1 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,520 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Lewis 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,200 Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland 3 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:16,520 County in Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Lewis as he 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:18,920 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,960 It's also important that we remember that the gift is in 6 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:47,280 you. You're not the gift, he said. 7 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,800 The gift that's in you. We're not the gift. 8 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,200 Don't let people think you're the gift. 9 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,240 Don't let people make you believe that you are the gift. 10 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,040 The gift is in you. It's in US. 11 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,680 Whatever that gift is. Teaching, praise and worship, AV 12 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,280 leadership, whatever the gift is, administration, it doesn't 13 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,520 matter. The gift is what's in you. 14 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,880 Maybe you were born with some natural talent. 15 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,200 You can sing with little to no effort. 16 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,800 Your whole life people have admired your gift and poured out 17 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,160 compliments and encouragement. If that's you listening right 18 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,480 now, thank God for that gift. But it is easy to start to let 19 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,440 some of that gifting go to your head, to begin to think that you 20 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,120 are the source of that gift. Today, Pastor Lewis challenges 21 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,760 us to remember the giver of the gift and focus our attention on 22 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,120 glorifying him rather than exulting in our gift. 23 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,120 Now here's Pastor Lewis in the Book of Second Timothy Chapter 24 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,640 1, as he begins his message Last Words. 25 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,160 Let's turn in our Bibles, please, to Second Timothy 26 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,120 chapter 1. Let's pray and go into the Word 27 00:01:58,120 --> 00:01:58,760 of God. Amen. 28 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,960 Father, We thank you, Lord, once again for your faithfulness to 29 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,520 this house, and not only to this house, but for all those who 30 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,919 call upon your name. Father, we thank you for the 31 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,040 things that our eyes have seen, Lord, and the things that our 32 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,400 ears have heard. We thank you that we are in the 33 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,200 country, Lord, that has been defended by men and women who 34 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,320 have a heart, Lord, for freedom, and we thank you for our 35 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,120 freedom. We can stand here today and 36 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,800 teach Your word and sit together, Lord, under Your word 37 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,200 and not be ashamed of the testimony of Jesus Christ 38 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,040 because of the freedoms that we have. 39 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,840 And we thank you for that Lord, in Jesus name. 40 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,200 Now, Father, as we listen to your word, I pray, Father, that 41 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:42,960 you open your mouth and speak to us. 42 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:44,720 Lord, no one came here to see me. 43 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:49,400 All came here to hear from you. So I pray, Lord, that Your Holy 44 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,640 Spirit would just be upon each and every one of us, that you 45 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:57,120 would use me, Lord, just as a, as a tool in your hand, Lord, as 46 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,200 a vessel. Speak through me, Father, in 47 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:04,640 Jesus name we pray, Amen. So over here in Second Timothy 48 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:10,320 chapter one, we have already just completed First Timothy and 49 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,600 what we've seen is that Paul is giving instruction to his young 50 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:18,760 protege Timothy, and he met Timothy back in Acts chapter 16. 51 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,960 You can read about when they initially came together on 52 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,640 Paul's missionary journey through Ephesus. 53 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,480 And what we find is that Paul Wood took a real liking to 54 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,080 Timothy because of Timothy's faithfulness. 55 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,240 Even as a young man, he was faithful. 56 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,720 And, and as we move into now, the second chapter or the second 57 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,840 book of Timothy, like you said last week, there are three 58 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,320 pastoral epistles, first Timothy, second Timothy, and 59 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,960 also Titus. Even though it's not necessarily 60 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,080 in that order, it is actually the correct order is actually 61 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,920 First Timothy Titus. And then Second Timothy is 62 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,320 actual order. And I'll tell you the reason why 63 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,760 it's important for us to talk about that or to mention that is 64 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,800 because it's here in Second Timothy where Paul realizes that 65 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:10,160 he is facing impending death. So this is probably the last 66 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,160 letter that Paul not probably it is the last letter that Paul 67 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,240 will write and he understands that and he's dealing with it 68 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,400 from the perspective of a man who knows that he is facing his 69 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:24,680 death. So we're dealing with that. 70 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,080 So as we read through this, please keep in mind that we're 71 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:33,200 listening to a man who knows that his in is imminent as we 72 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,880 read through this. And maybe you'll be able to just 73 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,640 pick up and we want to point some things out, but you'll be 74 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,280 able to pick out certain things that he says that I think are 75 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:45,200 just amazing to be able to say at his end. 76 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:48,200 And you can just take a second to think, If you knew that you 77 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,920 only had a couple days to live, what would be the thing on your 78 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,120 mind most? What would be the thing on your 79 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:55,760 heart the most? Who would you want to talk to? 80 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,840 Who would you want to speak to? Who would you want to ask 81 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:01,240 forgiveness of? Who would you want to forgive? 82 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:03,640 Who would you want to reconcile with? 83 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,640 What would you want to correct in your life if you knew? 84 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,600 You knew you only had a few days to live? 85 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,640 Not many of us have the privilege of knowing when we're 86 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:18,000 about to go. Not many of us know that, which 87 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,920 is why it's so important that we live every day like it's our 88 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,320 last. Because it very well could be. 89 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,120 You heard people say here today and gone tomorrow. 90 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:32,040 That's actually not true. You could be here today and gone 91 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:36,080 today, so you might want to live your life. 92 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,080 We all should be living our lives in a way that we are 93 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,600 mindful of the fact. I think it was in the book of 94 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:46,600 Psalms where it is written, that we ask the Lord to teach us to 95 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,160 number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. 96 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:56,440 So we live like we don't have forever to live, but we live 97 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,720 that we know and we understand that we too have impending 98 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,000 death. And it was even more significant 99 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:08,760 for Paul because even his surroundings was dark and it was 100 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,680 cold. He was in a Roman prison. 101 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,880 This is a second imprisonment. He was in a Roman prison. 102 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,840 He was basically lowered down through a hole in the ground. 103 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:19,640 He was in a dungeon. Wasn't even a prison. 104 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,040 Compared to the things that we see today as a prison, Paul was 105 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,000 probably in some of the worst conditions you can think of. 106 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,160 He was in a hole in the ground where he was around all of his 107 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,680 own waste, along with probably others that was there too as 108 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:38,600 well before he got there. And not only was he beaten, but 109 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,240 Paul was in shackles. He was in chains, as we'll see 110 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,320 later. He mentions his chains. 111 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:47,840 Why would a man need to still be in chains if he's already been 112 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,120 beaten and in prison? But this is what Paul suffered 113 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:53,600 and he suffered it for the Gospel. 114 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,640 And he was during the time of the Nero era, you know, 115 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:00,920 Christians were blamed at that particular time for burning down 116 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:03,600 Rome. Rome had burned down and and 117 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,360 Nero, because he hated Christians, he blamed the 118 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,640 Christians for doing it. Most people think that Nero was 119 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,520 the one that did it because he wanted to kind of change Rome. 120 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,160 He wanted to do a renovation project in Rome. 121 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:20,760 So he chose to torch the place and he blamed it on the 122 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:25,880 Christians. And it was with harsh, harsh 123 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:30,360 treatment of the Christians that he began to execute believers in 124 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,400 that area. At that particular time, he'd 125 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:36,360 already killed Peter by crucifying him upside down. 126 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:41,480 And now Paul was awaiting his own execution in prison. 127 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:45,240 So it was a really dark time. So it was during this time that 128 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,120 Paul began to pen a letter. Now, people believe that he 129 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,200 dictated the letter and it was Luke who was with him at that 130 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:55,080 time that actually wrote the letter, but it was definitely 131 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,600 God used Paul to do this. And the other amazing thing that 132 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,200 I have to point out, and I know we talked about this before 133 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,320 before we can get into this, but I have to mention the fact that 134 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,520 God's sovereignty cannot be topped. 135 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,560 It can't even be compared with God's sovereignty. 136 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:16,480 He's asking in this letter that Timothy come to him quickly. 137 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:19,640 Timothy, come quickly. I got things I want to say to 138 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:22,080 you, Timothy. It would be just like someone 139 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:24,480 who was passing and they know they're passing and they're 140 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,960 calling out to you and they're asking you to come quickly 141 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,560 because I, I don't know how much time I have. 142 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:33,679 And Paul is saying, Timothy, come quickly. 143 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:39,840 Come, be diligent to come. But what's amazing, what's 144 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:44,880 really amazing about that is the fact that this letter or these 145 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:49,240 instructions that Paul gives to Timothy was meant to be directly 146 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,200 to Timothy. He wrote this just in case 147 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:55,040 Timothy didn't get there in time. 148 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,120 This was just in case Timothy didn't get there in time. 149 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:04,200 And because of this, God set it up so that we could all benefit 150 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,960 from this letter that he gave to Timothy. 151 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,040 Paul gives him 5 instructions throughout this letter. 152 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:13,040 There's five things that Paul gives him as instructions for 153 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,440 Christian living. And the point of the matter is, 154 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,600 is that again, because of God's sovereignty and his love, he 155 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:24,440 knew that we need to know these five things. 156 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,080 That's the sovereignty and the love of God. 157 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:31,640 So let's move into this. We're in Second Timothy chapter 158 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:35,240 1. And right here in verse 1 of 159 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:39,000 chapter 1, Paul says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the 160 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,480 will of God according to the promise of life which is in 161 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,840 Christ Jesus. What's amazing here is that as 162 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,320 he opens up all of his letters or most of his letters, he 163 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,680 always talks about the fact that he has authority to write this 164 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:58,120 because he is an apostle not of himself, not an apostle of 165 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:02,160 himself, but apostle by the will of God. 166 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,440 He's apostle of Jesus Christ, of the will of God. 167 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:09,520 He is a sent servant. He was sent by the will of God. 168 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,320 So he reminds us that Paul was one who was sent. 169 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:17,960 He was not one who just went. So Paul understood that his 170 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,560 authority came from God. And he's saying that right up 171 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,480 front. So everything that he says to 172 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:28,080 Timothy, it bears that weight. And he says according to the 173 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:30,880 promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus. 174 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,480 And that's really important to him right now because Paul was 175 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:39,400 facing impending death. So his heart, his heart was to 176 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:44,400 focus on the promise that God has given to him through Christ 177 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,240 Jesus, which is the promise of life. 178 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,120 And that's exactly what he was hold on to while he was there in 179 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:56,480 that dark, cold, dingy, smelly, stinking cell. 180 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:01,800 That hold. He was focusing on the fact that 181 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:06,960 he had a promise from God of life, and every one of us have 182 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,400 that promise as well. And that's the message that not 183 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:12,920 only did Paul go out and share with everyone, but that's the 184 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:17,000 message that we have, which is why we should be confident with 185 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,440 the message that we have to give to other people. 186 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:26,080 We have the promise of life. No one else has that promise, no 187 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,040 one else. We have the promise of life 188 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:34,880 through Christ Jesus. And then he says in verse 2 to 189 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,520 Timothy, a beloved son, a beloved son. 190 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,920 Paul always talked about his passion, his love for Timothy. 191 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:44,320 And Timothy was a son in the faith. 192 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,160 And Paul always acknowledged that. 193 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,280 And then he says, and here's when he talks about what I call 194 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:54,560 the divine triplets, he mentions, he says grace, mercy, 195 00:11:54,560 --> 00:12:00,200 and peace from God and the Father of Jesus Christ our Lord. 196 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:04,040 James, it's interesting that he talks about mercy and all the 197 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:06,600 pastoral letters. We notice that he mentions the 198 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,360 word mercy and he mentions that because Paul understood that as 199 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,600 a pastor, there's no one that should be before the mercy seat 200 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,760 more than pastors. There's no one else that should 201 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:21,600 be hastening to come before the mercy seat more than pastors. 202 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:27,280 We need mercy, and we should know that we need mercy. 203 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,320 And he understands that. In fact, in James 31, it says 204 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,360 that instructors or teachers will be held to a stricter 205 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:39,280 judgment. So we need the mercy of God. 206 00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:44,560 We need the mercy of God. All of us need God's mercy. 207 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:48,360 And if it wasn't for God's mercy, we wouldn't be here today 208 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,640 in Christ Jesus if it wasn't for his mercy. 209 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:58,240 And he goes on in verse 3, and we're now about to get into what 210 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:02,360 is probably the meat of this, but he says, I thank God whom I 211 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:08,520 serve with a pure conscience as my forefathers did. 212 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:12,320 He talks about a pure conscience and now he's not saying that he 213 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:16,320 did everything perfect when he served God, He didn't do 214 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,960 everything perfect, but he had a pure conscience because he was 215 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,840 able to take everything that he did before the Lord. 216 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,160 So if he did slip up, in fact, he talked about in Romans 7, he 217 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:28,480 talked about slipping up quite a bit. 218 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:30,800 He said the things that I want to do, I don't do the things 219 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,960 that I should do, you know, things I shouldn't do, those 220 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:35,720 things I do. So he realizes that he still 221 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,000 sins. Paul still sins, but he had a 222 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,720 pure conscience because he was he would acknowledge that sin 223 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:46,240 and take it before the Lord and he would become pure just as we 224 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,000 can serve with the pure conscience. 225 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,960 It doesn't mean that we don't do anything that we don't need to 226 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,880 repent for we do. But the pure conscience coming 227 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,080 to the fact that we don't hold long accounts with God. 228 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,560 I love the way Clark always say that, you know, keep short 229 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:02,120 accounts, you know, with the Lord and we do that by when we 230 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:05,160 do slip up, the Holy Spirit prompts us and lets us know that 231 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,880 we slip up and we hit our knees and ask for forgiveness. 232 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,640 Acknowledge it. We come into agreement with God 233 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,240 that we have sinned. And this is what Paul was 234 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:16,800 saying. So Paul was saying, I served 235 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,960 with a pure conscience. Ain't nothing lingering. 236 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,680 Ain't nothing lingering, nothing lingering. 237 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,480 The things that I've done, I acknowledged it. 238 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,400 I acknowledged it. And he says also as my father's 239 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:28,920 did. So he goes back to thinking 240 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,880 about the patriarchs that are in his life that served before him, 241 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:37,480 the Abrahams, The Isaacs and the Jacob who had faith in God and 242 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:41,560 they served with faith in God. And Paul said, I served in that 243 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,760 same way. And he says as without ceasing, 244 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,440 I remember you in my prayers night and day. 245 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,120 You know, sometimes it's a thought that when someone gets 246 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,680 saved, oh, don't have to worry about them now, Don't have to 247 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:55,520 worry about them now. I ain't got to pray for them as 248 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:57,120 much as they had to pray when they were out there in that 249 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:58,480 street. Oh, I ain't got to. 250 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,800 No, it's the other way around. When someone gets saved, those 251 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,200 prayers should not diminish. They should intensify. 252 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,440 They should intensify and especially if they get into 253 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,400 ministry, intensify those prayers, don't diminish them, 254 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:16,760 need them. And Paul understand that there 255 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,840 was a need to pray for Timothy because Timothy was called to 256 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:21,840 the pastorate. He was saved and called to the 257 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,320 pastorate. And Paul understood that it was 258 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:28,120 necessary to pray for that young man night and day. 259 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,400 There's nothing good that happens in this church that 260 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,240 doesn't come through your prayers. 261 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,080 Your prayers for Clark, your prayers for me, your prayers for 262 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,080 the other ministries in this church. 263 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,360 Anything that happens of any significance is coming through 264 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,920 your prayers, whether it's corporately by praying together 265 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:49,400 or praying on a Thursday night prayer or or the Monday or the 266 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,040 other Thursday night prayer that people are holding, or whether 267 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:57,120 it's individually your prayers. Your prayers are the helps that 268 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:02,280 holds this place together. It holds it together and the 269 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,320 Lord honors the prayers of the Saints. 270 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:10,120 Then he goes on in verse 4 and he says greatly desiring to see 271 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,920 you, and that follows up with what he's going to say in 272 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,920 chapter 4, verse 9, when he when he tells him to please 273 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:19,920 diligently, diligently come quickly because he knows he 274 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,200 doesn't have but a short amount of time to be able to share with 275 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,040 him. And then he says, being mindful 276 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,760 of your tears, that I may be filled with joy when I call to 277 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,520 remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwell 278 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:37,120 first in your grandmother, Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am 279 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:43,160 persuaded is in you also. Paul says being mindful of your 280 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:45,480 tears. He's sitting there in the prison 281 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:47,760 and he's thinking about Timothy's tears. 282 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,480 We don't know exactly what it was that he's referring to. 283 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,040 He could be referring to the fact that the last time he saw 284 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,760 Timothy, Timothy wept because Timothy may have realized that 285 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,880 this could be the last time that I'm seeing my spiritual father. 286 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:04,440 This could be the last time he may have been there when Paul 287 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:07,480 got arrested and was put in prison, and he may have known 288 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:09,640 that this is going to end in his execution. 289 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:14,040 The Holy Spirit may have prompted him to know that the 290 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,839 end is near. Or it could be because Timothy 291 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:23,079 was left in Ephesus to be a pastor of a church where people 292 00:17:23,079 --> 00:17:27,440 were older than he was and was dealing with him like he was a 293 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,360 kid instead of dealing with him like he's a pastor. 294 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:37,200 The ministry, the persecution, he sees Paul getting arrested 295 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,560 and about to be executed, and he's in the same ministry. 296 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,640 He is testifying to the same name that Paul was testifying to 297 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,440 that's leading to his impending execution. 298 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,920 Maybe that caused Timothy to weep. 299 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,040 We don't really know what caused Timothy to weep. 300 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:58,040 But Paul says I'm mindful of those tears, that I may be 301 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,920 filled with joy when I call into remembrance your genuine faith, 302 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:06,720 Timothy, your faith is not hypocritical. 303 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,240 Your faith does not come from surface belief. 304 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,800 Your faith comes from the real, the real source. 305 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,920 Your faith is based upon your knowledge and your belief in 306 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,600 Jesus Christ. That is genuine faith. 307 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:29,760 It's faith in the face of fear. It's faith in the face of all 308 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,960 things of persecution. It's faith in the face of 309 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,920 danger. That's genuine faith, Faith and 310 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,520 temptation. Timothy, your faith is not 311 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:43,160 hypocritical because your examples were good. 312 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,440 First, it was in your your grandmother, your grandmother 313 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:52,000 Lois, she was a faithful woman. And that was passed down to your 314 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:55,560 mother, Eunice, who was a faithful woman. 315 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,040 They pray for you, Timothy. And now you have genuine faith. 316 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:03,520 I'm going to tell you something. Most of us, and I know I am, 317 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:09,000 chief, I am definitely one who are here as a result of the 318 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:13,000 faithful prayers of someone who pray for us. 319 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,720 Maybe it was your grandmother, maybe it was your grandfather, 320 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:21,080 maybe it was your father, maybe it was your mother. 321 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:25,240 For me, it was mother, grandmother, and my older 322 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,440 sister. They desperately prayed for me 323 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:32,320 to come out of those streets, and maybe somebody did that for 324 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,080 you. So we have evidence that the 325 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:41,920 fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much, and Timothy 326 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:43,720 understood that. So if you're praying for 327 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,920 somebody that's not in here yet, if you're praying for somebody 328 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,280 that you want to see, walk in with the Lord before you leave. 329 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,760 Don't stop praying. Regardless of what you see, 330 00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:02,440 regardless of what you see. It's not about what we see. 331 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:07,480 It's what we believe. We serve a God that is able to 332 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:12,520 change hearts, to change lives, to change the destiny of men and 333 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:14,240 women. He is able. 334 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,720 So don't give up your prayers. Don't give up your prayers. 335 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:23,400 And then he goes on and he says in verse 6, he says, therefore, 336 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:25,480 I remind you now this is his first. 337 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,200 If you're taking notes, this is his first instruction to 338 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,680 Timothy. He says, therefore, I remind 339 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:35,040 you, stir up the gift of God that is in you through the 340 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,840 laying on of my hands. Stir up the gift. 341 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:41,600 That's instruction #1 Timothy, stir up that gift that is in 342 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:43,840 you. Every one of us have a gift 343 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,240 that's in us that came to us at the time that we got saved. 344 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:51,240 When the Holy Spirit came to dwell on the inside of us, it 345 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:55,680 brought gifts. So we all have a gift, but non 346 00:20:55,680 --> 00:21:00,200 use, fear and other things can cause that gift to go dormant. 347 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,400 Circumstances, frustrations, problems in ministry, it can 348 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:11,840 cause that gift to go dormant. Non use of that gift. 349 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,360 And Paula said, Timothy, stir up that gift. 350 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:21,040 Fan those embers into a flame. Timothy, don't let your ministry 351 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:22,480 die. Don't let your faith die. 352 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,160 Don't let your testimony die. Stir it up. 353 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:27,800 And that's what he's saying to us. 354 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,760 He sent it to me and I know he's saying it to you as well. 355 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,240 Stir up that gift that's in you. God placed something in you. 356 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,200 I don't know what it is, but he placed a gift that's in each and 357 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,160 every one of you who believe. Stir it up. 358 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,640 Don't let it sit and go dormant. Don't let the enemy be able to 359 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:50,000 celebrate because you are not serving the Lord in the way that 360 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,200 God has called you to do it because your gift went dormant. 361 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,680 Stir it up. Stir it up. 362 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:03,120 But it's also important that we remember that the gift is in 363 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:08,360 you. You're not the gift, he said. 364 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:10,880 The gift that's in you. We're not the gift. 365 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,280 Don't let people think you're the gift. 366 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,240 Don't let people make you believe that you are the gift. 367 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:23,600 The gift is in you, It's in US. Whatever that gift is, teaching, 368 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:28,000 praise and worship, AV leadership, whatever the gift 369 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:29,480 is, administration, it doesn't matter. 370 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,120 The gift is what's in you. So he goes on. 371 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:38,240 That was necessary just to put out there before we move on then 372 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,960 verse 7 he says for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but 373 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,800 of power and of love and a sound mind that was must have been 374 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:49,240 necessary to say Paul would not have made that admonition if it 375 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:52,160 wasn't necessary somewhere along the line. 376 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:57,440 Timothy must have became timid somewhere along the line. 377 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,080 Somewhere along the line, Timothy must have become pretty 378 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,600 silent about his gift and was not teaching the word of God or 379 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,440 doing what he needed to do with the gift that was placed in him. 380 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,440 Somewhere along the line, something was going on where 381 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:15,240 Timothy was becoming fearful. Otherwise Paul would not have 382 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,200 made that admonition to him. He would not have brought that 383 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,480 up. And it was right after he said, 384 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,440 stir up the gift. And then he says, for God has 385 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:28,480 not given us a spirit of fear. So you put those two together, 386 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,320 that tells us that Timothy somewhere along the line became 387 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,800 fearful. Maybe it's because he was seeing 388 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:36,560 so many people executed around him. 389 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,400 Maybe it's because he was seeing the treatment. 390 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,920 Maybe it was because he was getting threats from Nero. 391 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,680 Maybe he was because the older people that was around him was 392 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,440 just disrespecting him so much that he become fearful. 393 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,120 But whatever the case was, he must have become fearful. 394 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:54,880 And Paul said God did not give us a spirit of fear. 395 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,880 Here on Living Waters of Grace, we're in the books of First and 396 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:03,440 Second Timothy. Pastor Lewis Harrell is walking 397 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,280 us through these letters written from Paul to Timothy. 398 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,600 Toward the end of these letters, Paul is anticipating that his 399 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,800 time here on earth is coming to a close. 400 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,120 He's giving some final words of advice to his mentee. 401 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,720 Paul writes in Second Timothy 4, verse seven. 402 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,480 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. 403 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,840 I have kept the faith wherever you are in your journey of faith 404 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,320 with God, our hope is that you have the willingness to fight 405 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,480 for what's true, not compromising, but holding fast 406 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:39,120 to the Word of God. Paul was reminding Timothy of 407 00:24:39,120 --> 00:24:43,240 this, and it's a good reminder for you and for me today too. 408 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,080 For helpful input throughout this series, why not listen to 409 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,680 all of these teachings from First and Second Timothy on our 410 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:54,680 website? Go to calvarychapelonline.com to 411 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,960 access teachings, download our app, and more. 412 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,800 If you'd like to visit us this weekend, we'd be delighted. 413 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,800 Living Waters of Grace is a ministry of Calvary Chapel 414 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:11,640 Westmoreland in Greensburg, PA Come to our service held at 415 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:16,160 10:30 AM on Sundays. We're located at 400 E 416 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:21,320 Pittsburgh St., Ste. 6B. For any other information on our 417 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:25,120 weekly service, visit calvarychapelonline.com. 418 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:30,320 You can also join our e-mail list, give online, or submit a 419 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,120 prayer request right from the site. 420 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,360 If you can't make it in person, be sure to tune into Calvary 421 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:38,440 Chapel Westmoreland's YouTube channel. 422 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,680 Subscribe so you never miss new teachings. 423 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:45,240 We thank you for tuning in today and ask that you come back for 424 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:50,840 more solid and biblical teaching from Pastor Lewis right here on 425 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,280 Living Waters of Grace.