Live With Power, Love, and Self-Discipline | 2 Timothy 1:1-17

Show Notes

Episode 814:
In this episode, we dive into the rich content of 2 Timothy chapter 1, exploring the themes of power, love, and self-discipline as outlined by the Apostle Paul. We reflect on Paul's heartfelt letter to Timothy. Paul, writing from prison, expresses his deep affection for Timothy, whom he refers to as his dear son in the faith. We discuss the significance of Paul's encouragement to Timothy to "fan into flames" the spiritual gift he received and the powerful reminder that God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

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You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Hey, everybody, Welcome to the Bible Guys. Welcome back. If you're a frequent listener. Yeah, this is gonna be an exciting episode. It is. I have a strong feeling that it's going to be the greatest. I love reading through both first and two. Timothy. Yeah, yeah, I think they're really good. And that's where're at today. Yes, we are, Timothy, today. We are. And I'm a big fan of that. Big fan. You stole that from me twice this week. So before we get into that, Desiree has something that I'm really nervous about. I just read it three seconds ago, and it's called name that Praise Song and it says this. It says Jeff will read lyrics dramatically, dramatically or out of context to see if Chris can guess the name of the song. Bonus points for knowing the artists. Oooh wow. I just told her because she's in the room. I said, I'm very bad at this. I'm very bad. I don't know Christian praise songs unless they're extremely popular. Yeah, you'll know most of these, okay. But here's the hard thing is I have I have a twist on every one of these. Okay, of how I have to say it? Oh, she's telling you how to say it. Yes, So this twist is I have to read it in a robot voice. She wars. Okay, all right, here we go. How many are there? Five? Five? Okay, so this one's in a robot. If I get two of these, I'll be pleased. Three is really playing? Okay, you give and take away? Okay, this happened to be in my era in the nineties, right, So that's Matt Redmond, you give and take away? Now that's also I have a Bible game app or not an app, but an actual like PlayStation two Bible game that we play all the time. And that is the song on one of our Bible challenges. Okay, Redmond, and what's the song? Lessed be the name Lord? Okay, there you go. Well you got that one. Blessed be his name? Here you go. Okay, so you're. One for one for one. I'm happy anxiety should go away. But unless it's the nineties and on my bibble game, who knows what? Here we go. I have to whisper this like it's a secret. Okay, I'm no longer a slave to fear. Oh well, this is pretty easy. Also, right, no longer slaves? Okay? Is that Hillsong United? Nope? Okay, bonus points had said, right, yeah, it's just no longer slaves, no longer slaves? Is it Bethel? Bethel? Yes, it is Bethel? There you go? Do I still get it? I get bonus points? Desiree, I don't know. Does she get half? She said, thumbs up? He should get half a bonus point because we already had to say no once. Okay, Hey the fact that I'm two No, you're three and a half points? Yeah, all right, okay, okay on only two questions. Here's another one. This one I have to I have to madic soap opera reading. Okay, how do I do that? Where feet may fall and fear surround me? That was a great dramatic so far from reading, Jeb, it was really you know that one? I like it. I have zero clue on this one. Zero. I'm not even close. Yeah, where feet may fail and fear surround me? You sound like Dorothy and the Visit of oz Dear. You don't know that one. It was Oceans. That was Ocean. Yeah. Yeah, Where Feet May Fail is a subtitle to Oceans. Yeah, it's by Hillsong. You know, is that on the Bridge or something? Is that obscure? Well, obscure because it's the subtitle of the song. Well guess what. They were famous for being obscure with subtitles. Okay, here we go? Ready kidding? I made that? Yeah, I'm mad. That is not a popular phrase. Okay, here we go. I wonder if anybody else got that. Our listeners they beat it. They knew they did. Yeah, oh yeah, because they're good Christians. Okay, yeah, okay, here we go. Are you ready for the next one? Yes? All right? I have to say this one like a sports announcer. Yes, this is how I Fight my Battles. That's a heck of a sports announcer there. That's like that's like a world series. Hold run right, I know that's what I was doing. This is how I Fight my battles. That is that is Isn't that the name of the song, How I Fight My Battles. It's the subtitle fight my battles. Fight my Battles? Is that? Michael Dibbi Smith? Yes, it is, So you got that, but you just need the title fight. This is how I fight my battles. I don't know. Surrounded, it's called surrounded, surrounded. I would never would have got you could have. You could have threatened me and my family, and I would have never come up with that title. Okay, But I got the subtitles, so I got. You get a half a point for a subtitle. But I did get bonus points for the artist. Yeah, you got the bonus point. I would have never been Okay, Ever, so. I think you're like it, uh like four and a half points now out of four questions because you didn't get any points on the last one. But I got bonus points, which is why I'm up at the point. That's true. That's true. Yeah, okay, all right, okay, ready, yes, And then here's the lyric for the last one. And I have to sing it like a country ballad. Nice? Oh no, nice, Jeff, And you better sing too well. If I sing it, then you'll know it. No, well, sing it like a country. Ballad like I can't if I can't make up another if I sing it, I can't make us. Sing it to another country tune. I can't sing it to another country tune. It doesn't. It doesn't fit to another country tune. Sure it does. I could do it. I could talk it like a cowboy. All right, just do that, Just do that, all right, because this one's too easy. All right, give it a country accent. I'll raise a Hallelujah in the presence of my enemies. Oh this is so easy. Uh, it's raised a hallelujah? Is name of the song? Huh, because that's what the lyrics. Just that's right. Yeah, rais a hell. Friends of my enemies? If I sung it? Yeah, yeah, yeah? Is that now? Is that Hillsong? No? I want? I want? I want this to be hillsong. It's not sorry I said hill song twice. Yes you did. Rais a hallelujah? Who sings that? Rais a hell? I don't know. It's a tough one. That's Bethel. Also, Oh that's awesome. There you go. Yeah, okay, okay, well I think you have finished up. You got one point there? Okay, so you five and a half points out of five questions. That's pretty good. That's good potential ten points. I thought I was gonna I was gonna fail miserably. So I'm I'm thankful that you chose good popular songs. She did. Isn't that great? You know what else is really good and popular? Second Timothy Chapter one. We've given up on transitions. Oh yeah, we have? We have. We sort of have, haven't we. Yeah, I'm afraid we have. I think we need to put more thought into them. Okay, all right, all right, from now on, that's your job. Okay, all right? Is it my job the transitions? I don't know. You just assign that. It feels like it. Yeah, if you're wanting to put some thought into it. Oh, I clearly, people tell I'm not putting any thought into this. Okay, Well, you know what, before we start next podcast, I'm going to already decide my transition, okay, all right, and I'll make it a decent one because these have been pretty weak, okay, because all we say is, hey, that was fun. You know what else is fun? Yeah? I know that's all we said. But people know. Okay. So we are in second Crinthia or tewod Timothy chapter one, and I really like this. There's a lot of neat elements in this chapter. So I'm just gonna read the whole thing. It's only seventeen verses. It is neat, It is neat. Do you use the word neat? Sometimes I use it. What I always think of neat, I always think of needo. I always think of nifty gifty in the office when he goes, it's a nifty gifty. It is a nifty gift. That's right, Andrew Bernard. Here we go. This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he haest promised through faith in Jesus Christ. I am writing to Timothy, my dear son. May God, the Father in Christ, Jesus our Lord, give you grace, mercy and peace. Timothy, I thank God for you, the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did night and day. I constantly remember you in my prayers. I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted, and I will be filled with joy when we are together again. I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunus, and I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift of God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us the spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord, and don't be ashamed to me either, even though I am in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to see suffer with me for the sake of the good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time, to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now He has made all of his plan, all of this plain to us by appearing. By the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior, he broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the good News. And God chose me to be a preacher and apostle and a teacher of this good news. That's why I'm suffering here in prison. But I'm not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me, a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, Carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me, even Fi Jealous and Hermogenes. Those guys, oh fight jealous and homogenies that homogenies homogenies. May the Lord show special kindness to Anessa, Forrest and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. When he came to Rome. He searched everywhere until he found me. Made the Lord show in special kindness on the day of Christ's return. And you know very well how health he was in Ephesus. So he's connecting with Timothy. He calls him his dear son. Of course we know Paul wasn't married. This wasn't his son, but he was his son in the faith right he viewed him. Yeah, and then he said Hey, remember what is like when we were traveling. Remember this guy Ananessa Forest, He's great. Remember how helpfully he was in he came and helped me. He wasn't embarrassed. I was in jail and he searched it. Apparently he's a very good investigator because he said he came to Rome and he searched everywhere until he found me. How about that that was a big city then, But that fi jealous and homogenies. Man, every time I those bums didn't in Paul. Now, is this Paul's final farewell? Was this like in his capturing in Rome? Did he die after this? It wasn't long after this? Yeah? Yeah, because because it says he's in Rome. Yeah, that's where he died. Yeah. He wrote a bunch of books back to back to back to back. So he wrote Philip Philippines then and you know the Thessalon Nike in books and yep. So so yeah, so Paul basically says that the main verse of the promise. Of this first last this is his last letter. It is it is? This is it? So this is sixty eight a d. Because that's when he died. Wow, and he got beheaded and then he was buried underneath the sweets the catacombs. There you go. No, but the verse that we're actually focusing on is verse seven. Price says, for God has not given us a spirit of fear in timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline. Think about those three dynamics, power, love, and self discipline. Right, Yeah, Power to do whatever you want, because God is great love, all in the context of love and self discipline. But not the power to do what if you want, power to do whatever you need to do. Well, I knew, I knew it as soon as I said it. I wanted to be clear. Yeah, but everybody's gonna be like, man, I love it when Chris talks no, no, no, no. What I was what I was gonna say is do whatever you want, but the self discipline to do only when God wants. That's right. There you go, Yeah, because I was trying to man, well, I was trying to say three. Say that again, say that again. That that is really good though. Yeah, so I said, I said three dynamics, Yeah, the power to do whatever you want, the love because everything is the context of love, but the selb discipline only to do what God wants. Right, So, so I mean, think about it. We do have the power to do a lot of things, but to have number one love and then number two self discipline, those are those are the lenses to filter those powers, right, I mean, think about it. You know, it's like everything we have to do has to be through love. Jesus said, people are gonna know that your my disciples if you love one another. So everything has to be in the context of love. When I was preaching on Sunday, I was speaking with my wife by way, and we were at the Stony Creek campus of Heritage Church in case you're wondering if you're not a part of Michigan or our church, but anyway, we have a Stony Creek campus in Stoney Creek High School. And I was talking about love, right, and I was talking about how that everything we have to do is has to be through the filter of love. And I said, and guess what I said. When you type in caps, chances are that's not in love. Whenever you post something and you're typing in caps, all you really consider you want to do is make a point, right, I said, But it's got to be in love. Unless you're doing it in love, then make any sense take it down. And I can't say that enough, right, because in this day and age, it seems like social media is the worst. It's the worst, it's awful, and Christians are really bad. A lot of Christians are really bad. And so it's like, you know something. Oh, they're behaving like the world. They're not behaving like christ if they're misbehaving on. Social media like that. Yeah. Yeah, So there's this idea, and we've talked about it before, the kiaism concept in Eastern thinking, particularly for the Hebrews within Hebrew, the Hebrew language, Hebrew thought process where the center is the axis that gives power to the outsides, right, is a part of that. That's not everything that has to do with the kiahism, but there is this centrality in the logical process for you and me, we would start with the weakest thing and get to the biggest thing. Or you start with the biggest thing and then support it with all the weaker things. Right. So the logical progression that a Western thinker would have is usually building an argument or starting with the with the end in mind and then proving it right. But for them, a lot of times they would put the most important thing if they're going to put a list. They put the most important thing in the middle, and then they'll balance it off. So you'll notice there's three things here, right, Power and discipline, Yes, right, So love is what gives you the power to do everything that you need to do. Uh, it's it should be the engine. It's self discipline is what gives you the character to do everything you need to do. Right, those two things. But it's only in love self discipline. Without love, you're just going to be miserable all the time, right, right, You're just you're just gonna be miserable. And you've been around. People who have a lot of discipline, but you don't want to be around them, sure, right, they're just jerks. Well, I mean the Book of James says Judge that without love, it's like banging a gong or a symbol. It's like tripping into a drum set. Right, there's no beautiful. Met first thirteen? Yeah, yeahyeah, yeah yeah? And then what did I say? What was that? I don't know if I said the Book of James something like that. It's first Corinthen's thirteen, fourth through set, and I know the verse. I know the Bible jets I'm a Bible guy. Yeah. But so this idea then, or the other side of it, which was what was the first one, Uh, power power, right? Power without love turns into abuse, sure, right. Self discipline without love turns into judgmentalism. Right. But if love is at the center, then you have a love based power. You're going to use that for others and you're going to do everything. God will give you all the power you need. The Spirit will give you all the power you need to do everything that needs to. Be done for others. Right. And then on the other side, if you have God based power in your life combined with self discipline, you're going to be able to make it through, not be judgmental towards others, but you're going to make it through and be able to do whatever it needs to be done. And so those two things hinge off of the power. Without it, it becomes you're just a miserable person. You're too powerful and you hurt other people, or you're so self disciplined, judgmental and kind of a jerk towards people. But those things together, that's what he's saying. You know, I learned this passage in the King James, and I love verse twelve. The end of verse twelve, he says, in the King James, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him against that day, right. And I love it because he's telling, you know, Timothy, this young man that was his mentee, Paul's his mentor. Hey, look, I'm in prison. Things are tough, but you know what, I'm trusting in the power of God. He'll give me the strength I need. He'll give me the love I need. He'll give me the discipline I need. And then I'm persuaded that he's able to keep me until the day it's time for me to go home, right. And I've said before, we're invincible until God's done with us, right. And that's kind of the attitude Paul has here, is I'm convinced that I know whom I have believes, and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. And so then he says, so hold fast is that next verse, So hold on to the pattern a wholesome teaching that you learn from me. That's his concern is that you're gonna that his young follower is gonna grift into some kind of false teaching unless he holds fast what's been given. That's really great. Yeah. And the first half of that promise says, for God has not given us a spirit of fear intimidity. I love that. Yeah. So, you know, so many times, you know, the Bible talks about us having confidence confidence in God right first and foremost, but then also confidence in his promises and how they apply to our lives, right, and so so to walk around in fear, in timidity, to be timid and to be fearful is to in a way, it's it's to not believe that God's in control. It's to you know, not believe that God's going to take care of things. So I have this saying that I've used time and time again that says God is bigger than in control of and what is it God is, oh, not surprised by. God is bigger than, not surprised by and in control of all circumstances. Right. You think about that sentence, and it's in those different dynamics. He's bigger than any circumstance. He's not surprised by any circumstance and He's in control of every circumstance in our lives. And so when we believe that, you know, then we could walk around saying like, listen, yes it's true, I don't know the future. It's you know, uncertainty is a fact for life. Well, anything that is certain is that uncertainty exists, right, and so we're going to always face uncertainty, and things may look scary, things may look not good. We may calculate the odds of our lives and say, hey, this doesn't seem like it's going to work out. We may struggle with a lack of understanding of what God is really doing, like like what is God doing here? Why are circumstances unfolding this way? Or we might just have fear, like we're just fearful. But that isn't to say that God isn't still faithful and that we should walk around with a sense of confidence of like, as long as I'm serving my Savior, as long as I'm you know, loving God with all my heart, soul, of mind and strength and putting Him first and everything I say and do, then whatever comes comes, you know, come what may, right, We're just going to still serve God through it all. So if you're being consumed by fear, that's not from God. God doesn't give you you a. Spirit of fear. So if you're afraid to share the Gospel with your friend, if you're afraid to stand up for Christ, for what's right, what you know to be good and true, just understand that fear is not from God. If you're too timid to declare the good News or the Gospel to somebody, if you're too timid to share the Gospel with your friend, that also that timidity, of that spirit of timidity is not from God. Instead, God gives the Holy Spirit, gives us power and love and self discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. Right. So, his very first application of the fact that sometimes we're fearful, sometimes we're timid, but God's plan is not for us to be fearful and timid, but to be full of power and love and self discipline. Is so we would never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. So this isn't just Hey, you might be afraid of asking that girl out on a date. You might be afraid of right, right, You might be afraid of this investment. Paul doesn't cover that those are all secondary ideas. They're true. It's true. God, you know, isn't trying to build fear into you all that kind of stuff. But the power he gives, the love he gives. And the self discipline he gives is for the purpose of evangelism. Because God's number one goal is not to make all my wildest dreams come true or to make my life fulfilling. God's number one goal is that no one would perish, but that everyone had come to repentance in Christ. Right, that's his goal. As a matter of fact, he starts off in Timothy that every in First Timothy, so that everyone will have an opportunity to respond to Christ. This is what he says in the first book. That's his whole goal. And so we just have to understand when he's offering power and love and self discipline is for the purpose of us being able to tell others about the Lord. I know that a lot of our listeners know this fact already, but I have to believe that there are several people, a large percentage that don't know this. But fear not is the most common command in the Bible, and how many times. Is it in the Bible a gajillion, a gagillion, a gajillion and set. No, it's actually three hundred and sixty five. Well almost exactly. Oh, that's enough for one for everything. Yeah, that's right, there's there's actually three hundred and sixty five times in one way or the other that it says fear not, do not be afraid. And most of the time out of those three hundred and sixty five, most of the time he says, because the Lord is with you, because God, you know, its greatest right. But yeah, three hundred and sixty five is like, wow, one every day for the year. So you could literally wake up every day and have a calendar, which I've seen them where it's like, do not be afraid every single day. And so if you think about it, if you think about it, like if that's the strongest command of the Bible, if that's the most common command of the Bible, then yeah, every time we find ourselves fearful of the world, you know, thinking that God maybe can't come through, and we're fearful what of our boss? We're fearful of you know, things that might happen, things that cause us worry and anxiety. We need to understand that God commands that for a reason. We need to trust in God, have confidence in Him. And just like you said, power, love, and self discipline. That's what God calls us to live. And then he invites us so to share the gospel, be ready to suffer for me in prison, to suffer with me in prison. And then he says, and God's for God saved us and called us to live a holy life. Right, So these are the reasons why He gives us the power. The power is to share the gospel, love so that we would be willing to suffer with each other, care for each other, and motivators and self discipline to live holy You see what he does there, He unpacks those three in the next three sentences. Isn't it interesting? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I see that. Yeah, it's one of the It's a mechanism Paul uses. If Paul gives a list a lot of times, Paul's going to give you some thoughts on each of those. He doesn't say, and by the way, power to share the gospel and love to suffer with me, and but there is it usually works that way. Usually that if he gives you a list he's gonna kind of unpack it with the with these other things. And so then the self discipline is for God saved us and called us to live a holy life. Yeah, isn't that interesting. That's great. Well, hey, that looks like our time. So hopefully we will see you tomorrow as we wrap up the God Power Week on the Bible. Guys, h