Sermon Tone Analysis

2 Timothy 1:1-9

I don’t know how many of you have ever participated in a school play, or maybe local theater.

Our kids weren’t really into that, but a couple of them were really into music and they had different opportunities to use those talents.

One performed for the Penobscot Theater for awhile, another played for the junior Bangor Symphony orchestra.

For both of those there was a tremendous amount of practice.

Once everyone learned their parts, they would then gather together for rehearsals.

Kind of like in athletics... going to practice and double sessions, leading up to the actual season when games are played.

But on the stage, whether it be a school play, the theater, a musical, rehearsal and practice leads up to an event known as the dress rehearsal.

That is where you get into your costumes, put on the make-up, the hair spray, memorize all your lines, get ready to hit that final note, and go out onto that stage in front of a live audience and do it for real…or almost for real actually.

Tickets are often sold at half price, because the director knows mistakes are going to be made, the wrong thing is going to be said, or maybe the right thing will be said, but at the wrong time…it’s really just the final practice, before the show opens, mistakes are expected, they are often made fun of or joked about, since it’s not really show time.

Sadly, I’ve observed that people often treat life as a dress rehearsal.

Not as a once and forever, one and only shot.

Will you pray with me this morning?

Father, we have gathered together this morning in worship to You.

We’ve sang praises to you, we’ve given back, some of what you’ve blessed us with, and now Lord we want to receive.

We want to hear from You.

We want you to speak to us, to strengthen us, encourage us, and change us in the ways that we need to be changed.

Have Your will and Your way in this place, and in our lives, In Jesus name…and they all said Amen.

I hope that truly is your prayer this morning.

I don’t know how many of you are participating in our Growth Groups that we have here at Old Town Christian Fellowship, if you haven’t been, I strongly encourage you to join one when the new winter session begins in January.

But each week there is always a “Taking it home section.”

The intent of that section, and it’s usually just one question, but it is meant to challenge you in a way of personal application.

In light of the message of Sunday, or after considering the topics of discussion, what is God telling you to do?

What action should you take as a result of who Jesus says you are in Him, that kind of thing.

The question is designed to challenge you and encourage real and raw self evaluation.

Usually it isn’t discussed in group, and if it is it done in such a way that the opportunity is simply offered if someone would like to share their response to the challenge.

This past week our Taking it home question came out of verse 17 in Colossians 4:17 Are-Key-puss

If you remember, Paul is ending this letter with a bunch of final greetings, exhortations, and blessings…and he is naming names.

You can imaging as the pastor of the church receiving the letter is standing and reading it, the people are gathered and you might be waiting to see if the Apostle Paul calls you by name, and then you hear it.

Are-Key-Puss, but instead of an atta-boy, you get called out in front of everyone.

He says you have been given a ministry, a function, a roll, take heed to it so that you may fulfill it…because right now..you’re not doing that.

So our question was…our taking it home to privately consider how this might apply to me, was this.

If a letter were sent to our church, that closed with “And say to (your name here) , take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord… what would that mean for you?

How would you be fulfilling your ministry?

It’s a challenging question!

For some, so challenging that you didn’t answer it.

Look I know, some of you got weary with the question 1, a,b,c, d, e, f, g. 2. a, b, c…that’s good feedback for your leaders to give back to me, ask them to do that.

But I know for some, that’s not why you didn’t answer it.

I think some didn’t because maybe they didn’t know how to, they don’t know what their ministry is, what their gift is..., did you all know that if you’re a Christian you have a spiritual gift, at least one.

It’s true, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

I’ll show you that in a minute.

But Did you know that?

That you have at least one spiritual gift?

DO you know what that gift is?

So maybe some didn’t answer because they didn’t know how to, some didn’t answer because they didn’t want to, maybe they are in the same spot as Are-Key-puss and it called them out, they’re not fulfilling their ministry, and they didn’t want to admit that, or write it on paper, and others might have been afraid to answer the question.

Now put a finger in 2 Timothy, you guys can find your place there, and we’re just going to look at a handful of verses there, but before we do, I want to lay a foundation in the simplest language I can.

I’m going to use a couple of different translations here, actually only one of them is a translation, the other is a paraphrase that gives the sense of the passage, but it’s not a book I would do my study from.

I just want to keep this simple here this morning and allow God to do some work in all of us.

I mentioned that we all have at least one spiritual gift.

You can look up on the screens, because this is in the NLT…from 1 Corinthians 12:7-9

So everyone that is a Christian has at least one spiritual gift so that we can help each other, or minister to one another, and we don’t get to pick the gift, or try out a few and chose the one we’d like, the Holy Spirit of God gets to decide what gifts go where.

Are you with me so far?

Now I want you to hear this…and this is from the message paraphrase, and you can look it up in your study bibles later, I just want you to get the sense of this, because most of us wrongly assign values to different gifts.

We think that some are better than others, I want this gift, not that gift, ....the bible says love is above all, but other than that…they are all huge and all needed.

Check this out from the same chapter 1 Cor 12:12

That last verse, the idea of our “part” meaning anything…brought me back to that idea of fulfilling our ministries...

Now if you will, turn with me in your Bibles if you aren’t already there to 2 Timothy chapter one.

Paul begins with the promise of life, which is only in Christ Jesus, people can search to world over, but it is in Jesus alone.

Then we see his common greeting of grace and peace, right?

But there is something extra here…mercy.

Did you know that in all of Paul’s books that he uses this greeting of grace and peace, there are only three exceptions, where he adds the word mercy... that is in his letters to Pastors. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.

So follow the example of Paul and extend mercy, unmerited, unearned favor to your pastors, they need it.

Paul goes on...

Interesting language here in verse 5, Paul mentions the genuine faith that is in Timothy, that was first in his grandmother and then in his mom.

In chapter 3 it says that Timothy knew the Holy Scriptures since childhood, and that was because to these two ladies.

So mom’s and grand-moms, that wonder if you are making a difference, or having any positive influence when Dad or Granddad either aren’t in the picture, or are not Godly men, keep loving those kids and encouraging them in the Word.

Not forcing and exasperating them, but just loving them and letting them see Jesus in you as the Scriptures pour out of your heart.

SO this faith that is in him, it is not enough that it is in his mom, and grand mom, it has to be in him as well, and then Paul says, I am persuaded is in you also.

Now the wording of that threw me a little bit.

Paul is writing this letter from his final imprisonment, Timothy is not a young boy any longer at this point, he has traveled, he has been sent on missions by Paul.

He is probably middle aged and he is a pastor, not a baby Christian.

David Guzik explains this idea of a genuine faith being within him like this...i.

The phrase genuine faith could be literally translated, unhypocritical faith – that is, faith that is not an act.

It was for real, not just in appearance.

Then he writes, This is a significant theme of the Book of James.

David is probably right, but here is what troubles me, it’s the next verse…Timothy I remember a genuine faith within you, a real faith, not something that’s just in word, or just for show, I’m persuaded, or I really believe that it’s there Timothy, so in light of that…2 Tim 1:6

Any of you still heat with wood?

Well if you live in Maine, you probably have a fire pit or a friend that does.

You now those things take some tending.

You get the fire going with an old tire or sumpton…no, we don’t do that anymore.

Whatever your chosen method of ignition is, you get that thing going, once it’s caught, you build it up till its roaring…but then after it burns for awhile, what happens?

It starts to die down, the flame sometimes goes out and it smolders, usually because the logs have separated some, they’ve drifted apart a bit, some have burned down, or burned out, and it has an effect on the logs around it.

So you need to do what?

Poke them with a hot iron!

No, you need to get in there and stir up those coals, stir those smoldering embers together and they will begin to glow, begin to give off heat again, and re-ignite.

Paul says, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you.

I think there is some application here for us this morning, But there is a qualifier here.

Paul says stir up the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.

So first, I have to ask you if you have anything to stir up?

We read earlier that each of us is given at least one gift, by the Holy Spirit.

But, actually, that applies to Christians, those that have confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior.

I want to give you all an opportunity this morning, but I don’t want to miss anyone by making assumptions.

I’m not going to assume everyone in this room or everyone on line is a Christian this morning.

Listen, if you are not yet a Christian, you need to do this.

Paul says the promise of life is in Jesus.

Jesus says, He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him.

You don’t go to Heaven without going through Jesus, no matter how sincere you are in your wrong faith.

So it’s life or death, and you need Jesus.

You can do that right now.

IF you need to do that, you can pray with me right now, right were you are.