Link: The Story Pt. 30
Big Idea: Christians need to see the Gospel as their most treasured possession
Let's say you went into the Dr for a routine physical and he/she comes in and says: "You have 4-6 months to live...there is no way of getting around it." What would you do? 100% certainty that in 4-6 months you will no longer be alive here. What would you do?
- Pray for more time?
- Reflect and review your life?
- Would the news provide clarity for you how you would spend your last days.
Tim McGraw had a song about this...."Live Like You Were Dying" where he has a conversation with a man who got the bad news, maybe beat the odds, but learned and challenges Tim to that he wishes he (Tim) would get the chance to "live like he was dying"
In today's text Paul is there...he is in prison again, but this time he knows that he will not be released, so he pens this second letter to Timothy. The sands in Paul's hour glass are getting down there. So what he says to Timothy will be the things that are the most important. With that said when you look at what Paul wrote prior to this you realize that on the Damascus Road he came to the understanding that he was a dead man who had been given new life...his life from that time on was radically different. He lived knowing that this physical death he was about to experience was nothing. It wasn't the end, but rather it was a blessed entrance into eternal life.
I could imagine Timothy receiving this letter anticipating that Paul is going to give him some last great secret to the faith. But in the end Paul communicates that the Gospel is everything. Could you see Timothy going "The Gospel? That's it?" I do not believe Timothy did this, b/c of all the time he spent with Paul prior to this. But we might...wouldn't we?
Paul in his final words to Timothy says: "It is the Gospel...nothing more...do not forget that." And that is why we need to see the Gospel as our most treasured possession...it must remain central....it provides us eternal life, but that life can be experienced now. That is what happened with Paul on the Damascus Road...when Jesus went around teaching what did he say? Wherever he was He said: "The Kingdom is at hand." Wherever we are at Jesus is present and that means we can have a taste of the Kingdom now. When we get hold of that truth how can the Gospel not be our most treasured possession? When we understand that how can we keep it to ourselves? How can we not want to give it away? If you give it away you do not loose it, but rather it multiplies.
Key thoughts/words from the passage:
Verses 3 - 5: Pass It On.
Here we see a picture of the faith passed on from Paul's parents to Paul to his Damascus Road experience to Timothy's grandparent to daughter to Timothy. The Gospel isn't just Jesus died for you now you can have eternal life sometime in the future...no, rather it is his life, death, resurrection, you becoming more and more like him and experiencing the Kingdom now...we need to be passing it on to our families, but not just there, but rather to our friends, neighbors, co-workers to the ends of the earth...
Verses 6 - 7: Fan.
Here Paul is challenging Timothy to fan the gift of faith into flame...he says: You are a believer for this reason or because of that fan it into flame...I do not think Timothy lost his faith, but rather he is saying live out your calling (Laying on of hands reference of the mantel of ministry)...all of us have a calling to fulfill...namely that we are to live sent lives. If you are going build a campfire today what do you do? Do you take some large logs and dump some gasoline on them and throw the match...you have a fire that burns fast and bright, but most likely will not start the logs on fire...no you first put some crumpled paper down, then some kindling and then a little bigger log...you light the paper and if need be blow on it (fan it) into a brighter/hotter fire and that eventually leads to a lasting fire...how many Christians their stories are they get excited about Jesus start to tell everyone, but 2 years later they are very far away from Jesus...or many the fire has died down and is about to go completely out...Paul challenges Timothy this is not the way it should be...Timothy is challenging Timothy to let the fire burn brightly...Timothy most likely hadn't landed there, but Paul is reminding him to continue to renew his relationship with Jesus daily...which leads to the other aspect of these verses: the Gospel needs to touch every area of our lives...
It is not you threw the match on the gasoline and everyone got excited for a little while and then that was it...it isn't I have Jesus in my back pocket and can do whatever I want...no the picture of discipleship is a picture of bringing every aspect/area of your life under Jesus. I used this picture from Seth McBee's Napkin Theology (http://www.vergenetwork.org/2013/01/28/napkin-theology/) to illustrate:
A follower of Jesus brings every aspect of their lives under the authority of Jesus. Everything is focused on Jesus. You do not find your satisfaction in any of these things...if I am finding satisfaction, comfort over and above Jesus I have an idol that needs to be dealt with...too many of us profess to be Christians on Sunday morning and the rest of the week we are far from Jesus...that is not what it means to have the Gospel touch every area of your life...if the Gospel is at the center things are radically different...listen to the sermon for more examples...
Verses 8 - 12: Not ashamed...worth suffering for...
Because of everything you have been given do not be ashamed of the Gospel...it is your most treasured possession, but rather share in suffering for it...because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control (verse 7) we ought not be ashamed of our most treasured possession...rather be willing to share in suffering...again Paul once thought he was alive, but he was dead, but at that moment I was given life...the present concerns of this world are nothing when compared with the greatest treasure we have...the Gospel...and even if we have to suffer for the Gospel in the end it is everything...
Ill: One individual said to another you should come to church with me...the other responded I've got faith/Jesus I'm good...to which my friend responded "Then why do you have that good luck charm over there?" and the other said "Just covering my bases." We laugh and shake our heads at that, but how many of us live that way? We think it is Jesus plus my works...Jesus just makes up for my short fall...I needed 100 points, had 75 and Jesus paid 25...No Jesus paid all 100...when you understand that suddenly the Gospel is everything...I have favor with God only because of Jesus and the works flow out of that understanding and I am not going to be ashamed of the Gospel...it is worth suffering for...
You will have to listen for more on these verses :)
Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us...he will guard us all of our days...Christians will be mocked, but it is worth it because I have Jesus and I can have compassion on them because I know Jesus and I too was once lost...
Verses 13-14: Follow and guard
Guard the good deposit is a challenge to guard the Gospel...how? By engaging our heads, hearts and the world with the Gospel...it isn't just proclaiming words...it is also how you live out your life and how you engage the world....
Listen for how I fleshed this out....
In conclusion Paul is challenging Timothy and us that the most important thing is the Gospel and we need to see it as our most treasured possession...if we do that the rest of our lives will line up with Jesus and as we live it out many will come to know Jesus...
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