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Second Timothy chapter one.

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This was the last letter that we know of that Paul wrote.

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It appears as though from the book that we've seen so far and we'll see that Paul realizes

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that his life is probably drawing to a close.

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He knows his days are probably short.

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And so this book is kind of a reminder, an encouragement, a last bit of instruction to

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Timothy who appears perhaps to be filling the role of what we would call pastor.

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We see that Timothy is gifted.

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We saw that earlier on in first Timothy.

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We don't exactly know what his gift is.

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Many have suggested, if not most, that Timothy was what we would call a pastor.

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It's not perfectly clear, but nonetheless, he's serving in some leadership capacity in

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which Paul has given him instructions on how to deal with some issues.

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And now sometime later, this would have been years later, he wrote this second letter of

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second Timothy.

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So there was quite a bit of time that had passed between first Timothy and second Timothy.

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And so we see the instruction in the verses we looked at a couple of weeks ago in second

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Timothy chapter one, verse six.

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Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying

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on of hands for God has not given us a spirit of filthiness, but one of power, love and

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sound judgment.

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So he's reminding and sounds like encouraging.

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Maybe there is some discouragement there for Timothy.

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We don't know.

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Maybe his, his fire has kind of gone out or maybe Paul just wants to make sure that it

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doesn't go out.

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So he's saying, keep, keep ablaze the gift, the excitement that you have for the Lord,

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the gift that you have for serving the Lord.

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Don't let your fire go out.

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Now we've got revival right around the corner.

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And a lot of times that's kind of what we, what we pray for, what we hope for, what we

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look for when we have seasons of revival that, that maybe we'll kind of have a spark reignited

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in us that we'll get on fire for the Lord.

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You know, life has a way of kind of, kind of, kind of getting us down and we get kind

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of caught up on things of the world.

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But when we have seasons of revival, then a lot of times our hearts are kind of seeking

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that and we come and we find it, hopefully, uh, that we would listen to God and we would

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seek him.

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And so Paul tells Timothy, you know, keep, keep this, this, this gift of God ablaze and

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do not be fearful.

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Now, I don't know what Timothy was fearing.

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If anything, again, it might just be a word of, Hey, be careful.

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Don't, don't fall into the trap of fear.

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But as we read through the scripture tonight, we kind of get an idea of what it may be that

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Timothy would have to fear.

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And that's what we're going to see tonight in second Timothy chapter one, verse eight.

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So let's pray and then we'll get started.

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God, we come to you.

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We thank you for the freedom to come into your house tonight and for your words.

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I pray that they would help each one of us, that we would be those who are not afraid

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to stand for you and to live for you, but that we would find encouragement and strength

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and hope and who Jesus is and what he has accomplished.

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And I ask these things in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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All right.

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Second Timothy chapter one, verse eight.

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So don't be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner.

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Instead share in the suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God.

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Now this is probably why Paul has given Timothy these instructions in the verses before.

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We know a couple of things from these verses.

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One, Paul is in prison.

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We know that through the text that Paul is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and he's

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in prison on multiple occasions.

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He has to go through great suffering, but he continues to preach the gospel of Jesus

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Christ.

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So he just told him, look, the spirit has not given us a spirit of fear in the verse

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before.

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And then he says in this verse, don't be ashamed about the testimony.

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So don't be ashamed.

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Don't be ashamed to say that you're associated with me, but stand firm on the testimony,

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on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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And don't be ashamed to call me friend.

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Be ready to stand up and know that when you stand up for Jesus, that there's likely going

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to be suffering.

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And that's what he said.

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He says, share in the suffering for the gospel.

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Now we get kind of spoiled, I guess we could say, because we don't really have to suffer

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much in these United States.

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Most of the time we probably don't suffer greatly for the gospel.

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Now we may encounter somebody that we share the gospel with and they may mock us or they

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may give us a hard time or they may tell us we're crazy or the Bible's mumbo jumbo and

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not want to hear it.

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We may experience rejection sometimes and maybe even people that treat us badly.

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But I wouldn't really consider that suffering.

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Certainly not in the same way that Paul was suffering and certainly not in the way that

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there are many brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering.

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Now sometimes that suffering for the gospel is simply getting ourselves out of our comfort

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zone.

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That it may be that God puts something on our heart and he calls us to go somewhere

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and serve that may cause us to suffer in some way.

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Now just this past week in VBS, Michelle asked me to go in to her missions class and share

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some pictures and some information about our trip to Haiti.

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That was way back in 2013, the first time we went.

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And so we go to Haiti and while on one sense we didn't really suffer, I mean, our lives

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weren't in danger in that sense, but we did suffer in another sense.

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I mean, you didn't have any power half the day, it wasn't no air conditioning, it was

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mosquitoes everywhere that were biting you.

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I mean, it was hot, it was just, it was miserable compared to what we have here.

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Now we're used to here, we got air conditioning, we got lights, we got food to eat, we don't

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have to worry about bugs for the most part.

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But when we went there to do the work that we were going to do there, on a very simple

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level, we suffered.

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Now you might say not having air conditioner, it's not really suffering.

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I guess in the grand scheme of things, that's not too bad.

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But even on those simple things, there is some suffering oftentimes that goes into serving

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the Lord.

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But then on a more serious level, we see some, what I would consider to be real suffering,

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like what Paul is going through, where he's in prison.

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There are men and women all around the world today who are in prison for preaching the

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gospel of Jesus Christ.

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They can't openly stand up and do what we're doing here.

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They sneak around, they have churches in secret areas, and sometimes they are caught.

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Sometimes they are turned in, and sometimes they are imprisoned, and sometimes they are

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treated very badly for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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And that, I think, might be the kind of suffering that we need to envision when we think of

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Paul and know that perhaps there would come a day in our life, especially those who were

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in leadership, but even for any Christian, there could be a day in our world that standing

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up for the Lord may result in some real suffering for us.

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And we're starting to see more and more kind of pieces of that happening.

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In Canada a couple of years ago, there were some pastors that were arrested for the things

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that they were preaching that didn't go along with what the government wanted.

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And sometimes you see these things in different countries, and we say, well, that could never

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happen here, but it can happen anywhere.

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No country that's ever existed is immune to evil, and we are not immune to evil either.

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And so, so long as the gospel is preached, there will be opposition to the gospel.

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But the gospel will always prevail.

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It has prevailed for 2,000 years, and it will continue to prevail.

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And it prevails because there are people like Paul and Timothy, and our other brothers and

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sisters in Christ around the world, who continue to do the work, and sometimes it costs them

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their very life.

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And so Paul tells Timothy here, he says, share in the suffering for the gospel, relying on

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the power of God.

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Now, suffering is not fun.

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Whatever our suffering may be, whether it's suffering through a sickness or illness or

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difficulties in our life, whatever it may be, it's never fun to suffer.

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And Paul says, look, those who do the work of God, there may come a time that there is

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going to be suffering.

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But what does he tell him?

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He says to rely on the power of God.

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So how do we make it through our sufferings?

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We do it by relying on the power of God.

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When things are difficult, when things are tough, when things are painful, when we don't

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feel like going on, we rely on the power of God.

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So if we're going to stand on the gospel and continue to preach and teach the gospel,

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even when they're suffering, how will we be able to do that?

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We'll be able to do that by relying on the power of God.

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So Paul says, look, I've been in prison for doing this work.

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And now Timothy, I'm calling you to continue this work because my time is short.

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But don't be ashamed of who Jesus is.

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Don't be ashamed of me.

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But instead, don't be fearful.

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Stand strong, preach the gospel, know that there's going to be suffering that's going

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to come along with that.

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But you trust in God while you do the work.

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Now, that's a good message there.

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This is particularly a good message for those, I believe, in ministry, for pastors, for missionaries.

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But I think it's a good message for all Christians in general.

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He says in verse 9, he has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our

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works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus

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before time began.

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Okay.

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So he gives him encouragement.

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Lie on the power of God.

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And what is the power of God?

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The power of God is the grace of God, which saves us.

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And this is something that God established before time began.

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That is to say, for all of eternity, God knew how things were going to be.

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God is all knowing.

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And through God's grace, he has provided a way for us through Jesus Christ.

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So how are we going to make it through in serving the Lord?

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How are we going to make it through in times of suffering?

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How are we going to make it through by trusting in God?

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Because it says, he has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our

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works, but according to his own purpose and grace.

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So sometimes when they say, well, God, look, I'm not good enough to serve you.

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I'm not good enough to go on this mission trip.

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I'm not good enough to talk to my neighbor.

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I'm not good enough to preach this message.

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I'm not good enough to share with my friend about Jesus Christ.

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I don't know enough.

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I'm not skilled enough.

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But if God is leading us to do something and has called us to do something, then it is

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God who will empower us to do it.

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That is to say, God did not look at any of us and say, they're going to be the person

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that's going to be good enough for the job.

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Therefore, based on how good they are, I will use them.

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Paul says that's not how it works.

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Paul says that it's not according to our works, but according to his purpose.

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So God calls the ones that he wants to use and God gets us ready to do what he's called

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us to do.

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So when we say, I'm not good enough to do that, we'll praise the Lord.

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We have to trust in the grace of God.

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And it is the grace of God that will allow us to do what he called us to do.

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So God didn't choose any of us because we were capable on our own.

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He chose us and he calls us to be obedient.

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And if we answer that call, then he will give us the grace to do what he's called us to

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do.

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Verse 10, this has now been made evident through the appearing of our savior, Jesus, Savior

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Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light

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through the gospel.

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Okay.

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So if God has called us to grace to carry out these things he calls us to, how do we

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know that he's going to follow through?

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How do we know that he's capable?

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Well, we know through Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ has come, he has given himself

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on the cross, he has abolished death.

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And as a result of that, he has brought light and life.

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And through that comes the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

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So the evidence, the proof, the hope that we have, the strength that we have, that God

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will help us to do what he calls us to do is that Jesus Christ has come and died on

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our behalf and has been raised from the dead.

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So there's the proof, there's the evidence, that's how we know that God was true to his

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word and how we know that when it says he's going to give us grace to serve, that we can

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count on that, what God calls us to.

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Verse 11, for this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and a teacher.

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So Paul says, look, I was called to be a teacher, an apostle.

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I was called to serve God in this way.

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And Timothy, you are called to serve God in this way.

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For what purpose?

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For the purpose of spreading the gospel.

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And that's true for all of us who are Christians.

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We all are called to do that in some form or fashion.

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Verse 12, and that is why I suffer these things.

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But I'm not ashamed because I know the one I have believed in and am persuaded that he

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is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.

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So Paul says, look, I've put my faith in Jesus and I'm serving him and that has resulted

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in some really difficult times in my life.

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Nonetheless, Paul says, I'm not going to turn on it.

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I'm not ashamed of Jesus.

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I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

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I'm not ashamed to keep preaching what God has called me to preach.

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And why?

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He says, because I know the one I have believed in and am persuaded that he is able to guard

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what has been entrusted to me until that day.

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So Paul says, look, the world is against me, but I know that God is greater than the world.

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And I know that God will be with me until the end.

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Now it says until that day.

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Well, that's kind of an interesting phrase.

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It's hard to know exactly what he meant there.

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Some of your Bibles, your translations may have that day capitalized.

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Some say, oh, well, it's talking about the final day, the last day.

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Well, maybe it is.

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Maybe it's simply talking about the day of his death.

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Really it doesn't matter.

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It's talking about there's going to be a day that we stand before the Lord.

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Now whether that day comes when the Lord returns in our lifetime or whether that day comes

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when we draw our last breath and we go to be with him, eventually our life will be over.

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And Paul says that, look, I'm going to continue to be a servant of God because I know that

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God will be with me, that he will help me and strengthen me and empower me to do what

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he has called me to do until the very end.

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So until the very end, I will not give up.

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Paul would go on to say, I have finished the race.

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I have finished the fight.

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I have run the race.

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I have completed the task that God has called me to.

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And hopefully we will be able to say that.

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Hopefully we will have the same type of trust that Paul is calling Timothy to, that Paul

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says, look, you have been called to serve and you need to trust in the strength of the

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Lord to serve in the way that he has called you and not give up and continue on until

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the day that your life is over.

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And so these words are encouraging.

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They're encouraging words to us because there are times that we may have to suffer in our

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life.

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We suffer in a variety of ways.

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And some of those ways may be suffering for the kingdom of God.

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But we don't want to have a spirit of fear because God is with us, he strengthens us

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and it's by his grace that he will allow us to serve.

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So next time we feel that God's calling or leading us to do something, let us not make

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excuses but say, okay, God, I don't feel like I'm capable.

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I don't feel like I know enough.

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I don't feel like I'm qualified, but God, I feel like that this is something you've

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called me to do.

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And so God helped me to do what it is you want me to do and share in the gospel with

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somebody else.

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Let's pray.

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God, we come to you.

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Thank you for your good word and I pray that you just would help us, dear Lord, to hear

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these words.

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Whatever capacity you may call us to, dear Lord, maybe it's being a pastor or a missionary

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or maybe it's just loving on somebody in the family or loving on somebody in our school,

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whatever it may be, dear Lord, if you call us to serve you in some way, I pray that we

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would be found faithful to do that.

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That we wouldn't be afraid, that we wouldn't be ashamed of you, dear Lord, but that we

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would stand tall, that we would tell others that we are yours, that we trust in Jesus,

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and that we would share the good news of grace and forgiveness that comes through Jesus to

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those we encounter.

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And I ask these things in Jesus' name.

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Amen.