"Timothy- Son of Faith"

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Heroes of the New Testament Series: 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 18-20

Introduction: Radio Talk show host Dennis Prager wrote an article in the Press Telegram a few weeks ago called “If There is no God.” In this article he talks about how those who don’t believe in God talk about the destructive side of religion: intolerance, hatred, division, persecution, heretics, holy wars, etc… And while there has been a destructive side to religion, these actions are not actions that God would adhere to. But even more than this, they fail to look at the other side of the coin, and that is….. what the world would be like without faith. What would be the consequences of secularism? Prager writes that he believes there are at least 10 things that would happen without believing in God: 1. There would be no good or evil; meaning that we are subject to anyone’s opinion of what good and evil is; 2. No objective meaning to life; we are merely random creations; 3. Life is just about living, suffering, and dying (which then sends us into oblivion; there is no afterlife); 4. There would be no moral guide to life; 5. All people, when they die, would suffer the same fate; the good as well as the bad; 6. No real motivation to confront evil; 7. Society becomes more irrational; 8. You would be more like a robot, subject to your genes and environment; 9. Humans and animals would be of equal value; 10. AND, without God, all would be permitted./ Having faith in God can be a challenge at times. But without God, life would be dismal! This morning we continue our series on “Heroes of the New Testament,” and look at the life of Timothy to help us understand how we can overcome our fear with faith. Fear can limit our faith, but ultimately, faith will conquer our fears!

I. Fear- (1 Timothy 4:12; Romans 8:31, 12:18; Proverbs 28:6, 29:25

2 Corinthians 5:5, 18; Colossians 3:13; Hebrews 9:27)

There are many fears that we have, but I am going to mention what I think are

some of the more common ones that can keep us from really having a strong faith.

a. Fear of Failure- The first one is the fear of failure. The fear of

failure affects our faith for a couple of reasons. One, it keeps us from believing that we are talented and capable. When we fear in this way, we doubt our ability to accomplish what God calls us to do; we doubt the gifts that God has given us; and we doubt that God can work through us to carry out our calling.

The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Whether it is because we are young in age, or young in our faith, or whatever it may be, we cannot allow our fear to keep us from living out our faith!

But second, fear of failure is really about our focusing on what I do; focusing on my performance. The fear of failure is about us not wanting to step out to do something, because if we fail we will look bad. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we need to focus on God. We need to believe that God is a God of unlimited resources, and when God gives me a call, He will give me the gifts I need for this call, and will walk with me as I do the task.

When we fail, it is not because of God, it is because we have not put our faith in God like we should, or we have sought to do something God doesn’t desire us to do.

b. Fear of Rejection- A second fear is the fear of rejection. We all

want to be liked by others. We all want people to think good of us. We all want to be well thought of. And so sometimes we will compromise who we are, or maybe even compromise our faith so that others will like us. FOR EXAMPLE, like me, you have probably had a time (or maybe even more than one time) where you acted in a way that was not you/ so that someone else would like you or accept you. You know that if you were to speak out against how they are living, or how they think, then they would stop being your friend. And because you don’t want to be rejected, you go along with them.

What I am doing when I do this/ is focusing on me as a person, instead of focusing on God. God calls us to stand up for what is right, and when we don’t, we compromise our faith, and become someone who God doesn’t want us to be. God doesn’t want us to act one way at church, another way at work, another way in our neighborhood, and still another way with our family. God wants us to let our faith permeate our whole being, so that we are a person of integrity. As Proverbs 28:6 says: “Better to be a poor person who has integrity than to be rich and double-dealing.”

c. Fear of Conflict- A third fear we have is conflict. This fear can go

along with the fear of rejection, because we don’t like to be in conflict with others. So to avoid conflict, we avoid speaking out. When we see something that is wrong, we don’t speak against it. If something isn’t right, we don’t seek to change it.

But the Bible has much to challenge us in this. As Romans 8:31 says: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” And Proverbs 29:25, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the Lord means safety.” The Lord is with us, even when we are in conflict. And the Lord calls us to rise above the conflict and seek reconciliation.

Let me give you 3 verses that remind us of this: 1. 2 Corinthians 5:18, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2. Colossians 3:13- “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

3. Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” So by forgiveness, reconciliation, and seeking peace, we can try to avoid conflict, but conflict can and needs to occur if God calls us to speak out. We do not need to fear conflict, because in the end God will be with us!

d. Fear of Death- A fourth fear we have is sickness and death. This is

especially true when a loved one becomes very sick and then dies. We begin to think about the fragility of life. As Hebrews 9:27 says, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” We all will die, and that at times can cause us to fear, especially if we are not prepared to die.

We can overcome this fear by understanding the order of things. There is a reason why God has ordained death, and that is because God does not want us to live forever on this earth. This came about after Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis, chapter 3, and God kicked them out of the Garden of Eve, and banned them from the “tree of life.” From that point on, our days on earth became numbered.

On top of this, God has prepared a way for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. Last week we talked about Jesus being a hero for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved and live in heaven with God for eternity! This is a promise by God to us. In fact, we read about this promise in 2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” How wonderful it is to know that God has given us a guarantee that we do not need to fear death, because after death, there is eternal life!

e. How Fear Becomes a Trap- You see, fear becomes a trap that

keeps us from living in faith. Satan knows this, and tries to get us to become fearful. And when we give in to this fear several things happen: first, our fear causes us to conform our values and our lifestyle to that which are opposed by God. We begin to value what the world values and live the way the world lives. Second, our fear keeps us from speaking the truth. And when we fail to speak the truth, God’s word and God’s ways cannot be known. Third, it prevents us from giving and receiving love. When we live in fear, we limit how much we are able to love as God calls us to love. Fourth, it leads to isolation and loneliness. Fear causes us to withdraw from people because we do not want to risk what the result might be, and so consequently, we face feelings of loneliness. Fifth, it moves us towards unhappiness. Because we have been created to be in relationship with God and others, when we isolate ourselves from our relationships, we become unhappy; we cannot live as God intended for us. Sixth, it silences our sharing about Christ. We don’t want to upset anyone, we don’t want to challenge anyone, so we fail to speak out about the good news of Jesus Christ. Seventh, it keeps us from spiritual maturity. God has designed for the challenges of life, the conflicts in life, and the experiences of sharing our faith with others as some of the activities that lead us to spiritual maturity.

The bottom line is, we can be affected by our fear, but we don’t need to be directed by it!

II. From Fear to Faith- (Isaiah 51:12; Galatians 1:10; 1 Samuel 16:7;

1 John 4:10, 18; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Timothy 1:3-7)

So how do we allow our faith to overcome our fear? Let me suggest 4 ways:

a. Face it- The first step is to face the fear. We can never overcome

anything until we admit it is an issue. We name it, and then face it. As we decide to face our fear, we can know that God is with us in this endeavor. As Isaiah 51:12 says: “I, even I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?” The God who designed all things is there for us to guide us, and walk with us, and help us through our fear!

But know that when you face your fear and step forward, sometimes you will face opposition; there will be some who won’t like you for it. FOR EXAMPLE, you have heard me talk about our parking situation in our condos. We have 17 units, but only 9 extra parking spots. Consequently, we have had to limit only 1 extra car per unit. And yet, even still, not everyone can park an extra car, and there are some units who want to park 2 extra cars there! Because of this, even though I don’t like conflict, I have had to take a stand and give warnings and tickets. People don’t like that I do this, and some don’t like me for it, but I know I am doing the right thing, and that God is with me as I seek to move forward in living as God calls me to live.

As Galatians 1:10 says, “Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.” To know that God is happy with what I am doing and the way that I am living is enough for me. I live for an audience of ONE!

b. Refocus on how God sees you- Second, we need to refocus on how

God sees us. Too often we are concerned about how others see us, and we forget to put the focus on God. As 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person’s thoughts and intentions.’”

I know how this is, all my life I have been shorter and smaller than many around me. Because of this, people have judged me, at first, by my appearance. I have had to prove my skill and ability to others and prove their judgments wrong. Especially when it comes to sports that seem to require some height, like basketball, or volleyball. I know whom God has made me to be, I know the talent that I possess, and I can’t let others keep me from living because of fear of rejection.

And yet, this can’t be with an attitude of anger or defiance. To come at people with this negative attitude would not be helpful to the situation, and would not give a good example for God. I have to step up and do what I know I can do for the reason that I feel God is telling me to do it; not to prove something to myself, or others.

c. Embrace God’s love- Third, we need to embrace God’s love. The

One who we should be concerned about the most is God, and what God thinks of us. We cannot live or love rightly unless we have received God’s love. As 1 John 4:10 tells us: “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” God can understand our rejection, because He Himself was rejected on our behalf. When we are rejected for standing up to what is right, God knows what we are going through! Jesus was rejected by the people, sent to the cross to die, and on the cross, there was a time when God the Father rejected Him as well.

The real power of God’s love is that He loves us in spite of knowing all about us. As Hebrews 4:13 says, “He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from Him.” People can reject us because of something we do, or because we don’t do something they want us to do, but God will love us no matter what we do. And this love is what ultimately drives out our fear. The apostle John reminds us of this in 1 John 4:18, as he says: “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.” Jesus can pick us up when we don’t live up to God’s expectations or our own expectations, or even others’ expectations. This builds us up in our faith, just like we read in 1 Timothy 1:5, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

d. Expect your confidence to grow- Lastly, when we follow these first

three steps, we can then expect our confidence to grow. Remember, our fears limit our confidence, and we struggle to believe in ourselves and who God made us to be.

EX. When Tyler was 10 years old he got drafted into the majors. We were asked by the manager if we would let him play. Tami and I had to discuss this, because it would mean that Tyler would be playing against 11 and 12 year olds. But we believed he had the talent to do this. We knew that there would be times of struggle and growing pains, but we believed it to be the best thing for him long term. So we agreed to let him go to the majors. Sure enough, as Tyler played that year, he did struggle; especially in his hitting. He was mostly batting against 12-year-old pitchers who were much bigger and stronger than he was, and who were throwing the ball about 60 miles an hour (compared to about 40 miles per hour in the minors). Consequently, Tyler only batted .167 that year (which is pretty low). And as the year went on, we could see his confidence go down. When he went to bat you could tell he didn’t believe he could hit the ball the way he needed to. However, his fielding was wonderful. They played him in centerfield, and with his speed and his skill he was able to catch many balls and play wonderful defense. Because of this he played almost every inning of every game as a 10-year-old! Then in the fall he played some more, and he got better at hitting the pitchers, which improved his confidence. This last year he didn’t have any fear, and ended up hitting .412 during the season, and .500 for All-Stars as an 11-year-old.

Because we pushed Tyler to go out and play in the majors, and because we helped him to overcome his fear, he was able to grow in his confidence and his ability. He began to believe he could do it!

Conclusion: When we live to please an audience of One, God, God’s love crowds everyone else out, and we learn that we are totally accepted by Him. As a father I didn’t care what others thought; I believed in Tyler and knew that he could do it. That is the way that God is with us. God doesn’t care what others think about us, as long as we are doing what we are called to do. If we follow God, then we don’t need to have a fear of failure, a fear of rejection, a fear of conflict, or a fear of sickness and death. We can understand that with God, we can overcome all our fears, and by overcoming them, we will be able to be strong in our faith, and thus be more successful in living the life God calls us to live. In 1 Timothy 1:19 Paul encourages Timothy to “hold on to faith and a good conscience.” I encourage you to follow the example of Timothy and be a hero by holding onto your faith and not giving in to fear. Amen.