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Remember Your Gift

June 27, 2007

Bob Bradley

_________________________ 

II Timothy 1:6-12

 

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

 

 

Paul is talking to Timothy.  If you read the book of II Timothy, we know that Paul is about ready to die, if you go to chapter 4, it tells us that.  I can just imagine how lonely Paul may have been because when you look at what happened to the apostle Paul, when he is imprisoned in Rome and all that goes on, all of his friends have forsaken him, except a few, such as Luke.  Many folks that were great supporters of the apostle Paul left him because he was a prisoner. 

 

Also, when you think about a man that had the responsibility, the love, and concern that he had for people and the churches that he had established, preached to, and the people that he had seen saved; then being bound in prison and unable to visit them.  This had to be a very heavy time for him.  Even though he knew that he was saved, and that he was on his way to heaven, but still I could imagine how he must have felt during this time in his life. 

 

Here he is going to die shortly, he knows that and he looks around at all the work that needs to be done.  He sees a lot of work, but not many workers.  He makes the statement, "Timothy, I love you.  You're my own son and I pray for you Timothy."  Paul and Timothy had a great relationship.  However, Paul is going to do some things about Timothy.  He is going to talk to Timothy and instruct Timothy about some things that he needed to do and did not need to do.  Paul knew that a lot of the responsibility for these churches was going to fall upon Timothy's back.  Paul knew Timothy very well.  He wanted to instruct Timothy, charge Timothy, and to encourage him in his writings here.

 

Paul says in verse 6:

 

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

 

What Paul is telling Timothy is "Timothy, can you call to remembrance back when we ordained you?  When I laid my hands upon you and we prayed for you?  You were being set aside for the gospel.  Do you remember that?  Do you remember the gift that God gave to you?" 

 

There are times in our life that we need to remember some things.  I have experienced the power of God many times in my life.  Some times were in good times and some times were in bad times.  However, I mean this sincerely; I have never felt the presence and the power of God as I did the day I was in a little room, in a little building where four, five or six men/elders laid their hands upon me and they prayed and God's blessing upon me when they ordained me.  I have never, in all my life, experienced the power of God like that.  When Paul said that to Timothy, I could relate to that because I know what Paul is trying to get Timothy to think about. 

 

Everyone of us, we all don't have to be preachers and we can't be preachers; God did not call all of us to be preachers and God did not save us all to be preachers, but God has given us a gift.  Sometimes God gives us many gifts.  Sometimes He calls them talents and sometimes he calls them pounds, but God gives us abilities to be able to do things that will minister unto Him. 

 

Do you know what we do with them sometimes? 

 

Sometimes, even though there was one time in our life that they may have been burning and blazing very brightly in our lives, but sometimes they get cold and sometimes the fire goes out, sometimes the gift that God gives us, even though at one time it was burning brightly, there are times when the light becomes dim.  It may completely go out.

 

Paul says, "Timothy, do you remember the gift that God gave you when we laid our hands upon you and prayed for you?  You need to stir that up."

 

The word "stir" means to re-kindle.  It means to get your fan out Timothy

 

Years ago, when we had the old coal stoves and we had fireplaces to heat the house.  You would go inside in the evening, when you had been working all day, and the fire would just about be out in the fireplace.  You could take a little piece of wood and just fan it a little bit and if there were just a few sparks, it would re-kindle.  Before long, you could have a big fire blazing. 

 

Paul is telling Timothy, "Timothy, do you remember the gift that you have?  Do you remember the gift that God has given you?  You need to fan it just a little bit Timothy because it is about to go out.

 

Sometimes in our lives, we get the same way.  We get very hot.  The fire is burning bright.  The light is shinning out from the gifts that we have, but we become relaxed and fire that we have starts to go out. 

 

Paul says, "Timothy, you need to stir that up.  You need to re-kindle that.  You need to keep that blazing."  When Paul wrote these things in the Greek, it brings out the "keep blazing" or "keep burning" in the present tense and that means something that we need to do continually everyday.  Everyday we need to be continually exercising the gift that God has given us. 

 

Some of us can sing.  Some of you can testify.  Some of you can pray.  Some of you have great faith.  Many of you can do many great things, but we need to remember that whatever the gift that God has given us, we need to work on that everyday.  When we work on that everyday, we will get better at it. 

 

God wants us to use our gift.  He wants us to fan our gift.  He wants our gift to be blazing and to be hot because people can see that.  People can see what we are doing.  That glorifies God.  People, when they see us blazing for God and using the gift that God gives us then that lets people understand and lets people know that there is a great and wonderful God.

 

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

Timothy must have been afraid of many things.  He was a young fellow.  He was going to have many responsibilities on his back.  He must have been afraid about many things.

 

When we quit using the gift that God has given us, when we quit fanning it and when we quit keeping it blazing then we get afraid about many things.  Fear is a product of not using the gift that God has given us. 

 

Timothy was afraid.  God does not want us to be afraid of anything or anyone.  What do we have to be afraid of?  God has saved us.  We are the servants of Almighty God.  If we are saved, and since we are saved, and He is dwelling on the inside, then what do we have to be afraid of?  God did not give us the spirit of fear.  When He saved us, He did not infuse us with fear.  God did not do that.  What do we have to be afraid of?

 

Sometimes we allow fear keep us from using the gifts that God has given to us to keep us from testifying to people about the saving-grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Perhaps we are afraid that people will ridicule us?  Many times, we when we are around a Christian group of people then we all can talk about how good God is.  We can sing songs and all of that.  However, when our light really needs to be shinny, is out there when we are around those that are unsaved.  We should not worry about people ridiculing us because of our testimony.  We should not be afraid of someone not liking us because of our testimony.  We should not do that. 

 

We are living in a world that is dying.  We can invite Christian people to church all day.  Jesus came to call sinners.  We need to show people and let people know that there is a God in heaven.  Show people that He loves us, He cares about us, that we are not afraid to share our testimony that we have been saved, and we are not afraid to use our gift wherever we may be at.  God will take care of us.  What are they going to do to us?  If people separate us from their company because we ask them to come to church then you really do not need to be around them anyway.  When people separate you from their company because you say that you love the Lord Jesus Christ then you do not need to worry about that. 

 

Many times in business if you had a testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ when it came promotion time you were passed over a lot.  Sometimes you may not get the job even though you may be qualified for it.  You may be a lot better at it than somebody else may, but that is okay.  We do not need to be afraid to share our testimony with people.

 

Timothy was afraid about some things.  He had been afraid of maybe all of the responsibility, maybe the people ridiculing him, or maybe because he was a young man, but I do not know why he was afraid. 

 

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

When you and I get saved, God infuses us with power.  God instills within us the power to be able to do those things and use the gift that God has given us to use for His glory.  Remember, everybody wants to have power.  Do you think that God is going to give you power to do something when you just sit around all day long and do nothing?  Do you think that God is going to infuse you with great ability to be able to sing, to be able to pray, have great faith, or whatever the gift may be; do you think that God is going to give you a great gift like that, then give you the power to do that with when you sit around and not use it?  No!  However, when you start using the gift that God has given us, He will infuse with a power that we need to do what He wants us to do. 

 

David did not need the sling and the rock until he met the giant.  We want the power before we go fight the battle.  If we have to fight a battle, God will bless us and infuse us with the power that we need to fight the battle when the battle comes.  The battle may not ever come.  We want the power.  We want God to come down and bless and give us all kinds of wisdom and knowledge and then we want to sit around and do nothing.  It does not work that way.  What God has given us to use, our gift, when we exercise the gift that God has given to us then God will gradually infuse us with the power that we need and we will be much stronger than we were. 

 

If you have been saved 5 to 15 years then you should be much stronger and have more power today than when you first got saved.  Gradually as we minister and use the gift that God gives us then He infuses us with power.  He gives us the spirit of power.  He places power within us to continue to minister, and to be able to continue to use the gift that He has given us. 

 

Many of us do not even know what God wants us to do.  Many do not even know what gift God has given us to do.  If we will take this book (holding up the Bible) and read it, we will find out very quickly what God wants us to do.  If I am saved, if I have been born again, then we can find out what God wants us to do.  Not only has He not given us the spirit of fear, but He has given us the spirit of power, and the spirit of love.  God has placed within us the spirit of love.  God has not placed hatred within our hearts.  If you have hatred in your heart, that did not come from God.  God places within us a spirit of power and a spirit of love.  The love that comes from Almighty God is the kind of love that God infuses us with.  That is a love that loves everybody, that wants to share the gospel with everybody.  It is a love that we do not pick and choose who we are going to like and love.  That is not the kind of love that God gives us. 

 

I have heard people talk bad about families because of where they lived, or what kind of clothes they wear.  When I hear those things, I understand quickly that they do not know what the love of God is all about.  If they had the love of God in them, and the love of God perfected in them then they would not be putting people in different classes because God's love is a love that loves EVERYBODY.  He infuses us with that kind of a love.  When that love is on the inside then we will love those who do not love us.  We will love those who hate us.  We will pray for those who try to kill us. 

 

I see them all the time.  They want to turn their backs and run the other way, but I have to chase them down and shake hands with them.  I know that is mean sometimes.  However, I want people to know that even though they have done me dirty, even though they have lied and done everything in the world to me, I still yet love them.  I want to show them that the love of God is greater than all of the sin that they are committing.  The love of God is greater than all of that. He has infused us with that. 

 

I can love people a whole lot greater than I used to because I have grown in some things.  Gradually, as you use the gift that God has given you, as you keep fanning it to keep it blazing, God will infuse you with power gradually, not only that, but God will infuse you with love gradually.  Those that once did me wrong when I first got saved, it took me a long time to love them.  It took me a long time to get over what they did to me.  It don't do that anymore because as we use the gift that God has given to us then the love that is within us grows and gets bigger.  We can have a greater love and should have a greater love than the day that we got saved.  Our love should be a lot greater than what it used to be. 

 

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

God gives us a sound mind.  He infuses us with a spirit of self-control.  It does not matter whether it is our thought process, our emotions, or whatever desire it may be; God infuses us with a spirit of self-control.  As I minister, and as you minister; as you use the gift that God gives you and as you continually stir it up and keep it blazing, you will have power, you will have love, but you will also have more self-control in your life. 

 

If we have exercised our gift, as we should have, if we have done what God has asked us to do, then most of the time, we can have control over our emotions, thought process, and over our tongues better today than we did 10 or 15 years ago.  If you have not grown any, it is because we have missed some steps.  We have not been keeping it blazing.  We do not have power in our lives, we do not have much love in our lives, and then I do not have any control.  When we are out of control, we are very ugly people.  Some of the most wicked people, some of the most foul-mouthed people that I have ever seen, go to church.  God is not in that.  If your mouth is out of control, we scream, holler and cuss everyday then we want to come to church and smile, there is something wrong with that. 

 

I understand that we have to grow up.  I know that sometimes anger takes control and we lose control.  However, it does not happen everyday.  It does not work that way everyday.  If it does then we are missing something in our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

 

The Bible says, "filthy communication corrupts good manners" 

 

Not only does God NOT give us the spirit of fear, but also He gives us the spirit of power.  He infuses with power as we use the gift that God has given us.  He infuses with love that we love everybody.  In addition, He gives us the spirit of self-control or sound mind.  It is control over our thought process, control over our emotions, control over our feelings.  It does not matter how bad things may be.

 

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

 

Sometimes we get ashamed and sometimes we will not testify and tell people how much God has done for us.  I know that there are times in our life that we get weak.   There should come a time when we get over that.  There should come a time in life when we grow up to the point in life that we should not be ashamed of our testimony.  We should want to tell everybody we know about what God has done for us.  Can you not remember where you use to be, how you were lost and undone, heading for a lake of fire, and had no hope.  Can you not remember that?  Why would we not want to tell people what we have today?  We have hope today.  We are on our way to heaven today.  I do not have to worry about the lake of fire today.  We should not be ashamed of that at all.  We have the best thing that we could ever have and that is salvation from our sins.  We are a blessed people.  Why are you ashamed of that?

 

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

 

Evidently, Timothy must have been ashamed of Paul because he was in jail.  There have been a lot of people in my life that were spiritually mature people, that were sound people, that had a very outgoing personality about them, and they spoke wherever they went about Jesus Christ.  They lived their life according to the will of God.  There were people that did not like them.  There were people that if you associated with them and since you had associated with them, they would not like you either.  Paul is saying to Timothy, "Don't be ashamed of me.  I am a prisoner here, but do not be ashamed of me.  Timothy you know why I am here.  I have preached the gospel." 

 

Sometimes, when we see spiritually mature people, we want to distance ourselves from them because when the enemy starts slinging clubs at them, we are afraid that we might get hit also.  People that are spiritually mature that are standing for the Word of God and for the truth, we should not be standing behind them, we should be standing beside of them.  They are people that have done some great things for the cause of Christ. 

 

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

 

"Timothy, what makes you think that you should not suffer as we suffer?"

 

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

 

"Timothy, I am suffering.  Everybody else that is living godly in Christ Jesus, they are suffering.  Everybody that is doing good is suffering.  Timothy, why shouldn't you suffer?" 

 

Sometimes we want a shield that makes us comfortable.  We want to take that shield of faith and we want that shield to make us comfortable.  "Timothy, I am in jail.  I am in bonds.  If you think that you are going to go through life living in the will of God and not suffer afflictions, you are wrong.  When we live for/in the gospel  and preach the gospel, teach the gospel, when we use the gift that God has given us and keep fanning it to keep it blazing so that people see, then people are going to persecute us. 

 

Paul said to Timothy, "Timothy, there are some things that are going to come your way if you live and do what you need to do then you will be suffering some things." 

 

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

 

God is the one who has saved us.  Why should that exclude you from afflictions?  It does not work that way.  An enemy out there hates you and me.  When the gift that God has given me and the gift that God has given you, when I keep that burning brightly, when I work on it every day, when it is hot and when people can see and feel the gift that we have, there is an enemy out there that is going to persecute us.  The enemy is going to do everything that he can to stop us. 

 

Paul says to Timothy to use his gift.  There are going to be afflictions so take your part.  This is what has been ordained that is going to happen.  He says, "Timothy, we are saved.  Not only have we been saved but he has called us with a holy calling." 

 

We are blessed.  Not only has God saved us, but He has called us with a different kind of call than this world calls us with.  The word "holy" means different but it means something more than that.  It means a calling that God has placed upon our life, not only is it a different kind of calling, but it is a calling that He has placed upon our lives where that we can be used for His glory. 

 

Paul says that he has saved us, He has called us with a heavenly calling; "...not according to our works..."  God has not called you because you are smart, you are pretty, because you can sing, or because you have a great education; God does not call you for that reason.  He says here, "according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began." 

 

Do you think that God knew before you were ever born, that on this particular night that you were going to be sitting in Campbell Chapel Church?  He even goes back more than that.  God called us with a holy calling and God has saved us.  Before the world ever was and before there was a planet earth ever out here, God already knew that you were going to be saved.  God knew that before the world was ever created.  That is not saying that some He chooses and some He does not choose; that is not what it is saying.  What it is saying is that God knew us.  God knew that we were going to choose to follow Him.  God knew He had called us.  God knew that He was going to send an invitation that we were going to respond to Him in a positive way. 

 

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

 

Look at the purpose and reason here.  When Jesus Christ came, He made manifest some things.  He has abolished death.  Death no longer has anything to do with you and me.  "...that's brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..."  We are blessed people tonight. 

 

11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have

 

Paul knew that he was suffering.  Paul knew that he was in jail.  Paul knew that he had been sent.  Paul knew that he was a preacher, and a teacher.  He also knew one other thing.  He also knew in whom he had believed.  Paul knew that his belief, that his faith was found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

"...and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

 

Paul knew that it was because of his testimony and because of his gift, that God has given him that he was in jail.  Paul knew that.  He had been a preacher He had been apostle and he had been teacher.  Paul knew all those things, but he also that it was Christ that had sent him.  Not only did he know that, but also he knew him personally and he knew that there was going to come a time that he would stand before Almighty God in judgment.  That is the day here that Paul is talking about when he said, "...that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day..."  The day here that Paul was talking about was the Day of Judgment. 

 

Have you used the gift that God has given you? 

 

Have you been ashamed to use your gift? 

 

Have you been ashamed to share your testimony with others? 

 

Have you been ashamed to tell people that you are a Christian? 

 

Are you ashamed to associate with the church of Jesus Christ?

 

Are you ashamed to tell people that you love God?

 

We do not have anything to be ashamed of.  Let us work on the gift that God has given to us.  If it has become dormant, if the fire has gone out and there are just a few hot coals left, let us get the fan of the gospel out and fan it a little bit.  Let us get it burning a little hotter.  Let us get some flames on it so that we can see what is going on here and people can see what we are doing. 

 

If we will use the gift that God has given us to use, we may not be able to do good at it.  We may not be able to do what some think that we should do at it.  However, you use the gift that God has given you and God will infuse you with power, with love, and He will put your mind in control.  God is good like that. 

 

Do you know whom you believe? 

 

Do you know Him?

 

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