This morning we’re beginning a new series of messages looking at Paul’s second letter to Timothy.  The title of the series is The Character of a Consistent Christian.

How many of you saw the latest Rocky movie - the one that came out last December?  How many of you knew that there even was another Rocky movie?

When I first saw the advertisement for the movie I thought, oh great another cheap remake of what was a great movie - back 30 years ago.  Then I realized that it wasn’t a remake.  And it wasn’t a comedy - a satire.  This is a serious film - a whole new film staring Sylvester Stallone.  Stallone - who’s 60 - Stallone actually plays Rocky in this movie.

Stallone said, “I knew when I suggested [making the movie] I was a laughing stock.  When the trailer was running in theaters, there was some obvious derisive laughter.  I understand it.” (1)

In the new film Rocky is mourning the death of his wife Adrian.  He’s struggling to reconnect with his adult son.  No longer rich he’s running a little family restaurant where he poses for a lot of pictures.  He’s struggling to maintain faith in the world around him.

In the midst of all that - through a set of circumstances - surprise surprise - he gets an opportunity to fight the current world champ - a guy 25 years younger than him.  A fight that Rocky takes seriously even though everybody else thinks he’s a joke.  Does all that sound familiar?  Would I spoil it for you if I told you who wins? 

Remember that scene - in the first Rocky movie - where Rocky runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art?  There’s no cheering crowds.  No Adrian.  He’s a solitary figure - running through the twilight - racing up those 72 steps - raising his fists in the air - the moment is a testament to personal victory.  And we’re all there with him.  “Yo!  Rocky.”  

Scores of people climb those steps just to experience their own celebrations and dreams. There’s something that touches us about an underdog.  Rocky touches that within us.  The struggle against what seems impossible.

Stallone said, “The character of Rocky was built on the idea that he was chosen to do something.  That's why the first image in Rocky is the picture of Christ.”  Remember that?  The very first shot of the very first Rocky is a painting of Jesus looking down on Rocky as he spars in an old church that’s been converted into a gym.

About the new movie, Rocky Balboa, Stallone continues, “This is a story of faith, integrity, and victory.  Jesus is the inspiration for anyone to go the distance.” (2)

That’s what this series - looking at 2 Timothy - that’s what series is about.  When everything seems stacked against us - when we’re getting knocked around - blind sided - fighting up hill and expected to just give up and throw in the towel - as we’re struggling to be who God has called us to be - the character of a committed Christian.  What it takes to go the distance with Jesus.  “Yo! Jesus!”  Try that, “Yo!  Jesus!”

Please turn with me to 2 Timothy 1 - starting at verse 1.  As you’re turning let me bring us all up to speed on where Paul and Timothy are at.

Its about 66 or 67 AD.  Nero is on the throne in Rome.  Nero was the emperor who blamed the Christians for the fire that destroyed about half of Rome.  Opposition has really heated up against Christians in the Empire - serious bitter persecution.  Christians are being used as living torches to light Nero’s parties.  In the Coliseum they were being thrown to lions - killed by gladiators.

Paul - probably returning from Spain - as he’s making his way back to the eastern Mediterranean - in the midst of all this persecution - Paul is arrested.  Remember the first time Paul was imprisoned in Rome?  Remember what that was like?  He was able to rent a house.  Was chained to a Roman guard - doing Scripture studies - sharing about Jesus.  He had a lot of freedom.

This second time in prison wasn’t like that.  Paul’s being held in a dungeon - a cell that was probably very dark - very damp - very cold - very unsanitary.  Tradition tells us that Paul spent 9 months in that cell.  Then on a April morning - Paul was taken out of that cell - taken out to the Ostian Way - outside the city of Rome - and beheaded.  

It is from that cell - facing the end of his life on earth - having gone the distance - that Paul writes this second letter to Timothy.

Timothy is pastoring with the church in Ephesus - on the coast of western Turkey.  Ephesus was the church that Jesus commended.  In Revelation 2, Jesus says of the Ephesian church, “You have perseverance.  You’ve endured for My names’ sake.”  Then Jesus says, “But, you’ve left your first love”  (Revelation 2:3,4)  Their passion for Jesus had grown cold - become legalistic - a ritual.  There was group called the Nicolaitans who were trying to control the church and lead the Christian community into all kinds of perverse sins.  Ephesus was a city of great immorality - all the typical pagan stuff happened there.

It was a difficult place to be a Christian - to pastor - to go the distance.

2 Timothy 1 - starting at verse 1:  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved son:  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let’s pause and notice two things.

First - regardless of the circumstances he’s in - Paul’s purpose has not changed.

He’s an apostle.  Chosen by God - out there on the road to Damascus when he met Jesus - and in the times since when God had spoken to him - commissioned him - and led him in ministry.  Its by God’s will that Paul serves.

According to the promise of life in Christ Jesus.  It’s the work of God within Paul that’s given him life - real life - now and forever life - offered through Jesus - life that has at its foundation the forgiveness of sin and the restoration of his relationship with God.  Life in which Paul is being renewed spiritually - transformed to be more like Jesus - empowered to live each day for God - to be Jesus’ apostle.

Paul is God’s spokesman.  None of that changes because of his circumstances.

Second - notice that regardless of the circumstances - Paul’s concern for Timothy has not changed.

Timothy is his beloved son.  Timothy came to salvation under Paul’s ministry - and Paul mentored him.  There’s a deep affinity here - a spiritual father to his child in the faith.  Paul desires for his son to experience God’s grace, mercy, and peace.

Grace is when we’re given what we do not deserve.  The forgiveness of our sins.  Freedom from guilt over past stuff that we’ve done - all the hurtful - shameful - rebellious - self-centered - sinful - crud that we’ve done.  That Satan would love to have us focus on and feel trapped by.  But, God - through Jesus - offers to lift that load off of us - to not hold our sins against us.  That’s grace.  What’s given to us by God without any effort on our part.

There’s an incredible fullness of life in that - an incredible joy.  To get up in the morning - to enter each day knowing the forgiveness of God - knowing His presence in our lives - that He welcomes us - heals us - cares for us - wants to wrap His arms around us and lead us through life.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve.  Lamentations 3:22 says that its because of “the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning, great is Thy - what?  faithfulness.”  (KJV)

Every day of our lives should be a disaster.  Life should be an uphill climb - hardship - struggle - hopeless.  Life is not all sunshine and butterflies and wonderfulness.  Is it?

But, because of God’s mercy we’re not consumed - totally blown away.  Because of God’s mercy His wrath against sinners - like us - is held back.  The fact that - in the midst of things - there’s joy and blessings - that’s because of God’s mercy.

Peace - is when we realize that no matter what’s swirling around us - no matter how dark and depressing things may seem - no matter how deep we may be in the valley of the shadow of death - God does provide for us a way through and He’s walking with us.

Paul’s concern for Timothy - is that in the midst of all that’s going on - is that Timothy will realize - deep inside where it counts - that Timothy will realize that these constants of the Christian life - grace - mercy - peace - all of these are still there - just as is the God who enables them.

Grab that:  Circumstances change.  What doesn’t change is God - His purposeful working in us and through us - His supply of what we need for life.

Verse 3:  I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.

The English translation doesn’t really grab the emotion here - the passion.  Literally this something like “When I remember you I’m bursting at the seams with gratitude to God.”  The emphasis is on God - not Timothy - not Paul.  The joy is seeing God at work in their lives.  Its all about God.  Say that with me, “Its all about God.”

Notice three things.  First - Paul serves God with a clear conscience.

Our conscience is what we judge ourselves by - evaluating what we do and think.  The word for clear is “katharos” - same word we get catharsis from.  Purging - purifying. 

Its not that we’re perfect - sinless.  But that we allow God to purify and shape how we think about ourselves - what we feel - what we do.  So that a clear conscience is one that troubles us - judges us - accuses us - when we do anything outside obedience to the will of God.  What Paul is writing about is an inward sensitivity to how God views our thoughts - emotions - actions. 

Second, Paul serves as his forefathers served.

Paul comes from a long line of Jews who had faith in God and passed that faith down through the generations.  Guys like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Isaiah.  They looked forward to the Messiah.  Paul proclaims the Messiah.  The believed in the resurrection.  Paul believes in the resurrection.  There’s a continuity.  There’s a continuing unity between the old covenant and the new covenant.  Paul is saying that the faith of his forefathers is the same faith he has. 

That continuity - that shared faith - isn’t because of Paul or because any of the Patriarchs - the forefathers - were really insightful guys.  The continuity is because of God.  Their faith is in the same God who is a work in the lives His people.  At work calling people to Him.

The clear conscience is because of God.  The faith is because of God.

Third - Paul serves with passion for Timothy.

In the loneliness of that cold, stinking, prison cell - while Paul’s praying - day and night - he’s remembering Timothy.  He remembers the tears Timothy shed when they last saw each other and Paul was leaving.  Timothy may have even been there when Paul was arrested.  Paul was taken away and they knew that - this side of heaven - they’d probably never see each other again.

Have you experienced that?  Saying good bye to someone you really care about - knowing you’ll never see them again.  That’s hard.

Paul’s in Rome waiting to die.  Timothy’s in Ephesus.  Both are serving God.  Paul longs to be filled with joy - to be reunited with his beloved son.  But that probably isn’t going to happen.  Serving God doesn’t mean that somehow we don’t have feelings like that.

Paul - writing about himself - is reminding Timothy - that he Paul is doing what God wants - is serving the God who’s working out His plan in history and Paul’s life - and while it hurts - is hard for both of them - its all about God - not Timothy - not Paul.  Its all about God.

Verse 5:  For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

A sincere faith is faith without reservations.  Not for show.  Not just on Sundays.  Not outward.  But inward.  Deep at the core of who we are.  Nothing held back.  Totally trusting in God with all that we are.

Some people think that that Timothy’s grandmother Lois may have been in Jerusalem on Pentecost - in that crowd of 3,000 that were converted.  Lois could have heard Peter preach his sermon proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and responded to that call to trust Jesus as the Savior.  When Lois came back to Lystra - where her family was - she may have led her daughter Eunice to Jesus.  We don’t know how they came to faith in Jesus.  But we know that they did have faith in Jesus.

Eunice was married to a Greek man.  Timothy was their son.  Lois and Eunice taught Timothy what it meant to know Jesus.  So when Paul arrived in Lystra - Timothy’s heart was prepared.  Paul had the opportunity to lead Timothy to life and salvation in Jesus Christ.  The same sincere faith that Timothy was raised up under is now the same sincere - unreserved faith - that he now possesses. 

Its important for us to get that.  Like Paul is called as an apostle - serving the same faith of his forefathers - part of the unfolding of God’s plan in history.  Timothy - also is a part of that plan.  God was at work in his family history as well.  At the right time Paul arrived.  Timothy comes to faith and is called to serve.

Verse 6:  For this reason - “For this reason” is like a therefore.  We have to ask, “For what reason?”  Because - regardless of the circumstances - God is constant in His purposes and provision - because even though God calls us to hard things - life is still all about God - life is about faith in Him - serving Him who has called us to that service.  For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Paul - when he wrote his first letter to Timothy - 1 Timothy 4:14 - Paul wrote, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.”

Elders in the church - recognizing that God had called Timothy to ministry - to serve Him - these elders had laid hands on Timothy - spoken words of confirmation of Timothy’s calling to teach the word of God and to pastor.

God’s calling on our lives isn’t about us.  It’s about what God is doing in us an through us.  We need that reminder when things get hard.  Timothy needed to be reminded.  Timothy - get your eyes on God and His call upon your life.

Timidity is the word “dilias” - its cowardice.  Think the Cowardly Lion of Oz - ringing his tail - whimpering - jumping in fear at his own weak attempts at a roar.

God hasn’t called us to that.  But to power, love, and discipline.

Power - is the word “dunamis” - dynamite.

God’s power at work in our lives.  Power to break the hold Satan has on us.  Power to free us from bondage to sin and death.  Power to push back the gates of hell and send Satan fleeing.  Power to choose what’s right - to refuse what’s wrong.  God’s power released within us to live and serve.

Love - is genuinely caring about those around us.

Paul was passionate about Timothy.  Jesus saw the people of Jerusalem - their spiritual condition - and He wept.  When Jesus saw the weeping of His friends at Lazarus’ tomb - He wept.  Because of love Jesus laid down His life for us.  God’s love within us - placed there and nurtured by the Holy Spirit - should passionately move us forward to care for others - physically - and especially that they might know Jesus.

Discipline - is sound judgment.

Have you ever gotten one of those emails about someone has died in Africa and the executor of this incredibly large estate worth millions is just looking for some reliable person here in the US to channel all that money through in a way that promises you’ll end up with really big bucks?  Have you gotten one of those?  And of course you’d tithe 10% of what you’d get to Creekside and give generously to Phase Two.  Sound judgment is not getting sucked in by that email.

I once read about a suggestion that worship should be led by 500 banjos.  Sufficient unto the day thereof are the interesting suggestions put forth regarding ministry.  Sound judgment comes from learning how to listen to God and to follow His directions.  That keeps us moving forward only where He has purposed for us to go.

Hear this:  Power is the ability of God flowing through us.  Love is the motivation.  Discipline is the self-control to restrain ourselves until we’re sure that we’ve heard from God.  So that when we move forward in His power - motivated by His love - we go and do what He’s called us to do.

Paul’s point:  Timothy - God is constant regardless of the circumstances.  He has had His hand upon your life - preparing you and calling you to serve Him.  He’s even given you all that you need for that ministry.

So Paul writes - verse 6 - “Timothy, you need to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.”

Kindle afresh is like stirring the embers of a camp fire that’s dying out.  There’s still heat there.  Combustion is possible.  It just needs attention - stirring - to get things where re-ignition is possible.  Timothy - don’t shrink back in fear.  Relight the fuse to the dynamite and watch what God will do in you and through you.

That’s the opening of Paul’s letter to Timothy.

By way of application - we need to think about our own lives and what God has been up to.

My first exposure to the church was from behind bars.  The church nursery had those stacked cribs.  Remember those?  With the bars in front to keep kids from falling out.  I had parents that took me to church.  At the age of 4 they took me to a 5 Day Club - like VBS - at the home of Grace Spinella.  I was told I needed to invite Jesus into my heart.  One night during that week I came home and I did.  That’s grace.  Salvation by grace.

Back when I was at Biola - in the cafeteria - there were these rotisseries in the wall.  The cafeteria workers would put food on the rotisserie on one side of the wall - the food would rotate through the wall - on the rotisserie - and on the other side students would pick up the food and put it on their trays.  Are we together?  One of the things they served - which was actually pretty good - was this green pistachio pudding - that they served in little dishes about so big.

One semester I had a biology class right before lunch where we were dissecting frogs.  I took the frog head.  Went to lunch.  Stuck if face up in the green - frog colored - pudding where it rotated for a long time before somebody behind the wall noticed it wasn’t on the menu.

We did a lot of things like that at Biola.  Stuff I’m not really proud of.  At one point I almost got expelled.  That I didn’t was mercy.

There are places I’ve messed up in life that are a whole lot more serious than a frog head in pudding.  But God has been merciful.  Holding back what could have been done - consequences and punishment have been limited - in order to help me grow closer to Him.  Mercy.

There’s a Far Side Cartoon where there’s this one deer talking to another deer.  The second deer has this mark on him that looks like a target.  The first deer says, “Bummer of a birth mark Hal.”

Life feels like that.  As a pastor.  As a Christian.  Standing up for God.  We become targets for ungodliness.  But in whatever stuff has been thrown at me God has always been there.  As I’ve turned to Him I’ve found His peace.

My great-grandfather Stavros died as martyr.  My Grandfather Tzolak helped plant two churches.  My grand uncle Julio was a pastor in a Spanish speaking Nazarene church.  God - through my family - has given me a powerful testimony of faith.

Why do I share all these things?  Because I have a homework assignment for you.  There’ll be a quiz next Sunday.  Your homework assignment is like the hymn:  “Count your blessings.  Name them one by one.  Count your blessings.  See what God has done.” (3)

You may be new in your relationship with God.  You may have known Him since Noah came off the ark.  You may have been raised in the most ungodly circumstances.  You may have grown up in an on fire Bible believing Jesus trusting home.  It really doesn’t matter.  Because if you look you’ll see God at work.

Thinking about rekindling the flame - being fired up for God - going the distance - its important for us to consider the constant and faithful hand of God upon our lives.  Our lives are about what God is doing in us an through us.  Consider God’s hand upon your life.  Rather than responding to the circumstances of life with timidity - cowardice - open yourself up to His power - His love - and His sober judgment of how He desires for you to live life.

_______________________
1. USA Today, 12.18.06
2. Stephen Skelton, pastors.com
3. “Count Your Blessings” Edwin O. Excell & Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.