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POURED OUT | UNASHAMED
When we give our lives to Christ, we are accepting responsibilities as believers.
- There is power in the Gospel and if we believe it, we will pursue the mission no matter the cost.
2 Timothy 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
So I want to ask you an important question:
Does Christianity have the capacity to change the world?
- Do you believe that it does?
To answer that, I want to look at a letter written by Paul near the end of his life
- Some background on the letter
This is the last and most personal letter Paul wrote
Who is Timothy
- A young church leader who came to faith with is family from the teachings of Paul about Jesus
- He goes on several of Paul’s missionary journeys
- Eventually Leads a church in Ephesus (In modern-day Turkey)
In this letter, Paul knows that his end is nearing and would like for Timothy to come and visit him
Paul specifically went through considerable persecution bringing the News of Jesus to the world
- Beaten
- Left for dead
- Imprisoned several times
We find out in this letter that some of Paul’s friends have abandoned him because of his seeming bad luck
Paul DOES NOT SEE IT THAT WAY
- He sees his suffering as a form of suffering for
In his letter, he begins this way to Timothy..
2 Timothy 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, 12 and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.
13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Let’s talk about this idea of being Unashamed vs Ashamed…
We all have something in our past that we are ASHAMED of
- The way we dressed
- A person we dated
- Something we said
Shame has a specific course that it runs
- The decision
- The consequence
- The Hiding (keeping it a secret, not wanting people to know)
Ashamed: embarrassed or guilty because of one’s actions, characteristics, or associations
UNASHAMED is the opposite
Expressing openly without guilt or embarrassment
This is important
WE CAN BE ASHAMED OF SOMETHING AND NOT FULLY REALIZE IT
- Not popular to talk about
- It’s not what everyone is doing
It’s PEER PRESSURE
- Remember – Shame = embarrassment
It is difficult to go against the flow
- Of a river
- Of Culture
- Of your group/tribe
So We demonstrate our shame/embarrassment by NOT FULLY BUYING IN
- Only one food in/one foot out
Revelation 3
14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
So Paul writes to Timothy and encourages him to no be ashamed
- But what would he have to be ashamed about?
This is important for Timothy as a young leader to know
- For him to carry the News of Jesus, He has to be fully convinced in his own mind that the message of Jesus CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
Christianity has always been COUNTER CULTURAL
- Goes against the current culture
- That was the truth then, that is the truth now
We don’t because Christ-followers because it is easy, but because it is life
- Jesus is life
There are much easier roads to travel and most DO TRAVEL THEM
That’s why Jesus said it this way when talking about the Kingdom of Heaven…
Matthew 7
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
So Paul in his old age has much wisdom to share with Timothy, A young leader
- To take courage in the Truth of Jesus Christ
- To BE BOLD IN THIS TRUTH
- To not GIVE IN to PEER PRESSURE
- To hold onto THE TRUTH and not unsound teaching
Because Paul knew the days ahead were going to be hard
- That he, and Timothy, and we are waging a war between light and Darkness | DEATH AND LIFE
So let’s read what he wrote again, but let’s put ourselves into the story this time
- That Paul, a leader who has fought the fight for many years
- Who has run his race, and these his last words to us
2 Timothy 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. 8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher, 12 and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that HE is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.
13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Let me ask you again
Does Christianity have the capacity to change the world?
I Do and let me tell you why
A few years after Paul was put to death by the Ceasar of Rome named NERO, this was built…
This is the Colosseum in Rome
- An architecture masterpiece
- Almost 2000 years old
But this was a place of death
- People would fight to the death for entertainment and sport
Over time several Caesars would use it as a place to persecute, main, and kill Christians
- They would be fed to lions or used as characters to enact famous battles, always to their own end.
This when on for about 300 years
- Generations of Jesus followers that STOOD UNASHAMED
Believing that THE MESSAGE OF JESUS HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD
- The power of Salvation, healing, restoration
Over Time, that truth began to materialize
- More and more people began to see that Jesus, was the way, truth, and life
You can go to the ruins of the Colosseum today
- But when you walk in, you are not greeted by statues of warriors, or emperors, but instead by another roman Symbol
The Cross
But this cross does not symbolize the MIGHT OF MAN OR EMPIRE
But the power of sacrifice, suffering, and salvation
The place where so many of our forefathers of faith died, now proclaims the truth that JESUS IS LORD
WHY?!
- Because they were UNASHAMED
They believed that Christianity CAN change the world