The Presence and Development of Faith

2 Timothy 1, verse number 5.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and now I am sure dwells in you as well.

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.

And so on.

I am sure every individual and personality in the Bible, they are important and special in themselves.

But one of the most significant writers in the Bible surely is Paul, who was Saul of Tarshish.

It's an interesting study to look at Paul's life, to look at the road to Damascus and the life that he lived then as a very religious man,

and the road that he took from Damascus, where he became the servant of Christ and where he served the Church of Christ.

And as we see from this chapter itself, where he suffered because of his service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we know that in the Bible here, we see quite clearly that there are two letters that he wrote to Timothy.

And he was concerned for Timothy personally, but he was especially concerned for the ongoing work of the gospel.

In the first letter to Timothy, he is encouraging them to remain at Ephesus.

And he is encouraging them to continue to teach the things that Paul himself taught.

He is wanting to ensure that the gospel works out to bring about change in people's everyday lives.

And so he is keen to encourage Timothy in order to watch out for the gospel.

And here in the second letter, he is the Paul who is ready to leave this world.

We heard this morning about how it may be the case that this may be our last opportunity to hear the gospel.

Paul was quite clear in his own thinking that he was coming to the end of his journey.

We see later on in chapter 4 that he is sensing that he's finished his course.

He's fought the good fight.

He's kept the faith.

He's somebody who's clear in his own thinking in the second imprisonment in Rome that he is about to leave this world.

And before he does so, he wants to remind Timothy of God's claims upon him as the servant who is going to continue the work of Paul.

And he wants to remind Timothy of the importance of remaining faithful to the teaching and to be led by the Spirit of God,

knowing that he will suffer because of the gospel.

And here in these verses, we have a close reminder of the way in which Paul is interested in Timothy's welfare.

I want to look at these verses from verse 5 to verse 7 this evening and to think of the presence of faith and the development of faith.

I want to think, first of all, of the presence, the presence of faith.

And we want to see from this part of our message this evening that Paul wants to put his own ministry and the faith of the people of God

in the context not of their own personal lives, but in the context of the wider church of Christ

and indeed in the context of the wider covenant people of God, both Old Testament and New.

And when Paul introduces himself, we see that he wants to put his own ministry and his own service right in the context of his own ancestors,

those who went before him in the Old Testament down through the generations.

And he does introduce himself there in verse number 3.

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.

He is the servant of God.

He is the servant of God as somebody who is in continuity with those who served God in the Old Testament.

And if we understand Paul's own thinking, he is not only the servant of God in line with the Old Testament prophets

who are sent by God and chosen by God, he is also the servant of God in continuity with the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

The message of Isaiah in chapter 42, for example, focuses upon the coming of the Son of God into the world.

Behold my servant whom I uphold.

And Paul understood what servant who had meant for the Son of God, for the Lord Jesus,

and he seeks his own ministry, continuing, following on as the servant of God to continue the work that Jesus himself begun whilst he was here on earth.

The importance of understanding of the importance of understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And our service in the name of God in the context of the whole of the Bible

and the very way in which we come under the banner of God's covenant of grace,

where the church develops and where God's plans for redemption are revealed more and more

in the unfolding of the pages of the Bible.

And we see that the Paul who sees himself in that way, that he's imprisoned,

but he's there with a clear conscience.

He's done nothing wrong.

He is there because he suffered for the sake of his Savior.

Our faith is the faith of the community of the people of God.

It's the faith of the covenant people of God.

And that continuity is important for us to recognize.

And it's important for us to appreciate because if we do understand that,

we will see what the Word of God says about my faith

and then learn what it means to have faith and to live by faith.

But as speaking to Timothy,

he wants to move to the context of personal faith.

And that's what he wants to focus on this evening,

that faith is personal in the context of the bigger picture.

And Paul speaks in verse 5 about the way in which he is reminded of Timothy's sincere faith.

Every time he thinks of Timothy, he thinks of faith.

I wonder what you think about any person.

What is the first thing that you think about anybody?

Do you think immediately about their faith?

As soon as Paul remembered Timothy,

he prayed for him and he remembered his faith.

And as we consider faith,

we want us to understand something of what faith means.

In Hebrews chapter 11,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

we read that faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the conviction of things that are not yet seen.

And there are two things within that definition of faith

that help us to appreciate what faith is.

It is, first of all,

the substance,

what is set under the Word of God

and the promises of God in my thinking.

It is what gives the Word of God a platform in my mind.

Tonight, if I have no faith tonight,

the Word of God will land on my mind

and will just disappear and vanish

because it does not have the platform on which it is going to rest

and where I am going to view the Word of God by my faith.

But you will know tonight that if you have faith,

that's what it does for you.

It gives you that sense of observing,

of admiring in the Word of God

and the promises of God.

You hear, you read,

the Word of God is preached

and there it is on display before you.

It doesn't vanish.

It doesn't vanish even as you leave the church service.

It remains part of your thinking

because faith is working.

And faith ensures that the Word of God stays in your mind

and you're able to look upon it.

And along that,

faith is the assurance,

the conviction about things not seen.

And because the Word of God comes

and rests in my faith in that way,

I see what God has promised to do

along with what God has already done.

And because I see all of these things,

I know that what God has promised to do,

He will fulfill it eventually.

And at the end of time,

He will bring this world to an end.

His Son will return

and all of His promises will at last be fulfilled.

That's what faith looks like.

That's how the Bible describes faith.

It's that sense of having a place for the Word of God

to rest in our minds,

for our hearts to feed upon it

and to learn from it,

and for our daily lives to be lived,

looking at the promises of God

and knowing that He will be with us always.

And when Paul thinks of Timothy,

he is reminded of his sincere faith.

It's a faith that is without pretension.

It's not a performance for the public stage.

It's something that arises from the very heart of Timothy.

Timothy.

And it's important for us to understand faith in that way.

As much as our faith is displayed by its works,

our faith arises from our hearts.

It's not for sure in the sense of being a performance.

It is something that arises from the depths of our being,

from our choosing,

from our willing,

and from our loving of God.

Timothy's sincere faith.

I wonder what your own faith is like this evening.

I guess we all come to hear the Gospel and the Word of God

because in some way we have faith

and we accept and acknowledge what the Bible says.

But the faith that Timothy has in sincerity,

the faith that Paul is looking for,

the faith that God is looking for from you and for me,

is that heartfelt sense of devotion to God,

being persuaded of the Word of God,

and leaning upon God and resting upon God

every day of my life.

A personal faith.

A sincere faith.

A faith that brings about great change.

And the personal faith that Paul highlights,

he wants to place it in the context of family faith.

And that's really important

because we read the Bible

and we read the way in which God works in families.

God's covenant people are blessed in their families.

And generation after generation,

there is continuity

down through the revelation of the Bible

where God is working through families.

He works outside of families also, of course.

But generally, ordinarily,

God works through his covenant people.

And Paul here is looking at the way in verse 5

in which it's a faith that dwelt in your grandmother Lois

and your mother Eunice.

It's a family faith

that dwelt, first of all, in a grandmother.

And the dwelling of faith is something

that's vitally important.

It's something that speaks to us of life

and of something being dynamic in life

and working powerfully.

If we think of a home where we live,

we can have items of furniture

that are really attractive,

that are beautiful to look at,

that set a particular purpose,

but there's no life in them.

They don't contribute anything

to the life of the home.

But place somebody in the home

full of energy, full of life,

the home becomes alive.

There is movement.

There is a dynamism about the family life

because of the introduction of life.

That's the kind of dwelling

that Paul is referring to here.

This faith was a faith

that was in your grandmother.

It was something that was powerfully dynamic

that brought about a great change in her life.

And then that was also found

in your mother Eunice.

There was the development of faith

through Timothy's family

reinforcing the sense of the fact

that God does work in continuity

with his people,

in continuity with his covenant,

and through the teaching

and the lessons

and the example

given by parents

to their children.

And I'm sure this evening

that there are many people

here in this time of worship

and in this service

who learnt the Bible

from their parents,

who learnt the Bible

from their grandparents,

who were taught the things of God.

God commanded the people of God

in the Old Testament

to teach to their children

in their homes

and while walking in the way

to reinforce the teaching of the Bible

always so the children grow up

to understand the Bible.

And Timothy himself,

later on,

Paul refers to him

as the person who,

from childhood,

you have been acquainted

with the writings of Scripture

which make you wise to salvation.

And tonight,

as a young person,

please remember

that God is speaking to you

through your mothers and fathers,

through your grandmothers and grandfathers,

if you have them still with you.

God is speaking to you through them

and God wants you to learn from them

and to listen to everything

that they speak to you

about the way that you should live,

the way that you should worship,

the way that you should serve God

and the way that you need

to come to faith.

Young people,

you need to listen

to your parents to learn.

And there is the importance also

of the home and family environment.

where you as parents

have the responsibility

and the privilege

to lay before your children

the importance of faith,

the importance of the things of God,

not just for the Lord's Day

and for Sunday,

but for every day living

and for every day of the week.

God blesses that ministry

that takes place

around the family table

in the family home.

And God regularly blesses

that ministry.

And from it so often,

we see our children,

our young people,

growing up and developing

in their faith

because of the things

that they have learned

and the things that they remember.

and time after time

on my own journey

through faith

come across so many people

who will,

in telling the story

of them coming to faith

on the Lord Jesus,

will speak about the things

they learned

when they were younger,

what they learned

at home

and in Sunday school,

and what they learned

even in day school

about the things of God.

these things leave a mark.

And that kind of ministry

takes place

in the environment

of our home

with prayer

and recognizing

that only God

is going to bless.

so that there is

that sense

of the community

of faith

into which we come

by faith.

There is that sense

of the need

of personal faith

and there is that sense

of the importance

of family faith.

And of course,

there is no way

that Paul is saying

or there is no way

that I'm saying

that that alone

will save anyone.

Of course,

it will not,

but it can be

the means so often

and it has been

the means

through which

God works

to bring about

change in the lives

of our children

and of our young people.

And may we be encouraged

recognizing

the presence of faith

in Timothy

to seek to recognize

the presence of faith

in ourselves

and to seek to ensure

that because

we have the faith

that belongs

to the whole

of the community

of faith,

the church of Christ,

that we have

the responsibility

to use that faith

in teaching

and in instruction.

There is

the presence

of faith.

Secondly,

there is

a problem

regularly

in the Bible

when the standard

is set,

when what God requires

is set before us,

there is usually

a problem

that the Bible

addresses.

And there is

a problem here

which comes to our attention

in verse number 6.

For this reason,

I remind you

to fan into flame

the gift

of God.

Paul is reminded

about Timothy

and Paul wants

to remind Timothy

about something else.

and he wants

to remind him

about what

is taking place

in his heart

to fan the flame

which is

the gift

of God.

And the very words

suggest to us

and paint the picture

for us

that here is

a fire

that is

because of neglect

that it is

in danger

of burning out.

There is

not much left

but the signs

of ashes

or embers

or the sense

of the fire

just on its last legs

ready to burn

itself out

completely.

The sense

that this fire

needs

attention.

This morning

we heard

about

light

and the illustration

of streetlights.

a different way

of looking

at streetlights

that help us

to understand

the passage here.

The streetlights

that are there

for a purpose

for our safety

to show us

where we are going

and regularly

on our streets

in a dark winter's night

we can see

some of the lamps

either simply flickering

or not working

at all.

And because

they are not working

at all

it introduces

danger

into the path

and there is

that space

of darkness

where this light

should be shiny

and where it is not.

And that lamp

needs attention

because there is

a fault on it.

There is

maintenance work

required

in order to

fix the light

so that it

fulfills

its purpose.

and from what

Paul is saying

it suggests

to us

tonight

that

there may be

times

in your life

and mine

when our faith

is

withering away

when its

very activity

is coming

to an end

when because

of our

neglect

of our faith

it has

stopped

working.

Faith

will never

vanish

completely

because it

is the

gift of

God

but its

development

depends

on the

way in

which I'm

going to

look after

my faith

and as

surely

as a

fire

will stop

working

will stop

burning

when we

remove heat

and fuel

and oxygen

from it

as soon

as you

and I

neglect

our faith

then our

faith

begins

to

wither

away

and

tonight

it's worth

asking

the question

is it

possible

that you

are neglecting

your faith

and starving

your faith

of the very

things that

your faith

needs

in order

to grow

and that

because of

that

your faith

is beginning

to fail

later on

in this

chapter

the book

itself

in chapter

number 4

Paul

refers to

the man

called

Demas

who in

love with

this present

world

has forsaken

him

there is that

sense of

the way in

which

living our

lives in

this world

exposes us

to the danger

of neglecting

our faith

and introducing

into our lives

the very

things that

will smother

the fire

that will

eventually

snuff it out

and cause it

not to burn

at all

what is

your faith

like

have you

neglected

your faith

are you

starving

your faith

and you're

wondering why

your faith

isn't growing

the possibility

of these

things happening

in life

in the world

in our

working life

in our

things that

we are

exposed to

in our

school life

in family

life

in life

with our

friends

so many

things that

are working

in the

environment

around us

seeking to

starve our

faith of

what it

needs

and the

danger

that we

are exposed

to in all

of these

areas of

life

of embracing

the very

things

that are

so harmful

to our

faith

the problem

of

neglect

the problem

of

starving

our faith

and Paul

exhorts

Timothy

as he

reminds him

of that

to fan

up

fan into

flame

the gift

of God

which is

in you

through the

laying on

of my

hands

he has

a

responsibility

he has

a responsibility

to revive

this fire

to stir

it up

again

to reactivate

this fire

so that it

begins to

burn

that is

active again

the way

that it

was

before

is to

take

the

kindling

that will

rekindle

the fire

and to

ensure that

what I

choose as

my kindle

to rekindle

the fire

are the

things that

are effective

in order to

ensure that

the fire

begins

to burn

and for

our fire

we go for

the kindle

the dry

pieces of

wood

that are

so ready

to burn

with the

least bit

of heat

and we

need to

ensure as

we seek

to rekindle

our faith

that we

use the

things

that God

has designed

will do

exactly

that

and

the danger

again that

we are

exposed to

is that

we choose

the things

that we

think are

going to

rekindle

the flame

of our

faith

when in

actual fact

there are

things that

will smother

it more

and more

it's learning

to take

the things

that belong

to God

that will

revive

my faith

and refresh

it and

cause it

to be

built up

and strengthened

and to cause

it to be

developed

and Paul

speaks in

1st Timothy

chapter 4

of the

very things

that Timothy

himself must

do in order

to ensure

that the fire

keeps burning

devote yourself

in public

and in private

to the reading

of scripture

to exhortation

to teaching

do not neglect

the gift

of God

that is in you

practice these

things

immerse yourself

in them

keep a close

watch on

yourself

persist in

this

so that you

may save

both yourself

and others

it's a picture

of the Bible

and perseverance

in studying the Bible

and learning the Bible

and knowing the Bible

and in putting the Bible

into practice

immersing yourselves

in the word of God

and from there

emerging as those

who are ready

to live out

the word of God

to walk

in the light

with God

and to stand

firm

as those

who have

faith

the problem

the answer

is simple

and

the answer

is exactly

what we're doing

here this evening

or that's at least

part of the answer

that in the public

worship of God

my faith

is instructed

I learn about

my faith

I learn about

what God is saying

in his word

and that feeds

my faith

it's like fuel

to the fire

of my faith

and so my faith

begins to grow

and my very neglect

of the public

worship of God

which God has

appointed

for that purpose

exposes me

immediately

to my faith

losing its edge

losing its fire

and to my faith

simply beginning

to

to wither out

and because of

the way in which

we are all exposed

to this problem

the importance

of ensuring

that we use

the public

worship of God

that we use

the

our own

family worship

that we use

our own

private

personal worship

as the means

through which

we are feeding

our faith

and as a means

through which

we are ensuring

that we are not

starving our faith

but that it is

growing and

developing

there is

the presence of

faith

there is

the problem

and thirdly

there is

the proclamation

and the proclamation

we have in

version number 7

why is that the case

what he has said

before

it is

for God

gave us

a spirit

not of fear

but of power

and love

and self

control

God did not

give us

a spirit

of fear

in other words

the gift

is the spirit

of God

the gift

is the spirit

of God

in our hearts

and

perhaps

it would be

fair to

translate

that word

or to write

that word

with a capital

S

to show

that at least

what Paul

has in mind

is the

spirit of God

which makes us

the children of God

which dwells

in our hearts

and the same

Paul in Romans

Romans 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8

speaks of

you haven't

received the

spirit of bondage

again to fear

and there is

the same idea

here

that

you have not

received

the spirit

of

fear

there is

the sense

that Timothy

was

timid

there is the

sense that he

perhaps was

a bit of a

coward

when he came

to faith

and there is

a sense

that Paul

recognized

that

there was

the danger

because of

what faith

was going

to cost

Timothy

that he

was so

reserved

and that he

was the

person who

would take

a back seat

and take a

step back

instead of

taking over

from Paul

a sense

of

fear

and it

seems that

if we

want to

see a

line of

the journey

that Timothy

was on

that there

is the

sense of

the fear

of God

where we

come to

trust in

God

and the

other place

is the

sense of

living the

life of

faith in

the Lord

Jesus

and this

sense of

fearing

it's not

the sense

of terror

it's

the sense

of the

coward

who stops

halfway between

the two

the person

who is

persuaded

by the

spirit of

God

with their

trust in

the Lord

and has

that faith

in their

hearts

a faith

that should

express

itself

and show

itself

in our

public

lives

it stops

its

development

does not

take place

because

of the

fear

of the

coward

of the

heart

of

Timothy

and we

can be

like that

when

faith

takes place

when

salvation

takes place

and faith

begins to

work in

our lives

we can

have the

sense of

the private

relationship

with the

Lord Jesus

a sense

that I've

come from

where I

am

I'm not

what I

was

before

I

am a

new

creation

now in

Christ

and my

faith is

in the

Lord Jesus

and I

have that

in the

privacy of

my own

heart

and I

know that

Jesus wants

me to

follow him

and to

serve him

and to

show my

faith

but there

is something

in here

that leaves

me

afraid

I might

be afraid

of those

in my

family

I might

want to

hide my

faith from

them

because I

don't want

to show

it to

them

I might

be afraid

of those

who are

in school

with me

who are

my friends

as I

grow up

in life

I might

want to

hide my

faith from

them

because I

am afraid

of how

they will

respond

if I

show my

faith

at every

stage of

life

there are

things taking

place around

us that

want to

make us

to hide

our

faith

instead of

doing what

Paul did

and what

Jesus commanded

the disciples

to do

that is to

suffer for

his name's

sake

and if you

are here

tonight and

you have

that faith

in your

heart

between

yourself

and the

Lord Jesus

and you

know it

is there

it is the

faith that

by its very

nature

needs to

shine out

in public

and

don't let

the fear

of anything

around you

trap you

in the

place where

you begin

to hide

the faith

and stop

it from

it being

developed

why should

you not

fear

well Paul

gives the

answer

and the

answer is

the spirit

that God

has given

is one

of power

and of

love

and of

self

control

that's what

God has

given

the spirit

of power

the spirit

of the

ability to

achieve

something

the spirit

of

courage

and the

spirit

of strength

the quality

that you

and I

need

in order

to live

out the

life

of faith

and perhaps

your

response is

as it

could be

anyone else's

perhaps your

response is

that your

faith is too

weak

and you are

too weak

yourself

and you

cannot give

expression to

your faith

because of

your weakness

and the

same Paul

in 2

Corinthians

13

he speaks

about the

way in

which God

says to

him

my grace

is sufficient

for you

my power

is made

perfect

in your

weakness

what does

that mean

in simple

terms

it means

that

his weakness

was the

platform

for God's

power

in other

words

the weakness

it's not

the excuse

not to show

my faith

but the

weakness

is the

place

where God's

power

will enable

me

to give

expression

to the

faith

that I

think

I cannot

do

myself

so that

it is the

case this

evening

that the

more we

are persuaded

of our

own weakness

the more

we should

see the

power of

Christ

the power

of the

grace of

Christ

to enable

us to

serve

him

you have

received

the spirit

of power

and the

power

certainly

is on

the platform

of weakness

it arises

out of

there

and I

sense the

power

as soon

as I

move from

the platform

of weakness

then the

power of

God

the power

of Christ

overtakes

me

the spirit

of power

the spirit

of love

what's at

the very

center

of the

gospel

the

continuity

and the

connectivity

of

the love

of God

the God

who is

love

himself

the God

who shows

his love

by sending

his son

to be the

propitiation

for our

sins

the God

who by

his Holy

Spirit

pours his

love

into our

hearts

it's a

spirit of

that love

that sort

of my

faith is

continuous

with the

faith of

the people

of God

the love

that I

have in

my heart

is continuous

with the

love that

there is

in God's

own heart

and because

that's the

love that

dwells in

my heart

it's the

love that

persuades me

to walk

in the ways

of God

to do

the will

of God

to serve

God

because

we love

him because

he first

loved us

and

Paul

in writing

to the

Galatians

makes that

so clear

that

he is

crucified

with Christ

nevertheless

he lives

but

the life

that he

now lives

it's a

life of

faith

in Jesus

Christ

who loved

me and

gave himself

for me

it's a

spirit of

love

and

love for

the Lord

love for

the Lord

Jesus

trumps

everything

else

it over

comes

everything

else

it over

comes

my fears

it over

comes

my

weaknesses

when I

have the

love of

God

poured out

to my

heart

then I

will

follow him

and I

will

serve him

that's

the spirit

that Paul

says

Timothy

has

received

and

the one

of

self

control

learning

about the

kind of

person

that I

am

from the

word

of God

learning

the kind

of

person

that

God

wants

his

people

to be

learning

the path

that God

wants

his

children

to follow

and being

able to

control

and to

discipline

myself

in the

light of

the word

of God

in my

love

for the

Lord

Jesus

so that

there is

no hesitation

so that

there is

service

even though

it means

suffering

there is

following

even though

it means

denying

myself

nothing

can stop

me or

hinder me

from

following

the Lord

Jesus

because

this is

the spirit

that God

has given

to us

and as we

close this

evening

let's be

encouraged

with the

reminder

of the

spirit

that God

has given

to us

and let's

go forward

in faith

to experience

more of

his power

let's go

forward

in faith

to learn

more about

how his

love is

expressed to

us and

how love

expressed to

him

and let's

go forward

in faith

living as

the people

of God

in the

zone of

life that

God has

set out

for his

people

to live

in

and so

be

Christian

families

and Christian

congregation

and

congregation

that belong

to the

wider

church

of

Christ

who

walk

always

in the

ways

of

God

and

who

do

the

things

that

are

pleasing

to

him

may

God

bless

these

thoughts

to us

let us

pray

most

gracious

God

we

bow

before

you

we

give

thanks

to

you

for

your

word

for

every

way

in which

it

speaks

into

life

and we

pray that

you will

help us

to

take your

word to

heart

to

still

ourselves

before you

and

to reflect

upon the

things that

you speak

to us

each time

we come in

contact with

your word

and this

evening

may you

take us

from

here

where

we

take

our

journey

into

the

week

that

unfolds

before

us

and

do

so

with

a

sense

of

belonging

to

you

a

sense

of

the

need

to

guard

and

keep

our

faith

and

to

protect

it

from

the

things

that

seek

to

weaken

and

destroy

and

help

us

oh

Lord

God

to

live

as

those

who

love

you

in

sincerity

and

with

all

of

our

hearts

so

help

us

and

hear

us

we

pray

for

Jesus

sake

Amen

finally I

now

pray

to

Psalm

verse

31

in

the

Scottish

Psalter

page

243

Psalm

31

at

verse

21

all

praise

and

thanks

be to

the

Lord

for

he

hath

magnified

his

wonders

love

to

me

within

a

city

fortified

we

stand

to

sing

from

verse

21

to

the

end

of

the

psalm

to

God's

praise

!

to

love

to

come

to

me

and

come

to

me

!

to

to

!

to

!

to

die

!

to

!

to

!

to

!

to

me

!

to

may

CHOIR SINGING

I'll go to the main door after the benediction.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God the Father,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,

be with you all now and forevermore.

Amen.