Our focus text is the
7th verse. Fear can be a good thing, but it can also be a very crippling
thing. It is good when it keeps you from doing stupid things like dangling from
long elasticated ropes, jumping into deep gorges and from suspension bridges. The
Bible also says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (e.g. Prov. 1:7). So there is healthy
fear. Our text however speaks about the
matter of unhealthy fear, and this is the subject we are addressing today. I
have provided you with some additional reading material on the subject,
available in your bulletins and by way of an extra pamphlet we have published.
Last time we considered the opening verses (1:1-2) of the second letter of Paul to Timothy. These
opening words gave us an insight into the nature of Paul’s ministry. He was an apostle by the will of God according to
the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. Paul was endowed with a
tremendous sense of power and authority from God. That is what he needed for
this particular apostolic work to which he was called.
From a concurrent study of the book of Acts on Sunday
evenings we are able to observe the almost fearless nature of Paul as he, in his apostolic journeys among the gentiles
in Asia and Greece, walks into the proverbial lion’s den time and time
again. In 2 Corinthians 11: 16-33 he provides us with a biographical sketch
of what happened on his many journeys. It is
hair-raising, and yet he kept on and on. On his last missionary journey[1] he, against
all counsel and warning, went
on to Jerusalem, knowing that trouble and hardship would await him
there which would send him into this
prison in which he now finds himself in
Rome. Yet he did not waver, for he knew that God had given him a spirit,
not of fear, but of power and of love and of self- control.
Paul is writing to Timothy, his beloved child in the faith (2 Tim. 1:2). Timothy is currently serving the church in
Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3) , and it appears
from his first letter that Timothy had to contend with a number of tough issues there, and it seems as if
Timothy is really struggling to apply
himself in this situation. He is clearly suffering for the sake of the
gospel (2 Tim. 1:8) and that always
brings with it peculiar temptations and fears.
So, Paul wrote this letter to strengthen him and to encourage him. He
does this with so much love and tenderness and with insight into Timothy’s
background.
But he also writes with firmness. He reminds Timothy that he
is a gifted man and therefore an enabled man (1:6). We must not be tempted to think that Timothy was generally weak and fearful. Why would Paul send Timothy
into spiritually difficult situations if he was so fearful? It would seem quite
unlikely that a timid soul would be entrusted with such an important assignment.
He is essentially lacking nothing to do this difficult work in Ephesus,
but he appears to have this Achilles heel- this fearful heart, this timidity at
this time, and it is not helping him in this ministry. What then must he do?
Paul says to him, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but
of power and love and self- control.” Now how will that piece of advice solve Timothy’s
problem? More than you may realize at
this present moment! But before we look at this, please note that Paul does not
address this statement specifically to Timothy but to "us". He
applies this matter to all his readers, all people (you and I) including
himself. And if you are like me, you may
also often be oppressed by a spirit of fear which comes
to us in many different ways. Anxiety,
worry about what might or might not happen … these are forms of fear; this is
the spirit of fear. This verse says that these do not come from God.
Did it ever occur to you that we Christians are forbidden to
fear or to be anxious when it comes to trusting God with our life? How many
times in the Scriptures do we read that Jesus said, "Fear not!"; "Do
not let not your heart be troubled" [Jn. 14:1, 14:27]; Do not be
anxious about your life… your heavenly Father knows [Matt. 6:25-34]. Stop it when it starts
going that way. God does not give us a spirit of fear.
The word translated as fear
here in the ESV (timidity in the NIV) is not the normal word used in the Greek
(phobos). It is the word deilia and it was never used in a good sense[2].
In Greek literature it describes the behaviour of a man running away in battle
and so it is associated with a cowardly fear. How does this happen? It
may be a timid or cowardly nature, whereby a person is just a plain coward. But
I do not think that cowardice was Timothy’s problem. It seems that Timothy may have become battle
weary in the front lines of this spiritual battle. Paul in his days in Ephesus
mentioned that he fought with the
wild beasts of Ephesus[3].
Timothy was in the same position. Day after day he faced the enemy of the
gospel in so many different ways. The danger of becoming battle weary is
that we stop standing against the enemy and withdraw from the front lines of
serving Christ, allowing the enemy to gain ground. The rule of spiritual warfare, according to
Ephesians 6:10-18 is to stand against
the enemy.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874 -1965) once spoke to
the boys at his old school, Harrow School, in October of 1941, on Speech Day
and he told them, "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing,
great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honour
and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently
overwhelming might of the enemy.” [4]
Well, there was a man who led Britain through her darkest hours
against overwhelming odds. By his leadership he caused Britain to stand
resolutely against Hitler’s German Reich.
As Paul sat in this Roman prison, awaiting execution, he
wrote this final letter to encourage Timothy to not to give into cowardly fear,
despite the opposition. And this letter
is for every Christian enlisted in the war for Christ and His kingdom, and
against Satan and his kingdom. And God doesn’t give us a spirit of cowardice.
He calls us not to hide our lights under
a cover. He calls us not to be ashamed
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is
not the spirit of the Christian soldier.
So how is that very common experience of fear (whether
through actual cowardice or induced by battle weariness) dealt with among us? Listen
to Paul’s brief answer, as he provides us with an effective threefold strategy from God to combat
this spirit of fear. God gives power,
God gives love and God gives self- control - and this is the remedy!
1. God Gives Us A
Spirit Of Power.
Thank God that we need not be slaves to anyone – and
especially not to fear. We have been
given powerful resources in Christ. We are not helpless or defenceless. No one in the Bible puts it better than the
apostle Peter: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory
and excellence“ [2 Peter 1:3].
Being a Christian is not a self -driven effort.
The Bible tells us that the God
who begins a work in our lives helps us [Phil.
1:6]. If he begins a work in us then he will bring it to completion. His power
continues the work that his power began. So too, everything that God gave Timothy
to do, He also equipped him for. Paul
knew that so well. He wrote to the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” [Phil. 4:13]. Whatever God commands us
to do in the Bible, that He also gives us the power to do. When He wants you to forgive your worst
enemies He will give you the power to do so. When He commands you to love Him with all your
heart and to love your neighbour as yourself, He will give you the power to do
so for every situation. When He commands
you to love your wife as Christ loved the church, and you ask Him to help you,
He will. And you dear woman, can submit
to your difficult husband, as to the Lord (1
Peter 3:1-7). Children, you can
obey your parents when your teenage hormones are beginning to rage against them. You can do everything through him who gives
you strength. Everything God asks of you in the Bible you can do by the power
God gives you every day, and sufficient for the day thereof. God has not given us a spirit of fear but a
spirit of power. This power does not
belong to a Christian elite. This
power from God is given to every single Christian without exception.
2. God Gives Us A
Spirit Of Love.
The apostle John, that great apostle of love, gives us the
most profound insight in this regard. He says in 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear
in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” He tells us that God is love [1 Jn. 4:8]. And God loved this poor world that
He gave us His Son as an atoning sacrifice to take away our sin. And John says
that if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another [1 Jn. 4:11] …and not only ought we to.
We can stand firm in love, because God has poured His love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit whom He has given us [Romans 5]. Against all opposition and
intimidation that gave way to fear, a great spirit of love came upon the early
Christian church, so that they shared all they had with other Christians. They
loved one another not just in word but also in deed. That love, God gives to
every one of his people, and it drives out fear. Love is the antidote to fear.
You will not fear your enemies if you love them.
3. God Gives Us A
Spirit Of Self- Control (NIV – self- discipline) .
Again this word is found only here in the New Testament (Gr. sōphronismou). It means to be wise and level-headed; to have a practical, sanctified
common sense. How can anyone lead others when they cannot control themselves? Even power must have self-control. A powerful
engine without controls is power out of control. A powerful dictator without accountability is
out of control.
And love too must have control. Love without truth is
hypocritical, mushy, soppy sentimentalism. Love without principled truth behind it will cause a man or a woman to leave their spouse and family and run off,
simply because they are utterly
infatuated with one another. We need this self-discipline, along with love and
power to fight against the spirit of fear. And so you see that we have a powerful triad
here. These three Christian graces need
to be present in forming our Christian character in this world. And you need
them all – just like faith, hope and love, another vital Christian triad. Not just two out of the three – all three.
Will you measure yourself and test yourself by the Scriptures
today?
·
Especially
with regard to your fears in immersing yourself completely in the gospel?
·
Being
a fearless soldier in Christ’s work?
· Will
you lay hold of God’s power and God’s love and will you exercise self- control by
His strength this week?
·
Will
you ask Him for it in prayer?
·
Will
you believe that He will supply your need against fear?
·
And
will you testify some day before this congregation how God helps you in this
matter?
[1] Acts
18:23- 21:26
[2]
Vines Expository Dictionary: p. 230 .
[3] See 1 Corinthians 15:32. This probably refers to the struggles that Paul
had with the devotees of Artemis (The Cult of Diana of
Ephesus).
[4] https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/never-give-in-never-never-never.html
This
link contains the short, but powerful speech given on that occasion.
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