Standalone - Darren Dakers

You're listening to a sermon audio recording from Coastal Bible Church. For more information about Coastal Bible Church, including how to make your way to a Sunday morning church service, visit our website at CoastalBible.Church. If you have your Bible, keep our two Timothy open. That would be wonderful. Do you send love also from my family, Tic, Sense, her love. The children continue to grow older. Dawson's about to turn nine, white is seven, and Dempsey. For Dawson's into all things AFL and AFL stats, now that cricket season is over, white is into all things bugs, which he loves. There's a wonderful dexterity not to squash bugs as he grabs them, but his preservation of bugs going forward isn't so good. So there's a few casualties in the household. And then our daughter Dempsey loves all things unicorns, which she's very upset they're not real, but she would still like a unicorn. So on behalf of them, Tic can't have any of those idiosyncrasies going on. She's the wonderful wife and a real blessing. I'm grateful that Wade prayed, but I'd love to pray as well if that's okay. So let us return to Lord again and pray. Father, your word is good, and we are eager to hear it this afternoon because you're a God who speaks, and you're a God who speaks, and that requires us to be people who listen. And we need the help of the Holy Spirit to listen to your word. And so we pray this afternoon that your Spirit would speak through your word. What we know not would you teach us, what we are not, would you make us, and what we have not, would you give us? We pray in the name of your Son, amen. Well, we're in the letter of two Timothy, this is the afternoon. This is a letter written by the Apostle Paul. Paul is now old in years. He is imprisoned in jail. He's awaiting death, and he pens this final words to Timothy. His little protégé, he wants to encourage him in the faith. He wants to exhort him in the faith to press on and to keep going. He knows that he is leaving. Now, when you know that you're about to leave this world, it does make you think through what kind of legacy will you leave behind? What kind of impact have you left? Do you want to pass on to others? We have in this letter something of what Paul wants to pass on to Timothy. I read an article earlier this year called, "Dying Father leaves letters to his Son to guide him through life after he passes." As you read through it, there are certain circumstances in life, and these letters that after his dad died, he would open it up and see what his dad's words would be to him when he experiences those moments. His dad passed away the age of 27. The first letter he opened was when I'm gone. Reading through these letters was, I was going to share them with you, but they kind of caused me to be too emotional. But it was quite profound to think through, "What do I want the person or the people that are being left behind, that I'm leaving behind to know about God?" What circumstances might they face in life that they need to know God's Word to bear upon? As Paul thinks through Timothy, "What occasions might Paul have in mind for Timothy when you feel afraid to preach the gospel?" Or Timothy, "Your first time in jail?" Or when false teaching is crept in? Or Timothy, "When your friends betray you?" Does God have anything to say to those moments? Or what about what to do when the fire goes out? What to do when the fire goes out? Growing up in a Christian school was pretty common to talk about your faith in terms of fire and flames. People ask, "How's your faith going?" You knew the response was, "May it was on fire." It was on fire for the Lord right now. "How's your walk going?" "I'm walking faithfully on fire." Three-seers for many of us, that's probably not how we would describe our faith all the time. If we were honest, it would say, "Tepid, look warm to moderately cold, warming up a little bit, but maybe not where I'd like it to be." What do you do when the fire goes out? There's a single release by the band "Gang of Youth" from their second album, "Call. What can I do when the fire goes out?" The lead singer wrote this song as in the turbulent time, not only a relationship, but with the church he was a part of, and had this double meaning, the process of the fire going out in this relationship, but also the fire going out of his faith. What do you do when the fire goes out? Or to frame it differently, what can we do to keep the fire from going out? What might we do to keep the fire of our faith burning? Well, in the passage we have in front of us, I think there's three things that Paul does for Timothy. The main exploitation is to fan into flame the gift that he was given. He's going to remind him of three things, three things to help the fire not go out. He's going to remind him of his friendship. He's going to remind him of his faith that's in Timothy, and then thirdly, he's going to remind him of his responsibility to fan into flame. So whether you hear this afternoon and your spiritual temperature feels on fire or cold, come and now hear God's words to stoke it towards life and heat. So the first thing he does, Paul reminds Timothy of their friendship, and he reminds him of his friendship by reminding him that he's praying for them three times the words remind or remembering is used in this passage. Notice how much Paul is praying. He says constantly in my prayers, night and day. Paul is a brother who does not skip the morning prayer. He does not skip the evening prayer. Paul keeps people who are close in his heart, close in his prayers all the time. He's thinking about Timothy. Now why is that? Why is he on his mind so much? If you've watched a lot of the rings, you'll notice that Frodo and Sam are on the other guy's minds a lot, and they're regularly wondering what's going on with Frodo and Sam, and partly because they're in distance from him, but there's a purpose going on that they have to do, that these guys are really invested in. And listen, there's a purpose for Timothy that Paul has for Timothy that is invested in. Paul is about to leave this world. He's dying. He's going to be killed soon. He knows time is short, and he's thinking about Timothy who is left behind. Paul is thinking about the purposes of God and the people of God, and that's why he's praying for him night and day. Who's going to be left behind to preach and teach the gospel? Who's going to pass on this gospel to the next generation after I'm gone? And as Timothy on his mind constantly, I wonder if the people of God sometimes I know certainly aren't on my mind because the purposes of God aren't on my mind. But I've noticed when the purposes of God are on my mind, the people of God are on my mind because I want to know how coastal Bible Church is doing. I want to hear the ways that you're needing encouragement. I want to know the stories and the what's going, the Lord's doing amongst you. Why? Because there's purposes of God at work for the lives of those in coastal Bible Church. Paul has Timothy on his mind regularly, and he's reminding him that he's praying for him. He's thinking of him regularly. Spurgeon said the power of prayer cannot be overrated. They who cannot serve God by preaching need not regret it. If a man can but pray, he can do anything. He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has heaven and earth at his disposal. Now I reckon some of the security guards with the guards guarding Paul would have looked at Paul and thought, "We've got you." Finally, the brave preacher Paul's locked up. His message would go silent. You're good for nothing Paul. And you can just imagine Paul being into himself. "I've got heaven and earth at my disposal because I have God." That's what we've got in prayer. Do you know that this afternoon? You've heaven and earth because you've got God. And so we commit ourselves in prayers. It's powerful. And he uses his power constantly keeping Timothy in his prayers day and night. It's a worthy way to spend your time praying for people and to let them know you're praying for them. You know, one of the things I appreciate about my friendship with Will is that Will regularly let me know that he's praying for me. And it's deeply encouraging, isn't it? To know that you're being prayed for. It doesn't take much. And here they are. They are praying for him. He's letting him know. They've known as those who's prayers rise most spontaneously. Are those who go to prayer most regularly? Be it morning or night. So if you want to be a kind of people who cultivate a prayer life, don't just let it be spontaneous. Let it be regular. And then the spontaneer will grow. Paul is not wanting to fire in Timothy's life to go out. And the first thing he does as he gets into it is to remind him of their gospel friendship. And he reminds him firstly by saying, "Brother, I'm bringing you before the Lord in prayer. I love praying for your Timothy." There's much to pray for Timothy. Paul needs Timothy to know that he wants him to finish to the end. And Paul wants Timothy to understand that the end of my end up costing him his life. But that doesn't mean that God has failed. And Paul says, he says in verse 3, he says, "I thank God who my serve as did my ancestors with the clear conscience." So Paul's in prison, but Paul doesn't want Timothy to think, "Hey, brother, I'm not in prison because I've done something wrong." All that God's done something wrong. I'm thanking God for where I'm at and I'm thanking him for you. this is just how it is for the people of God. As my ancestor, so perhaps he's thinking of his ancestors like Daniel from the Linesden, maybe he's thinking of ancestors like Joseph who suffered at the hands of his brother and then at the hands of Potipharth thrown in jail for many years or King David are pursued by Saul all serving God faithfully, all facing trials and tribulation. And it's like Timothy, check the records, check the records brother. This is the how it is for the people of God. This is the way they go, the righteous suffer. I'm praying for you, night and day, I declare conscience. Please, God isn't holding anything against me. I'm not holding anything against God. This is part and parcel of having the fire not go out. We pursue to the end. I'm praying for your Timothy. After all, as 2 Timothy 312 says, "All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." So Paul stokes the friendship fire through his prayers and is longing to see him. See, down verse 4, "As I remember your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy." Now whether these were the tears of their farewell, but we have recorded in Scripture or another moment, we're not sure, but their tears of, it was enough for Paul to miss Timothy. "As my brother's wedding three years ago, and there were a lot of tears flying. There were tears when his bride walked down the aisle. There was tears when he said his vows. There was tears again when he gave his speech. At the wedding, it was a little bit embarrassing as his younger brother, but overall it was adorable. But that was a tears of union, right? Of togetherness. These are tears of separation, of distance. I long to see you again. I want to be filled with joy. You bring me joy, Timothy. I just want to let you know, I long to see you. There's this friendship that's been formed. Paul hasn't seen Timothy in a long time. After Paul's second trip to Listera, Timothy was a disciple and so well regarded amongst the other disciples that Paul says come join me and they go out and minister together. But then they leave each other. Later in Acts 20, we see that with the Ephesian elders. "Sis and when he said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. There was much weeping on the part of all and they embraced Paul and kissed him. Paul didn't expect to see them again and we don't have any record that he did." I suppose to see you say, "Brother Timothy, I long to see you." You ask down for Sunday afternoon, April 12th, "What is that matter?" I think it matters because there's a model of ministry that Paul wants to seek to leave behind for Timothy, isn't it? And there's a model of ministry that needs to happen that must not simply be transactional. I'm not simply here to pass on information in a book to you. Passers don't exist so that you would simply know. Doctor and separated from relationship. Now the role of pastorship is to be in and amongst the flock, to know and love and care for the people. And there's a model of ministry that Paul has here that's deeply connected to friendship. We don't just share the gospel, we share our very selves. I long to see you. He says that I might be filled with joy. Timothy, you're a delight to me. I'd be filled with joy to see you. That's what he says. He wants to exhort Timothy to finish well to the end, to fan into flame the gift. And he said, "Brother, I'm for you. I love you. I'm longing to see you. I would love to see you again." Have you known such support? And such love can really encourage you in your faith, right? To have a fellow brother or sister encourage you in that way. To them to express some degree of affection or attention to you that just encourage you in the ways of the Lord. Lord knows we need it all. A dad, there's a single person here who's sitting here now with your arms folded wondering, "I just don't need more encouragement." He's maxed out on the encouragement. We all need more. I know a friend in Brisbane who is very much like this every time he was with me. He's always just, I think you're overly optimistic about God's goodness in my life. I think he was just accurate. He's just speaking about God's goodness. To me, those around, constantly encourage me in the way. He's constantly encouraging me, "Lord, the Lord's doing." It's a gift of faith. Sadly, when he passed away, it was just a big gap. I miss him and I miss his words of encouragement to press on the faith, to press on. Now, you can't manufacture this kind of affection, but you can certainly cultivate it. Resting in the question, "What do you do with the fire goes out?" Or, "How do you keep the fire from going out?" One of the things you do is you foster it through gospel friendships. Friendships in the gospel, praying for one another, extending affection and love and care to one another. Maybe you do that here on Sundays as you gather together. At Kummer Baptist Church, we've got a membership directory and it's an awesome thing just to pray through one page each day. Pray for the people. We want my brain lay things on your heart and reach out to them. Maybe you've got one of your message groups just thinking through, "I'm going to first 10 numbers." He's praying through them each day, "What are you trying to do?" You're just trying to cultivate affection for one another. Listen, close to the Bible Church, the only way you guys are going to survive over the next 10, 100 years is as you go deeper and doctrine and deeper in devotion to one another. Isn't that true? Isn't that true what you've already experienced? The church is going deeper in God's Word and deeper in relationship with one another. This is how we stop the fire from going out. We'd be devoted to one another, fostering gospel friendships. We keep the fire going on in one another's life. That's what Paul's done here at first off with Timothy. He's stoking the flame of gospel friendship. The next thing he does is stokes the flame of Timothy's faith. Look down at me in verse 5. He says, "I'm reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice. And now I'm sure dwels in you." Timothy's faith was planted in the soil of a godly upbringing, wasn't it? He was taught the Word rightly and he responded rightly to the Word. He received it. And he made his faith his own. He's a sincere faith. And he owes it all to his godly parenting, his godly mother and his godly grandmother. On a podcast that had recently John Piper was recalling the influence that his mother had on him growing up. And when asked by these other panelists why he believed the Bible was so deeply, you know his answer was? It wasn't, oh because the Bible is the inherent Word of God, which it is. It's not because the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, which it is. So because the Bible is the efficient Word of God, which it is. John Piper said, "Because my mama taught me." That's why I believed the Bible so deeply, because my mama taught me. The spiritual influence from parents to children, it's never to be underestimated, is to be here celebrated and cultivated. Timothy has a sincere faith, a true faith. It's come from a lineage of true faith. His grandmother lowest, his mother unis. He has a sincere faith which stands in contrast to others. Paul mentions, for instance in 410, he says, "For Demise in love with the present world has deserted me." Demise professed a faith that it wasn't sincere. It was a faith that was showing to be thin, a vapour. But not Timothy. Timothy's faith was real. And Paul is saying, Timothy, you're faith is sincere. You need to know this Timothy. And Paul would know how to spot real faith, wouldn't he? Paul's an expert in this. He's an apostle. He understands faith. I remember back in the day, Sunday after the news, antique road show was on. It was that or the V8 supercar, so you could kind of pick what you fell asleep to. But antique road shows was on. And they had professionals there that could look at a dusty old clock and give you a net of worth. What is that actually? I wouldn't be able to do that. I'm not a professional. They can tell you what the genuine article is. Paul, an apostle appointed by God who knows the genuine article faith, spots in Timothy the sincere faith. And he says, "Brother, you've got it." Timothy, you're going to be in a world where the pressures of persecution are going to undermine your faith. You're going to be swimming in a culture that is going to try and cool you off spiritually. It is going to make you question whether what you believe is even true. But brother, listen to me, your faith is sincere. He points him to the reality of his faith. This is why Timothy needs to be reminded of that. His faith is the foundation to which the work he needs to fulfill is going to be based upon. So he grinds them back in his faith. He says, "Brother, this is you sincere. I'm confident of this." It's all their Timothy. Paul's not asking Timothy to work something out of his life that God hasn't first worked in. God's put it in there. Now, I said it ablaze. I'm going to say he wants to encourage him. Don't let it fire. Go out. The gospel friendships, reminding him of his friendship and reminding him of his faith. Pressures and persecution might have you tempted to second guess your faith that listen to Timothy. It's real. Again, a bunch of encouragements here for families isn't there? A parents hear this afternoon or as aspiring parents one day to grow up to the Lord provide you with children. To want to raise your children in the ways of the Lord is great encouragement to the pastors like this. It's particular encouragement I think for women where the men are either spiritually or physically distant in your life. It's a great encouragement for women in that. Notice it was the mother and the grandmother's face with his held in higher steam. That doesn't seem to be in the picture. We're not told why. So whether through death or distance the men are glaringly absent but the true faith is certainly present. And so women I would say to you in the midst of raising your children never underestimate what the Lord will do. With true faith passed on. And coastal Barbotor, this invitation for you brothers particularly to get alongside the other women in the church, maybe those whose husbands are distant either physically or spiritually and to encourage them and encourage their children in the ways of the Lord. So that maybe just as Tim, if he had a spiritual father in Paul, there might be sons and daughters growing up here that find spiritual fathers in new men. As God raises you up to take responsibly not just for yourself but for those in the community to whom he's gifted you in. This is Paul's encouragement. And children if you're here they're teenagers in the room would you be thankful for the gift of family and growing up in the family of faith? It is no small thing to be raised in the ways of the Lord by your parents. And yes gathering at the table and going through the Bible at times may seem silly and futile. And yes you want to hear the story of how David killed Goliath again and your dad wants to walk you through numbers but just submit to it because it's going to be good for you. My son. And would you consider what it would be like to thank your parents and one way to honor your parents by thanking them for raising and teaching you the ways of the Lord? So we have Paul stoking the fires of Timothy's heart reminding him and praying for you, reminding him of their friendship. And secondly reminding him he's got a true faith. And I hope you this afternoon, Kostalba, if you come to trustees as your Lord and save you've got a true faith inside. New heart, new affections for the Lord. That's real. It's sincere God has done a work in you. Let's keep fanning that into flame by his grace. Well that gets us finally to what do we do with this? What does Paul do with the relationship that is rich and a faith that is genuine? When you see the answer there in verse 6 which stoke the fires of faith. Look at this verse 6 says for this reason, for the reasons we just explored, so because of your sincere faith. I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you the laying on of my hands. For God gave us the spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control. That's wise when approaching a pastor's like this to recognize some of the uniqueness. We have Paul writing a letter to Timothy. Timothy's a pastor and a church and Timothy's entering into the ministry as we have recorded a pretty specific entrance into ministry. Is a moment when Paul and others laid hands on him and through the gift of prophecy he received a gift and to do to be commissioned for gospel work. That's not usually how many of us discover whatever gift God's given us but it was unique here to Timothy's situation, happening in specific time. What happens here being described isn't a model for what should be prescribed. This is not the way that everyone receives gifts in the Holy Spirit. We recognize that the Holy Spirit gives to everyone who's been born again, received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Every believer is given at least one gift and that the Holy Spirit chooses what gifts he gives. It's not like you can go to the shopping center and look on the shelf and say I want administration gift, spiritually speaking, which no one does. I want to sing in one. All the preaching, whatever that might be. The Holy Spirit knows how to give the gifts and he distributes as they will. Timothy has a particular gift that Paul wants to remind him of. Fan into flame the gift. I think Timothy got this gift at his commission. Look with me. If you turn back to 1 Timothy 4, if you have your Bible's open, if you don't you can just pretend to rustle pages because this room is eerily quiet compared to having a church beside the highway. One Timothy 4, 14 says this. Says do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by the prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Paul wants Timothy to think back to that moment. Aren't you neglect the gift? I want to remind you that time. Think back to this, elders would gather it around. He wants him to think back to it when Timothy was sent out with authority. Whether elders recognize the work of God in him and commissioned him to be a minister of the gospel. Remember that Timothy. Hold on to that and fan that into flame. The next situation for Timothy. For your situation and for us, I think it does have an extension. If you look back with me in verse 7, in verse 6 he said, "I remind you of the fan to flame the gear which is in youth and laying on my hands." And then verse 7, what he changes to the plural. For God gave us a spirit, not a fear, but a power and love and self-control. The us could simply be us the fellow gospel ministers or it could just, it actually could be all those in Christ who have the same Holy Spirit in them. How would you describe the Holy Spirit? One, not a power and love and self-control. And so this is true for all of us. Each of us have been given gifts. And we discover our gifts, not by trying to figure out, discovering what is my gift, but rather by seeking to love people and in so doing you discover what gifts you might have been given. And so tomorrow morning comes around and you're thinking, "I want a fan into flame the gift and you're wondering what gift do I have." Instead of trying to think through what gift do I have in Googling spiritual survey, I want you to be thinking, "What might love look like to my fellow brothers and sisters?" As I consider how to stir them up one other up to love and good deeds, I want to think through ways that I can encourage them. Ways that I might, the word of God, might bear upon their lives. And as you do that, as you seek through the lens of love, you can discover what gifts you might have. Other people go, "When you pass that on, that was really encouraging. When you help teach it to me, I found that, "When you served, when you let it in that what conversation, that was really edifying. Everyone's getting built up why? Because we're looking towards loving one another. And as we seek to love one another, the kind of gifts come to the surface and then you get to use them for the glory of God." So please, I wouldn't want anyone here tripping over the fact that it's unclear to you what gifts you've got or that they may not seem as grand. Seek to love one another and so loving you'll discover what gifts the Lord has given you. Ask people around you. But what is this gift that Timothy got? I like one writer said, "He describes the gift as the authority and power to be a minister of Christ." I think that's what Timothy was given. He was gifted with both the Office of Pastor and the power to fulfill the ministry. Power to be courageous. He's looking for verse 9. Speak of the testimony of Christ and share in the sufferings by the power of God. Now you need a little courage to do that. Speak of Christ and testimony and to be ready to wear the suffering that comes with that. Now such a gift that Paul is given to Timothy, that God is given to Timothy, is not to be stifled but rather it is to be stirred. It is to be fanned into flame because fire has a tendency to what? Go out. There's no fire that you've ever lit that has not stayed a light unless you have what? Fanned into flame or cultivated it. That's what Timothy needs. Paul says there's the Timothy and we encourage all of us to be zealous not to let the fire go out. Consider what he said to the Christians in Rome. He said, "Do not be slothful and zeal. Be fervent in the Spirit, serve the Lord. This fervent is to be hot. It's to be boiling. It's to be like bubbling up. That's the spiritual internal temperature that's on offer if we receive this by faith. Whatever the gift may be, whether you're administrating or serving or praying or encouraging or preaching or testifying, evangelizing, whatever it might be, we aren't to sit on it but we aren't to stifle it." So there is a general application and there's a specific application, right? I think it's specifically important for Timothy as a church leader because where the leadership goes, so goes the church. So there's to be encouragement for you to pray for your leaders, your elders in the church. The spiritual temperature would be boiling hearts. So they would have the fires of their faith continue to burn bright, to be fuelled by faith, fuelled by the good work of the gospel. To not let confidence, whane or courage go out to stir it out. I was at a friend's men's camp two years ago and like every men's camp you've got a herb, there's a fire which is a wonderful opportunity to either show your ability to make fire, petrol and the lighter, or those who start with twigs and dust. And this fire's happening and to be honest, I'm a guest there, it's an okay fire. I've seen better fires. I'm thinking this is a man's camp, not a boys' camp. But anyway, we're there. And all of a sudden, as I've kind of turned for a moment and gazing out, this ginormous roar takes place. And I turn around and there is fire, it's two and a half meters high, it's kind of roaring. And the sound of the flame wasn't the only sound. There was a fellow with a leaf blower blowing his fanning this fire, giving it all this oxygen, letting this signal roar out. But I'm thinking that's a fire, men's camp has begun. And it was wonderful. And I thought to myself, if the apostle Paul was there, at this men's camp, seeing that illustration of the fire, flaming up, he'd say, that's what I'm talking about. That's what I need you to do, Timothy. Timothy, there are persecutions and suffering coming your way, and a lukewarm faith is not going to survive. Timothy, you've got to keep going. Now listen, love, I don't think Paul says this necessarily because Timothy's faith was going out. I don't think we should do that. Now, the indications that maybe Timothy's a little timid, you know, Timothy puts the team in timidity, maybe. But I think, I actually think it's typical Timothy. I think it's typical Timothy, like any of us, our faith can wang in because of the pressures and the cost of following Jesus. Doesn't that ring true for your own experience following the Lord? We need encouragement. We need zeal. We live in a time in a culture on the Gold Coast where there's nothing out there really helping you follow Jesus is there. I imagine most of your daily experience outside of brothers and sisters in the faith isn't encouraging you towards being hot for the Lord, remaining on fire for Jesus, cultivating your gifts. I imagine it's more like trying to douse them. Keep you away from God, away from his Word, away from his plans, away from his purposes. And it takes comes like this and says, "I want you to fan it into flame." The cool breeze of persecution will drop the spiritual temperature. The headwinds of false teaching are a play and Timothy, you've got to be courageous. Can't shrink back. I imagine Paul's already thinking about fellow brothers he ministered with. People who used to minister with him have now fallen away. Demise in love with the presence of the world. Alexander, the coppersmith who did me much harm. Timothy, I don't want you to end up like one of them. I want you to keep going. I want you to press on. You know parents, if you've ever been at a children's fun run, this is the kind of image I get for Timothy. You know when when little Jimmy's like halfway through the fun run race, I called him Jimmy not Timmy because you'd think, "Timmy, why is he running? Jimmy's running in this race." And when he's running halfway in the race, he's still got a little bit to go. And you know the parents are doing? They're going, "Cover HIV, keep going, don't stop now." You know parents, you know what I'm saying that because you're like, "I reckon Jimmy's going to stop." Some of you have that kid who probably would stop. But most of you are thinking, "Jimmy's running. He's running. He's literally, that's what he's doing. He's running the race. He's doing well. And he just want to keep him going. I think that's Paul Tartimithi and that would be to some of you today. You're running the race. God has saved you. You're here on a Sunday afternoon. You could have used the change to not gather today, but you're here. Run the race, keep going. Why am I supposed to put a spirit inside you? Give the faith and look, look at this spirit he's putting in. Look at this seven or eight. This is awesome. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. Timothy's going to have to lead, teach, exhort and train. Opposition is going to come his way. Being cool in the faith is not going to work. You need to be zealous. You might have the gift, yes, but you're going to be going to have to fan that into flame is the gift of the spirit. Like I one writer says, how does this kind of play out? He says, well, since he's the spirit of power, we're going to be confident of his enabling as we exercise our ministry. Spirit of power in us. Spirit of apathy. Power. Since he's the spirit of love, we must use God's authority and power in serving others. That's what we use it for. A for self-game, but for the gain of others. Good of others. Not in self-assertional fanglory. And since he's the spirit of self-discipline, we must use them in appropriate reverence and restraints. So God supplies all the material for the work he's called you to do. Close to the Bible church. Turn this afternoon as you go home from here and as you wake up tomorrow, there is nothing that God is asking you to do that he's not already put in you to do. He's put the ability inside through the gift of the Holy Spirit so you can walk faithfully and pleasing to him. He's just drawing your attention to it. Paul's drawing Timothy, you've got the Holy Spirit inside you just like we all do. So how will Timothy fan into flame? Well, I think one way he does that is by putting into practice the word of God in his life. And now that doesn't sound that exciting. It's not a fire tunnel. It's not a so-accession or some kind of like five hours out there in the bush in a high mountain trying to get a revelation from the Lord. It's putting into practice the word of God in his life. And I think this is clear from one Timothy 4 verse 15. Verse 13 says, "Until I come to you, devote yourself as Paul to Timothy, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by the prophecy when the counsel of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things. Emmerce yourself in them so that all may see your progress." What are these things that Timothy has to practice? Paul uses that phrase seven times in one Timothy and refers to the things that Paul has been instructing him. Him in. Paul's been ministering God's word to Timothy. He is ministering words of grace to Timothy and of peace. And Timothy, as he remembers the grace of the gospel and as he rehearses the gospel in his life, what is he doing? He's fanning into flame the gift as he's out working it through his life. He's putting into use. He's putting into practice. He's taken the word of God, he's digesting it and then he's spitting it out and giving it to others. That's keeping the flame alive. It's encouraging it. So giftedness align without execution doesn't matter. Giftedness plus practicing the gift. That's what it's required. It's a true of all world-class athletes, right? They might not have talent but they need to practice and train. Steph Curry, full-time NBA champion, leads three points score in basketball history. And one of his teammates say that he's the one setting the standard by being in the weight room going the extra mile. He is the strongest per weight per kilogram strength in the NBA. Giftedness, very gifted, disciplined, self-control puts into practice. Paul is saying in Timothy Timothy, I want you to put into practice these things. Paul is saying in two Timothy, I want you to fan define the gift you have, use it Timothy. Don't string back in fear. Step forward in action, keep administering the gospel. You've got faith in you, you've got the spirit in you, keep feeling it by the power and the grace of the spirit and the word. So where does that now leave us? And that's the end of the passage. Saftanun here, what can we do if the fire goes out? Well, what can we do to fan the flame? That's the question. If you're a believer here, I wonder, do you know that you've been gifted by God? You've been given gifts? You've given gifts that aren't intended to stay wrapped up, put in the cupboard, left on a shelf, hidden in the ground because you've got to. You think you've got a pretty overbearing master who might be upset if you lose it. Maybe gifts to be used, to be delighted and to build others up in. The gifts, so don't bury it, don't neglect it, fan it into flame. Maybe there's two categories of people here this morning, Saftanun. Maybe there's some of you here and you're not experiencing the wardom for the gospel in your life. So you hear a passage like this talking about gospel friendships and you wonder where are mine. You hear about the sincerity of faith and you question yours. And then you hear exotation to fan it into flame and you think, man, I'm just trying to keep the light on. Well, I want you to come to remember the story of the gospel of grace, but the gospel of grace for your starting point today. I'm going to ask you to be a volcano. God's not going to snuff out a smoldering wick. He's going to cultivate it. Our God loves to warm up cold hearts. That's what he loves to do. So bring him your cold heart. Let the truth of the gospel minister to you. Let it warm your affections for the Lord. How could he, your life? We're alive. We deserve death and we're alive. You've been gifted brothers and sisters in this church. You and I deserve nothing like that and yet he's gifted us. We've got brothers and sisters. My eternity is secure. I'm bound for heaven and yet my heart is ungrateful and yet God is still good and so he bring our cold hearts to the Lord and let them warm it up where the gospel of grace gets to work and set your mind on Jesus who lived and died and rose again. The one who came to this world not to waste his gifts but to use his gifts. In fact to use his gifts in a way that would be the greatest gift for the world dealing with our problem of sin. And dying and he's buried in rose again and it was costly. Along the way Jesus needed brothers to encourage him. He needed the Father to minister him. He needed angels to minister him but he pressed on through the opposition and the persecution that he was faithful to the ant and he gave of his life because if he's given of his life he's now given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to encourage us in this life and has given us the blessing of a church to follow the Lord faithfully and so would we now lean on those things? The goodness of the gospel, the gift of the church and the gift of the Holy Spirit. So if you're in that spawn cold heart come to the Lord and let them warm it up. Maybe some of you aren't feeling timid but rather you're feeling too strong. Your life is maybe marked by one of more autonomy and independence and maybe you struggle to bring your heart before the Lord in prayer and depend on him or rely on him and there's just an invitation this afternoon to rely afresh on the work of God in your life. Oswell Chamber said God can achieve his purpose either through the absence of human power and resources or the abandonment of reliance on them. I wonder if some of you need to abandon your reliance, human abilities, human giftedness, intelligence, thinking yourself capable. The Lord doesn't need to capability, he just needs your willingness. The Lord doesn't need your strength because he's got something much stronger in mind. The gift of the Holy Spirit, the rosem from the grave, life giving power. It's a coastal Bible church, would this church be a place that continues to rely on the good graces of the Lord? Be a church that fosters and stirs one another out through gospel friendships praying for one another letting you know. Would be a church that reminds one another of the faith that you have in one another stirring each other up and calling each other and curing each other to use the gifts that God's given us so that all would be done for the glory of God in the building up at the church. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we praise you this afternoon that you haven't let the fire of faith go out in our lives for those who are yours. We would pray that this afternoon there would be those who I get to put their faith in you, me, ask that they would put their faith in trust in you. They would turn from this sin and trust you as their Lord and as their Savior. And go, would this be a church that is marked by those who whose hearts are aflame for the Lord with the warm affection for Jesus? And would this light and would this warm, be attractive to a world steeped in darkness? And so would you save many through the faithful, ordinary proclamation of the gospel through coastal Bible church we pray? Amen.