray

that the God

of the resurrected

Christ

gives you more of his transforming presence in your life,

and lay hold of the sound mind

that he's already provided for you, that you have neglected

receiving.

And I never want to be one of those pastors says,

hey, maybe you should pray and then don't give him a chance to pray.

And so

for all of the fearful ones

who have lived in a spirit of fear.

I want to give you a chance to pray.

If you are Christ's and he is yours,

and accept the gift of a sound mind

that is already yours.

Some of you need this.

And so let's pray.

In your own words.

But let me just walk you through it.

It's real simple.

It's already been granted you.

It's already been gifted you.

You might not have received it yet,

but I would invite you

to say something along the lines of, Lord, I am sorry

that I have let fear run my mind.

Chaos rule my life.

That's not the spirit you've given me.

That's not the spirit from you.

I have given myself to the lies and the worries of the evil one.

And this morning I reject those.

In the authority

of the name of Jesus, I accept.

And I receive the spirit of power

and love and a sound mind that are already mine.

Help me live in

and help me live with that spirit.

It's already mine.

In your name I pray.

Amen.

Listen.

That government.

I know what time it is.

Come. You'd like it.

More verses.

I'll do chunk.

So to go quick. No.

Look at verse 889 ten.

Therefore don't be ashamed

of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering

and share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us

and called us to be to a holy calling, not because our works,

but because of his own purpose and grace,

which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

and which now has been manifested through the appearing

of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death

and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

He said, don't be ashamed.

Now the testimony this this is solid stuff.

You grab on to this stuff. Don't be ashamed of this stuff.

Share in the verse eight.

Share in the suffering of the gospel by the power of God.

Paul's invitation to Timothy on behalf

of Jesus is to share in the suffering for Jesus.

That's not a popular invitation.

We want to add Jesus to our life to alleviate suffering.

Jesus said, in this world, you're going to have trouble.

It hit him. He's going to hit you too.

Paul says, I want to invite you into suffering for Jesus.

Listen, if you are living a life of a of an

on fire person for Christ, it's going to cause you trouble.

It just is.

When you and I start speaking up on behalf of Christ

to those who are degrading him, it's going to cause some issue, he said.

I'm inviting you into that, Timothy.

Embrace that. Don't run away from it.

You don't have a spirit of fear, timidity about what others might say or think.

Or do you have others?

Do you have a spirit of power, of love and sound so pressed into that?

Engage in that it's okay and you'll suffer

well when you have the Spirit of God and the power of God in you.

So here's a question.

Do you know that kind of power in your life?

Can you

suffer willingly and press into that and suffer with joy?

That's the power of God.

Send that into flame.

Speak up when others are speaking down.

Yeah,

he said, he's called us sinners from the beginning of time.

By his grace, he's the one that sought us out.

We don't seek him out.

We respond to his seeking.

But by his grace he seeks us.

And then in response, we say, okay,

I'll follow you and I'll give you my life.

And he says, all of this has been manifested, verse

ten, through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.

He said, So Jesus illuminated this.

And what did he illuminate?

He illuminated life and immortality is brought to light through the gospel.

Verse ten says, if you look through the Old Testament,

death and eternity is really a mystery,

like some people have a kind of developed understanding, some not so much.

And it's real kind of really all over the map.

But after Jesus, his death and his resurrection,

Paul says Jesus illuminated life and immortality.

Now there's no more question. There's no more chaos

because of Jesus, his death and his resurrection.

He illuminates what life is all about and the reality of immortality

and eternal life.

So we don't question it.

There's no fear, there's no chaos.

It's all been brought to light by Jesus.

Now watch this.

For which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle and a teacher,

which is why I suffer as I do.

But I'm not ashamed, for I know who I am.

I have believed, and I'm convinced that he's able to guard it until the day,

until that day, what has been entrusted me?

He said, look, Jesus.

He called me out of his grace.

I responded, I'm not ashamed.

And he made me. What do you say?

A preacher, an apostle, a teacher, three rolls of Paul.

He's a God. Ask this of me and a preacher.

I'm refer claim the gospel of Jesus and all kinds of people God saved.

I'm an apostle.

He traveled around the world starting churches. That's what.

That's the gift of apostleship.

And I'm a teacher. It's what we do on Sunday morning.

We go into doctrine, he said.

These are my three rules that God gave me to do because of God's grace.

And I did them, and because I was faithful to God

and because I did what God damn it led me to do.

Now I'm in a dungeon waiting to be beheaded.

Welcome to Christianity. Yes. Yeah.

Right, right.

Okay. Whoa, wait, wait.

Hold on. God, I served you.

I let people to you.

I built churches for you. I taught sound doctrine.

And this is how you're going to pay me back for it, right?

Right. Wouldn't that be our response?

I've done all this.

And look at what you've done for me.

Nothing.

And Paul says,

I did it all, and that's why I suffer.

And I would do it again and again and again

and again and again.

I regret that I have

but one life to live and die for the kingdom of God.

Amen.

Vanity.

The flame.

Right, right.

God. So good.

Jim Elliot, great missionary

who literally lost his head by the Indians headhunters before he died.

Obviously

he said he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Listen, you're no fool to give what you cannot

keep your life to gain what you could never lose.

Eternity.

I'll do it all over again.

My one regret at the end of my life will be that

I don't have another life to do it again.

30. 40.

I'm almost done.

He says I'm convinced that it God is able to guard it until that day.

Like God will take care of me.

I don't have any doubt about that.

Verse 13 follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me

in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

When Paul uses that word sound words, it literally means healthy words

like I've given you doctrine that are it's good for you, it's healthy for you.

Follow that guard at Timothy and guide people into it.

That's why we call the soul series guard and Guide.

These are healthy words by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

Guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Verse 15.

You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me,

among whom are the jealous and homogenize.

So look, at the end of the day, everybody walked away.

Like I

started with, some people aren't with me anymore.

And it's not because they moved.

It's because they don't want to be with me anymore.

And they left.

And he calls to them out by name.

I guess Paul didn't realize you're not supposed to call people

on the carpet in public, but he does the jealous and homogenize

says the only place in all Scripture these two men are listed

there. Lasting life.

Legacy is a legacy of the desertion.

Here's the warning.

Don't let that be your legacy

of deserting

the call of God on your life.

That you neglect the flame so much

it dwindles to nothingness,

and the only thing you're remembered for

is quitting.

It's been said the only thing worse than quitting is being remembered for it.

May the Lord grant mercy of the household of honor.

Suffer us, for he often reached, refresh me, and was not ashamed of my change.

But when he arrived in Rome, he searched for me earnestly and found me.

May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day,

and you will know all the service he rendered in Ephesus.

Those two are contrasted by the one on the Severus,

who fanned the flame, and was of good service to the kingdom.

Let that be our story.

I finish with this band.

Come on up here. I finished with this.

We are either fire extinguishers

or fire fuels.

That's it.

We're going to extinguish the fire in us and others, or we're going to fuel it.

Fan into flame.

Verse six.

For this reason I remind you to fan into the flame that gift of God in you.

And so, friends, please, in

light of that verse, in light of the big idea,

make a habit of that which fuels the fire.

Make a habit.

Here's here's our as a Christian.

And if you're if you haven't accepted this yet here here's

the difference in religion and Christianity.

Religion says I'm going

to live defensively, and I'm going to make sure

I try to avoid everything that might make me a bad person.

Good luck.

You'll never succeed.

The call is to live offensively

and pursue those things that fanned the flame.

Give a shout out, I'm saying.

So there's a lot of people in church who are trying to live defensively,

and the flame is going out, because all you're doing is trying to avoid.

And Paul says,

press in, do those things that fanned the flames.

What are those?

Well, the things like reading your scripture for yourself, being at worship.

I'm proud of you today.

Giving and sacrificing and serving.

What are those things that fuel faithful living?

Here's the deal.

When you're fueling the fire,

there's nothing going to come against that is going to put it out

the way you put out fires, cut off the fuel.

Do you understand?

Because.

So what are those things that are going

to advance the faith in your life?

The flames that are apparent so people don't have

to look and investigate for embers

fan that.

So the question, the commitment

will you commit to fanning the

flame daily?

To burn bright

and to burn faithful.

Someone said their greatest desires

that God would light a fire and light them on fire.

So the world could watch and burn.

That's the goal.

God, light a fire in me and let the world

watch me burn.

I want you to pray with me, father.

Thank you.

Thank you for your amazing grace that calls people like me

and people like us.

I pray that because of your amazing grace

that calls us, that we would respond.

And that we would add wood

to the fire that you've started.

That you would light us on fire

and let the world watch us burn.

Friends, if you were here who have never accepted

Jesus as your Savior, I would invite you in this moment.

It's real simple. It'll cost you everything.

But you begin it

just simply by a statement of faith in your heart.

God, I admit I'm a sinner, separated from you by sin.

Jesus, thank you that you died on the cross so I could be forgiven.

I accept what you did on the cross for my forgiveness.

And this morning I trust you as my Savior.

It's that simple.

But if you do,

it'll cost you everything.

And you will gain everything

in eternity.

If you're already Christian,

would you.

Would you dare to pray?

God, be clear with me.

What's the one thing I need to fan into flame?

And I commit to you to fanning it every day?

Would you tell them God set me on fire?

Let this world watch me burn.

I'll gladly burn for you.

Because your grace have been so great.

Father, we love you.

Thank you for your word.

In your name I pray. Amen. Amen.

Hey. We okay?

Oh, yeah. Go. Go back and read this week.

First Timothy two or first Timothy or second Timothy one.

I'm getting dyslexic with my numbers.

Second Timothy one.

And we'll keep going through Timothy and dive into it.

Throughout this next month or so.

I love you.

I would love to talk to you about accepting Jesus,

about following him, about whatever that is.

You want to talk to me after church or Jeff or Allie or anybody?

We'd love to. We'd love to talk with you.

All right, one more song here.

Amazing Grace. Let's sing our blessing.