[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered as Pastor of Pilgrim Reformed Church in Lexington, NC on Sunday, May 25, 2014.]
Today we are reading from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, the first chapter, verses 7 through 12:
7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who 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 granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.--2 Timothy 1:7-12 (NASB)
Let us pray... Father, thank You so much for preserving Your word for all these years, and for providing it to us so that we might know You better and might use Your word to seek Your will for our lives. Open our ears, our minds, and our hearts so that we may absorb Your word and hear Your message. In the beautiful name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen.
Let me tell you a little story about a gift exchange with Jesus…
It was the day after Christmas at a church in San Francisco. The pastor of the church was looking over the crèche when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing from among the figures. He hurried outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant Jesus. So he walked up to the boy and said, “Well, where did you get your passenger, my fine friend?” The little boy replied, “I got him from the church.” “And why did you take him?” the pastor asked. The boy said, “Well, about a week before Christmas I prayed to the little Lord Jesus and I told Him if He would bring me a red wagon for Christmas I would give Him a ride around the block in it.” [From “Gift Exchange with Jesus”, #409 on p. 163 in 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin.]
I think this short story speaks well to our message title for today: “Our Gift, Our Duty”. The little boy received the gift he had prayed for, so he fulfilled his promise to take Jesus for a ride. He did his duty that he had promised to do. He may not have understood that we can’t really make deals with God, but he certainly knew how to keep a promise.
Paul’s second letter to his young friend and protégé Timothy was the last he would write. Imprisoned in Rome under Nero’s persecution, Paul realized his death was near as he penned this intensely personal note to the one he considered his son in the faith. Tradition has it that he was beheaded shortly thereafter.
I can very easily identify with Paul, and for so many reasons. He experienced two almost separate lives. In the first, he was a good and faithful Pharisee, carrying on the rules and traditions of the Jewish faith. His zeal in these endeavors saw him doing everything he could to disrupt and halt this New Way, this new faith associated with the Man named Jesus who hailed from the area around the Sea of Galilee. Paul hunted down those who followed Jesus, carrying them off in chains to be jailed and sometimes executed. He was on his way to Damascus bearing a letter from the Temple that would allow him to arrest more Christians, when he was struck down by a blinding light. Thus ended his first life.
After that miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul completely turned his life around to one of service to Jesus. He saw pretty much everything as a gift from God - all the challenges, all the hardships, even the “thorn in his flesh”. What Paul tells us about that thorn, in his second letter to the church in Corinth, also sums up today’s message. Looking at 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:
It was the day after Christmas at a church in San Francisco. The pastor of the church was looking over the crèche when he noticed that the baby Jesus was missing from among the figures. He hurried outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant Jesus. So he walked up to the boy and said, “Well, where did you get your passenger, my fine friend?” The little boy replied, “I got him from the church.” “And why did you take him?” the pastor asked. The boy said, “Well, about a week before Christmas I prayed to the little Lord Jesus and I told Him if He would bring me a red wagon for Christmas I would give Him a ride around the block in it.” [From “Gift Exchange with Jesus”, #409 on p. 163 in 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking by Michael Hodgin.]
I think this short story speaks well to our message title for today: “Our Gift, Our Duty”. The little boy received the gift he had prayed for, so he fulfilled his promise to take Jesus for a ride. He did his duty that he had promised to do. He may not have understood that we can’t really make deals with God, but he certainly knew how to keep a promise.
Paul’s second letter to his young friend and protégé Timothy was the last he would write. Imprisoned in Rome under Nero’s persecution, Paul realized his death was near as he penned this intensely personal note to the one he considered his son in the faith. Tradition has it that he was beheaded shortly thereafter.
I can very easily identify with Paul, and for so many reasons. He experienced two almost separate lives. In the first, he was a good and faithful Pharisee, carrying on the rules and traditions of the Jewish faith. His zeal in these endeavors saw him doing everything he could to disrupt and halt this New Way, this new faith associated with the Man named Jesus who hailed from the area around the Sea of Galilee. Paul hunted down those who followed Jesus, carrying them off in chains to be jailed and sometimes executed. He was on his way to Damascus bearing a letter from the Temple that would allow him to arrest more Christians, when he was struck down by a blinding light. Thus ended his first life.
After that miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul completely turned his life around to one of service to Jesus. He saw pretty much everything as a gift from God - all the challenges, all the hardships, even the “thorn in his flesh”. What Paul tells us about that thorn, in his second letter to the church in Corinth, also sums up today’s message. Looking at 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:
7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me -- to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.--2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NASB)
Satan placed that thorn in Paul’s side, but God left it there on purpose. Paul saw that reason to be so he would stay humble and not exalt himself above God and Jesus. And he saw that as a gift, just as he saw God’s grace which was sufficient for Paul. He even saw his weakness as a gift because it showed the perfection of God’s power, and it allowed the power of Christ Jesus to live within him, something far more important to him than suffering discomfort or pain.
And in receiving these gifts Paul does not complain or ask for more, but instead does what he sees as his duty to God. He remains content with all that most folk would consider problems: weakness, insults from others, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties. He gladly accepts all that as part of fulfilling his duty for Christ’s sake, even considering these as gifts. For instance, he declares that when he is weak, then he is strong. How many of us look at our frailties like this?
This attitude is reflected in Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18…
And in receiving these gifts Paul does not complain or ask for more, but instead does what he sees as his duty to God. He remains content with all that most folk would consider problems: weakness, insults from others, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties. He gladly accepts all that as part of fulfilling his duty for Christ’s sake, even considering these as gifts. For instance, he declares that when he is weak, then he is strong. How many of us look at our frailties like this?
This attitude is reflected in Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18…
16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)
I am a big advocate of prayer and its power, so praying without ceasing appeals to me. This is not to say that we should pray every single second of every day, but that we maintain a constant conversation with God, just like we do with our best friends.
Rejoice always? That’s kind of tough to do sometimes, isn’t it? Bad things happen in this world, making it hard to rejoice all the time. And giving thanks in all things sounds almost as impossible. But Paul doesn’t say give thanks for everything, just in everything. He tells us that no matter what happens, no matter what mess we find ourselves in, we need to look for something, anything, to be thankful for. Implementing this simple process will gradually change our attitude to being more positive. We can’t keep focusing on the negative, on the bad junk, if we are truly trying to find good in any situation, looking for that silver lining in the storm clouds. And if we do this, if we look for stuff to give thanks for, the rejoicing part becomes easier too.
Of course the last part of that snippet of scripture goes back to the fact that Paul sees this as his duty, for it is God’s will for him to do it and he must do God’s will because Christ Jesus is in him. Notice that Paul doesn’t consider any of this to be a chore. Performing a duty, especially a labor of love, need not be a chore at all!
Looking back at our message text, what other gifts does Paul describe? Right at the beginning, in verse 7, he states that God has given us a spirit of power and love and self-control. And continuing in verse 9, God has saved us. He has called us with a holy calling. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that God calls preachers. You affirmed His calling me here. But do you know He has also called you? We each have a holy calling, and not according to anything we can do, our works, but according to His own purpose.
God gives us the great benefit of His mercy and grace, granted to us for eternity in Jesus. Through Jesus He abolished death and offers us life and immortality. And He gives us the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
So what does Paul give in return? What duty does he perform? First off, since he was not given a spirit of timidity or fear, he is not at all ashamed or afraid to testify for our Lord, and he compels us to do likewise. I don’t think “timid” is a word that could ever be applied to Paul. That man was courageous beyond measure. We’ve examined him a little in our Bible Study lessons and know he was not a very imposing man in stature. But could he ever captivate and command an audience!
The next duty Paul so often completed involved suffering for the Gospel. Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, left for dead, persecuted, imprisoned, time after time after time. That man really suffered! But he never considered it a curse or a chore. He never complained. He gladly suffered because he loved the Lord and wanted nothing more but to serve Him.
In verse 11 Paul lists some more of his duties. He was a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. A preacher is also an evangelist, and an evangelist is simply a person who shares the Gospel, often with great zeal. Anyone can be an evangelist, even me, even you.
An apostle is someone who is sent out, in this case sent out to spread the Gospel. Paul was sent out to evangelize. We can do that too, can’t we?
And in a teacher role, Paul certainly tried to instruct both Jews and Gentiles about Christ and the Good News of salvation He offers. Can we be teachers, helping others understand, bringing children up to know Jesus personally? Sure we can, if we’re willing to try.
In verse 12 Paul mentions suffering again and reaffirms he bears no shame in carrying out these duties. For Paul knows who he believes in, he knows Jesus even though he never met Him face to face. And he is sure that Jesus will guard what Paul has entrusted to Him until the Day of Judgment. So what has he entrusted to the Lord? Paul has placed all his faith, all his hopes, all his trust in Christ Jesus, firmly believing that his salvation is assured
Let’s look at one last example of Paul’s sense of duty, this time from his letter to the church in Rome, the first chapter of Romans, verses 14 through 17…
14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”--Romans 1:14-17 (NASB)
That last – “the righteous man shall live by faith” – proved to be the light-bulb moment for Martin Luther, the epiphany that ultimately led to the great Reformation he began. That phrase actually comes from the book of the prophet Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 4. But it was Paul’s treatment, and Paul’s example, that inspired Luther.
Notice Paul’s choice of words that he is under obligation to teach the Gospel to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish alike. The first declaration points to Paul’s sense of duty, his obligation. But then in the very next sentence he says he is eager to preach the Gospel. He wants to make sure we understand this duty is in no way a chore; it is something he looks forward to and enjoys.
And then note that his assignment is to carry the Gospel to both the wise and the foolish, to those who will understand and accept the truth as well as those who will scoff and rebuke him and his message. God does not play favorites. It is His will and desire that all mankind hear the Good News, whether they are willing to receive it or not. This was Paul’s mission, his assignment, his duty – and he accepted it willingly, eagerly, even joyfully.
Each and every one of us knows what wonderful and bountiful gifts God has showered upon us. We may have different gifts and talents, but God has been very generous to us all. We recommit part of those gifts back to the Lord when we give our offering. This is part of our duty and we should be cheerful while accomplishing it, for it is a pleasure to give back to our Lord.
Like Paul we also have a duty to help spread the Gospel, to share the Good News of what Jesus has done in our lives and the great hope we place in Him. We don’t have to be preachers or teachers per se to do this. We can engage others in casual conversation. We can proclaim the glory of our Lord simply by how we live our lives. No matter how we choose to give our testimony, we should never be ashamed to witness to Christ, by our words, by our life, by our love.
We have been given great gifts, and with that comes an awesome responsibility. We have a duty to carry out: to love our Lord and Savior with all our heart and all our soul, and to serve Him with all that is within us. This is not a chore, not something to be looked at with dread. This is a wonderful chance to show God our love.
Let us cheerfully fulfill our duty, rejoicing always and in everything giving thanks.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father, we know You have given us so many gifts, and You did so out of Your great mercy and boundless generosity. Thank You, Lord, and please forgive us when we take those gifts for granted. We feel a responsibility, Lord, to acknowledge all you have given us, so please accept our worship and our service as part of our offering back to you. In the name of that most precious gift of all, Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.
Notice Paul’s choice of words that he is under obligation to teach the Gospel to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish alike. The first declaration points to Paul’s sense of duty, his obligation. But then in the very next sentence he says he is eager to preach the Gospel. He wants to make sure we understand this duty is in no way a chore; it is something he looks forward to and enjoys.
And then note that his assignment is to carry the Gospel to both the wise and the foolish, to those who will understand and accept the truth as well as those who will scoff and rebuke him and his message. God does not play favorites. It is His will and desire that all mankind hear the Good News, whether they are willing to receive it or not. This was Paul’s mission, his assignment, his duty – and he accepted it willingly, eagerly, even joyfully.
Each and every one of us knows what wonderful and bountiful gifts God has showered upon us. We may have different gifts and talents, but God has been very generous to us all. We recommit part of those gifts back to the Lord when we give our offering. This is part of our duty and we should be cheerful while accomplishing it, for it is a pleasure to give back to our Lord.
Like Paul we also have a duty to help spread the Gospel, to share the Good News of what Jesus has done in our lives and the great hope we place in Him. We don’t have to be preachers or teachers per se to do this. We can engage others in casual conversation. We can proclaim the glory of our Lord simply by how we live our lives. No matter how we choose to give our testimony, we should never be ashamed to witness to Christ, by our words, by our life, by our love.
We have been given great gifts, and with that comes an awesome responsibility. We have a duty to carry out: to love our Lord and Savior with all our heart and all our soul, and to serve Him with all that is within us. This is not a chore, not something to be looked at with dread. This is a wonderful chance to show God our love.
Let us cheerfully fulfill our duty, rejoicing always and in everything giving thanks.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father, we know You have given us so many gifts, and You did so out of Your great mercy and boundless generosity. Thank You, Lord, and please forgive us when we take those gifts for granted. We feel a responsibility, Lord, to acknowledge all you have given us, so please accept our worship and our service as part of our offering back to you. In the name of that most precious gift of all, Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.
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