2 Timothy 1_ 1- 7 What Has God Given You?

Rev. David Holwick

First Baptist Church

West Lafayette, Ohio

January 4, 1987

What Has God Given You?

2 Timothy 1:1-7

What has been the biggest influence in your life, spiritually? Maybe you've never thought about it. One sign of God's love for us is that he always leaves us with an influence - something in our lives that can direct us toward him.

According to the book of Romans, one such influence is the world around us. The magnificence of creation should tell us about God. But for most of us, we need something that is more personal, something that touches our hearts.

Paul's last letter begins like most of them. He writes his name, then identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus. That's quite a claim. To be an apostle, you had to be an eyewitness of Jesus. You also received direct inspiration from the Holy Spirit. No one today can make that claim, because we haven't seen Jesus. But we can know him. We are not apostles, but we are Christians.

After introducing himself, Paul addresses Timothy and thanks God for him. Last week I mentioned how inadequate Timothy was, humanly speaking, to carry on Paul's work. He may have had weaknesses, and plenty of them, but Paul is thankful that God made Timothy what he was.

According to verse 5, Paul is reminded of 4 key influences which have shaped Timothy.

The first influence was Timothy's upbringing. Paul mentions Timothy's sincere faith, which dwelt first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Parents will always have a profound influence on their children. For the good. Or for the bad. Even if you think you have made no impact at all, you really have.

This holds true for every area of their lives, but especially in the spiritual area. Countless people can point to their parents as the ones who had the most spiritual influence on them. Usually, the most impact has been made by the mother. During his Christmas message this year, President Reagan said it was his mother who taught him how to pray and find God.

How did your parent's stack up? If you think they fell a little short, they have something in common with Lois and Eunice. Earlier in their lives they had let God down. How do I know this? Turn to Acts 16:1-3.

"Then came he to Derbe ... his father was a Greek."

Timothy's mother, a Jew, had married a non-Jew. As far as the synagogue was concerned, this made her a backslider. Christians have the same principle - do not be unequally yoked. Proof of her backsliding is that she did not circumcise her son on the eighth day like the Old Testament demands. Maybe her husband would not let her; we do not know for sure. But Eunice would not have been considered a devout mother. And since grandma Lois put up with it, she was no better.

Eunice and Lois may not have followed all the rules, but they kept the faith and they passed it on to Timothy. According to 3:15, they did something very important - they taught him the holy scriptures, the Bible. Also, when Paul visited their area, they accept the good news about Jesus. If you feel you have let your children down spiritually because of mistakes you have made or a time when you drifted away, don't give up hope. God will honor your weakest efforts as long as they are done out of a sincere faith.

Timothy's family was a deep influence. So was his friendship with Paul. In 2 Timothy 1:4 Paul remembers the tears Timothy had for him, probably when Paul was taken away to prison. They were obviously very close and Paul was a father to Timothy in a way his natural father was not. Paul not only led Timothy to salvation, he also saw to it that Timothy grew as a Christian. Paul continually prayed for him, wrote to him and encouraged him. Many people do not have a close spiritual friend like this. It is too bad, because it can be a great help.

Right after I became a Christian in high school, I was taken under the wing of Gene Snelling. He was a sergeant in the Army and had a strong commitment to Jesus Christ. Sgt. Snelling had no formal religious education but every week he had a Bible study in his living room. Up to 20 people would pack in. Even though I was younger than the other adults in the group, he treated me as if I was important to God.

Our church has a few people who are gifted at being spiritual friends like this. God is going to give them eternal rewards.

A third influence Timothy had was a gift from God. Of course, God uses family and friends to reach us but this gift was more direct. Just what this gift was, is not clear. According to verse 6, Timothy received it when Paul laid hands on him. Some believe God's gift to Timothy was ordination, the opportunity to serve the church. Others believe it was a spiritual ability to carry out this task. Paul mentions elsewhere that some of the spiritual gifts beside tongues and healing are preaching, administration, and so on. I think his gift covers all this - God gave Timothy a task in the church and the supernatural ability to accomplish it. This was not a natural ability - it was given by God.

The fourth and final influence is Timothy's own spiritual dedication. The influence of family and friends and even God himself is useless if we resist it. Whatever gifts we have are useless if we do not apply them.

Verse 7 tells us what would happen to Timothy if he slacked off - a spirit of fear. God does not give this but many Christians have it. You drift from God and soon all you think about is your lack of money and health and friends. You worry about them because you are depending on your own resources, not God.

Are you a fearful person? Do you worry about death? The direction of your life? This fear is not from God. The only things God gives are power, love, and a sound mind.

God gives power. The Greek word is "dunamis." A Swede named Alfred Nobel used this to name his product, Dynamite. What kind of power does God give? It is the power to overcome problems and despair, the ability to cope with adversity and to succeed against overwhelming odds.

God also gives love. For Timothy this was the ability to love people who were out to get him. It is easy to love those who are close to you. It takes a gift from God to love those who hate you.

And God gives a sound mind. This is not so much sanity as it is self-control. You do not have to be a slave to your sins. With God's help you can overcome them.

None of this comes automatically to Christians. That is why verse 6 tells Timothy to stir up his gift. Literally, the word is "rekindle." It does not mean Timothy's spiritual fire has gone out, however. It means you have to continually stoke it or you will become useless.

I see many people who have been brought up in fine Christian homes. God has given them tremendous abilities. And they sit on them. They are glad they are saved. But there is no evidence of spiritual power in their lives. There is no control over sin, just repetitive requests for divine forgiveness. There is no attempt to learn - their Sunday School teacher can do that. And there is no striving to serve. With Christians like this, churches die. And no one mourns the loss.

God has given us the ability. Are we going to stir it up?

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Resources: Barclay, Bruce, Hanson, Kelly, Stott

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