A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

(I Tim 1:2)
January 26, 2020

Read I Tim 1:1-2 – JFK was known for his wit. Once, when he was unable to
attend a luncheon honoring Postmaster General J. Edward Day, Kennedy sent
his regrets and added: "I am sending this message by wire, since I want to be
certain that this message reaches you in the right place at the right time."
Hardly a vote of confidence for the Postmaster General!

Paul does just the opposite for Tim. Paul has left Timothy in Ephesus to face
some difficult situations. So, he writes Tim from Philippi to encourage him by
reminding him who he is and what he has in Christ. He just needed to believe
it and live in the good of it – same as all of us.

I. Timothy Was Decidedly Steadfast

“Timothy” means “one who honors God” and that was Tim! Paul 1st met him
on his 2nd journey. Acts 16:1: “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A
disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a
believer, but his father was a Greek.” That means his father was probably not
a believer, but his mother and grandmother were faithful believers. II Tim
1:5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your
grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you
as well.” These women made sure that II Tim 3:15: “from childhood you
have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you
wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” He knew the OT, and quickly
embraced Christ when Paul came. He had easy access to both Jewish and
Greek cultures. He was an upstanding believer who with Paul’s 3rd journey
became his constant companion and close associate for the next 15 years.

But unlike Paul, Tim had a fragile constitution. Paul advised in I Tim 5:23
that he “use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent
ailments.” He was timid, hating confrontation -- no missionary commando in
Paul’s mold. We find him endearing; we can relate to him. But when the time
came to be strong, he was – eventually being martyred for his faith.

Paul calls Tim “my true child in the faith.” He feared God when Paul met
him, but he knew nothing of how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled all the OT that he
knew so well. When Paul explained that, Tim readily received Jesus as Savior
and Lord becoming Paul’s spiritual offspring.
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Paul emphasizes “true” (γνήσιος) – genuine. Tim was the real deal. So was
Titus in 1:4: “To Titus, my true child in a common faith.” Paul could not say
this of all his companions. Some were not genuine. II Tim 4:9: “For Demas,
in love with this present world, has deserted me.” Demas had suffered with
Paul on his missionary journeys, presented the gospel with Paul, studied with
Paul. But in the end, it turned out he was not genuine at all.

Demas was the person in Jesus’ parable in Luke 8 represented by the seed that
fell among thorns, grew for a time and then got choked out. Jesus interprets
Luke 8:14: “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear,
but as they go their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures
of life.” That was Demas. Looked real for awhile. Joyfully accepted the Word,
but the going got tough. He got focused on the fun he was missing. He turned
back. Saved and lost? No – never saved at all. Just looked like it.

John describes others like this in I Jn 2:19: “They went out from us, but they
were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.
But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” They
weren’t saved, then lost. They were never “of us.” Just looked it for a time.
This plagues every true pastor – that people can sit in church for 50 years and
never be truly saved – not a genuine son, like Timothy; instead, never real,
like Demas. You can do a lot of good and never give your heart to Christ.

Judas was like that. Wanted what he thought Jesus would offer. But when
the going got tough; Jesus didn’t meet his expectation, he bolted. Never real!
Could that be us? We want Jesus’ blessing, but there is no commitment on our
part. We’re playacting. Not a genuine child. The issue isn’t do you believe in
God and in Jesus? The question is are you real? Do you love Him above all
else? Timothy did. He wanted Jesus for Himself, not His blessings.

II. Timothy Was Dramatically Supplied

Timothy’s task is daunting. But he’s been gifted to accomplish it. II Tim 1:6:
“I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.” Sounds like
Rom 12:6: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us
use them.” God never asks something of us that we are not prepared for. He’s
saying to all of us, “I’ve gifted you for service, so serve. Grace others!”

But here, Paul reminds Timothy he’s been supplied at an even deeper level –
with grace, mercy and peace – some of the most beautiful words ever to a lost
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human race. First and foremost, they’re wonderful salvation words. How are
we saved? “But grace through faith” (Eph 2:8). A totally unmerited gift!
Grace and mercy bridge the unbridgeable gap between sinful us and a holy
God. We are enemies no more. The war is over. Rom 5:1: “Therefore, since
we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God thru our LJC.”
Grace, mercy, peace – they would have reminded Timothy of his amazing
standing with God through Christ.

But this was written to Timothy as a believer! Grace, mercy and peace were
never intended as a one-time event. They don’t stop when we accept Christ as
Lord and Savior, so what’s their role in my life as a believer?

Let’s start with grace. Grace -- God’s undeserved, unmerited favor given to
me, no strings attached. Salvation is a priceless gift, freely given – bought and
paid for by Christ on the cross. But I didn’t just need grace when I came to
Christ. I need it today and tomorrow and forever going forward? Why?
Because I still fail at times. Past and present sins often weigh me down. I can
easily become a legalist – trying to merit God’s favor rather than accepting
the grace that just keeps coming my way like a never-ending waterfall. I need
grace every day. Only when I’m receiving it will I be able to let it flow
through to others. It’s not a matter of forgiving myself or earning God’s
forgiveness; it’s a matter of accepting what He has already granted.

Shoeless Joe Jackson was poor country boy – couldn’t even read, but one of
the greatest hitters of the early days who naively followed the crowd to throw
the 1919 WS. He was banned from baseball for life. Began running a saloon in
Greenville, SC. One day Ty Cobb, came in. Joe showed no recognition. Cobb
said, “Don’t you know me, Joe?” Joe replied, “Sure, I know you, Ty. I just
didn’t think anybody I used to know up there would want to recognize me
again.” That’s us when we try to earn God’s forgiveness as a believer rather
than accepting what is already ours! We’re covered by Jesus’ righteousness;
grace invites us to act like it – and pass it on to others.

How about peace? I’m at permanent peace with God, but what about today?
Well, peace means trusting all results to God! Instead we anxiously try to
produce results rather than faithfulness. If I think my child’s salvation
depends on me, or success in ministry depends on me, peace with God may be
mine, but peace of God within and peace with others will be out the window.

Paul doesn’t want that for Timothy. “Be faithful, Timothy, but leave the
results to God. Peace will be yours.” Pressure to perform is relentless in an
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ambition-driven world. But that need not be us. Francis Schaeffer was at a
conference once. Someone asked what would happen to his L’Abri ministry in
Switzerland if donor money should fall off. He said, “I guess we’ll be
smaller.” There’s a man who could sleep at night. He knew it was his job to
be faithful; God’s job to produce results. Tim desperately needed that.

So what of mercy? Paul usually starts his letters with a wish for grace and
peace, right? So why add mercy here? Mercy is a Greek translation of a great
OT word chesed – usually translated lovingkindness. It is a marvelous word,
and it is an invitation to live constantly in the good of the love that is always
ours – even in times of despair and failure. You could have grace – freely
given merit, but without love. But not with God. It is love that prompts grace.

This is our ultimate hope and motivation. God loves me. David said in Psa
63:3: “Because your steadfast love is better than life.” Better than life’s pretty
good, right? David had learned to revel in that. And Psa 136 assures us “his
steadfast love endures forever” not once but 26 times – in one psalm! God
knew some of us are thick-headed. It takes a lot to get through! But nothing
will change your life like getting your arms around the fact that God loves
you with a steady, consistent, intense, all-satisfying love – all the time.

You say, even when I’ve failed? Especially then. Failure may bring discipline,
but it’s all God’s expression of love So Heb 12:6-8: “For the Lord disciplines
the one he loves. . . . God is treating you as sons. . . . 8If you are left without
discipline . . . then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” Yes, love hurts
sometimes; but that is proof of the love that never fails.

Lu 12:32 beautifully expresses God’s love: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your
Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom.” You don’t bring it in; it’s His gift.
And He doesn’t just give it; He takes pleasure in giving it. John Piper says,
“Sometimes, even if we believe in our heads that God is good to us, we may
feel in our hearts that His goodness is by constraint, like a judge who has
been maneuvered by a clever attorney into a corner on some technicality, so
he has to dismiss the charges against the prisoner he would rather send to
jail. Jesus is at pains to show us – that’s not God! He is showing us the
unbridled pleasure God takes in giving us the kingdom.” God does not just
do nice things because He is a nice guy. His true nature is He delights to do
what is best for his children. His lovingkindess never fails. Never takes a day
off. Never hindered by our failure. Timothy needed to know that. We need to
know that. We are dramatically supplied – by grace, mercy and peace.

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 III. Timothy Was Divinely Supported

So grace, mercy and peace need to be flowing into our lives, constantly. But
they also need to flow out. And the reason that’s possible is because look
where they originate. “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are divinely enabled, Beloved. What we can’t do
on our own, God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord most certainly can do.
This is the best part of the whole verse. Listen – if you didn’t have a great
father growing up – well, you do now! And if you haven’t been thrilled about
the authorities in your life, well you can be now! It’s Christ Jesus who is your
Lord. And the point of all this is that whatever our circumstances and however
dire they seem, God is right there with us. Always. If you can’t produce grace,
mercy and peace – and you can’t – He can, and He will, if only you let Him.

What did Jesus tell His disciples when commissioning them to make disciples
of the whole world – a daunting task. He told them, “Oh, and by the way,
guys, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). John 16
shows He makes good on this promise by sending the Holy Spirit to every
believer. Heb 13:5b: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Priceless
promises. You and I can’t go anywhere but that the Lord is right there with us.
Sometimes, hidden – to help our faith grow – but always there. We are never
alone. The result is never on us – just the challenge to be faithful, and to trust
in Him – our Father and our older brother. Christian living is a family affair!

In 2007 the Taliban in Afghanistan held 23 South Korean missionaries captive

and killed two of them before negotiations resulted in the release of the others.
One of them told this story. They all knew the possibility of martyrdom was
very high. The last day they were imprisoned together they renewed their
commitment to Christ, including a willingness to die for His glory. There was
even an argument over who would get to die first! One of them had a small
Bible which they tore into 23 pieces so each could have one part of God’s
Word to read. Later back in Seoul, several of the team were reunited. One of
them asked another, “Don’t you wish we were still there?” They agreed the
intimacy with God they experienced in that prison cell was worth any price.
That’s what Paul is wishing for Timothy. That’s what can be ours as we truly
submit our time, talents and devotion to the God of grace, mercy and peace.

Conc – So we’re not in a prison cell. How does this play out in everyday life?
A few years ago I went to FL only to discover that our statewide fingerprint
ID project being run by a manager who reported to me was in serious trouble.
Long story short, I spent the next 2-1/2 months there working 14, 16, 18-hour
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days to get things on-line. Things were dire. In the middle of the time the
customer imposed a huge performance bond for millions. I ended up with a
staff of more than 20 engineers on-site supported by dozens of others in
Anaheim working this highly complex system. No one thought we’d make it.
But the Lord was teaching me – to work as hard as possible but to trust Him
with the results. He was teaching me that when it looked the worst, He was
there. He was teaching me to sleep those few hours at night assured that all
would come out as He wished. And in the end, by the skin of our noses, we
got acceptance. But whether we did or not, He was at work.

And so we must learn to be steadfast in our faith, knowing we are

dramatically supplied and divinely supported for the mission God has given
us in all its sacred and secular parts. John Wesley’s dying words are such great
reminders: “The best of all is, God is with us.” Always, this is true. Isn’t this a
great way to live? You bet it is. Let’s pray.