Genuine faith, exemplified by Timothy's lineage and Paul's encouragement, is essential for believers, especially in the perilous last days of Christianity. Paul reminds Timothy to stir up the gift of God within him, not to be ashamed of the gospel, and to partake in its afflictions, emphasizing that God provides power, love, and a sound mind, not fear. The sermon uses the illustration of a dying campfire needing rekindling to urge believers to fuel their faith with God's Word and Spirit. Ultimately, believers are called to overcome discouragement and coldness by actively fanning the flame of their faith for God's glory and the blessing of others.
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Greetings, radio friends, in the ever-precious name of our lovely Lord Jesus. Another welcome to our Bible study in the epistle of Second Timothy. I would like to read for our scripture lesson today from chapter one, beginning at verse five, the words of the beloved apostle Paul, as he writes to his son in the faith Timothy, saying in the fifth verse, When I call to remembrance the unsaying the genuine faith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice. And I am persuaded that in thee also.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading and the hearing of this short section of his precious and holy word.
We have commenced the study of this second epistle of Timothy, which is so appropriate in what we may call the present days as being the last days of Christianity. The expression that I just made may be an unusual one to the minds of some. Will there be last days to the Christian testimony? Yes, my radio friend. If you study the Bible carefully, you will note Christianity began in the days following the death, the burial, and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And from his ascension to heaven and on, where he was glorified, and made head over all things to the church, from a God who sent the Holy Spirit to the earth, and commenced upon the earth, as recorded in the second chapter of the book of Acts, commence the testimony of Christianity, which is the Church. There will be an end to that testimony. In many of our preceding messages of this year, we have touched upon the great truth that the present period will end by the return of the Lord Jesus for His Church. And when the Lord Jesus comes for His bride, He will take out of the earth, whether they be saints that are in the graves, Whether they be saints, who will be alive on the earth, he will take out of it all whom he has redeemed, who constitute his blessed blood, blood bride.
That will end the testimony of Christianity as such upon the earth. The church in its constitutional, correct character and scriptural character will be no more upon the earth. The church will be taken to heaven. I hope you'll be going, my friend, with the great company. But may I state that unless you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died upon the cross of Calvary for your sins and put your confidence and faith holy in that finished work of salvation, you will not be in that great rapture as it is often so called, when the saints go marching home.
But now we second epistle of Timothy as appropriate ministry for the character of the last days of Christianity. You may read, and I trust you will, at your convenience. Someday we shall reach it in the book. You may read Second Timothy chapter three and the first five verses. And there you will read the character of the last days of Christianity. And you will find in every description that is given, these conditions are prevailing upon the earth now. Surely from that moral and spiritual viewpoint alone, we would believe we certainly are upon the threshold of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus to the earth and the coming of our Saviour to establish his own kingdom.
But these last days are perilous days. They're difficult for the believer. And Paul writes to Timothy for his own encouragement in the days of discouragement in which he then lived. In the first four verses we saw that Paul placed his prayers before the throne of God on the behalf of Timothy and his peers. Well, might we need prayer in such perilous days that are mortal and spiritually perilous at the present time? Now, Paul challenges Timothy as we open in the fifth verse. Paul declares his remembrance of Timothy's genuine faith.
For Timothy had manifested from his youth up genuine faith in the Word of God. He had the godly background of a grandmother as well as of a mother, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, who in the godliness and righteousness of their testimony for God had raised this child from infancy in the Holy Scriptures. And the very background of their godly faith had been imparted to this young lad in his early days and in his youth and now in his manhood. Paul remembered that faith. Paul recalled the genuineness of that characteristic, and thus reminded the faith that was in his godly grandmother and newness he perceived was dwelling in him also.
It may be possible that context clearly suggests the possibility that Timothy, in view of the fact that many of the believers in his day, and in the proconsular part of Asia were turning away from his father in the faith. Timothy was discouraged. Timothy realized the teachings of his beloved father in the faith were being denied, and they were being brought in question. And without question of doubt, the probability of being a Timothy's soul had brought discouragement and despair. Paul seeks to stir that boy. Paul seeks to stir him up. and reminds him in verse six, wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up, meaning, kindle into flame the gift of God which is in thee by the putting out of my hands.
You may read in the book of the Acts of the encouragement and the commendation that the saints at Lystra, the brethren at Lystra, gave to the beloved Apostle Paul in relation to Timothy as they commended the young man to go and work in the vineyard of the Lord with the aged apostle himself. And he was very heartily and soundly commended as they thus commended him to the grace of God and to the work of God at that time. And now in the days of discouragement, the gift that was in him had perhaps kindled into low flame instead of being burning bright.
And Paul seeks to say, Kindle into flame, the gift that is in thee. Oh, I wonder, my friend, if I'm speaking to fellow believers, whose faith had suddenly died down in such cold endless today. I think of an illustration that was given by a godly friend of mine, who was a missionary in the Solomon Islands in many days past. He tells of the missionary journeys that were his. In that time he served the Lord in the islands that were called the Solomon Islands. Those natives at one time were purely cannibal, until the gospel of God's grace came in and saved many.
They traveled through these islands with the gospel. And in company with my friend, there were many native believers. Those men were usually very lightly clad, living as they did in the tropics. But it said the nights in those tropics were unusually cold. And every night when they camped out, as they usually did, camping outside, every night it was necessary that they kindled a fire. And that fire was kindled to burn all night long. and they slept around the fire with their backs to the fire to help them keep warm in the cool of the night.
But necessarily the fire needed rekindling through the night. And one after another would awaken, feeling the cold, and realize that the embers of the fire were becoming low. And they would arise, and they would get more fuel, and place it upon the fire and kindle it into flame. And oh what an illustration, as not the flame of holy fire died down again and again in the history of the church, and is it not today lacking its lustre as well as its heat in being carried on for the glory of God?
And are there not many believers whose faith is adding more? Whose spirit is indeed cold? Whose heart is turned away in coldness in relation to his or her Lord? Oh, my beloved Christian friend, I speak to you particularly. God desires to kindle into flame. That faith which is within you, which is in place there by his spirit. Yes, the days are difficult. Yes, the fires of truth are burning low. But imagine, Lord, a friend. Why do not you and I put a little fuel on the fire? You see, what is the fuel? Surely the word of God. Surely the power of the Spirit of God.
And Paul reminds Timothy, stir up. Turn up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For not only had the elders at the church of Lystra commended and acknowledged the gift of God to Timothy, but even the beloved apostle approved the faithfulness and the service of his young son in the faith. You will find ever since Timothy had traveled with the apostle Paul, he had been a faithful, commendable servant. And our days of discouragement were upon him. days of despair seem to be before him, and the testimony of the Lord. Paul says, stir up the gift, and then reminds him in verse seven, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, meaning cowardice, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Thus there was no reason to be afraid. The fear comes not from God. The cowardice proceeded nowhere from God at all. My radio friend, my Christian friend, I'd like to ask you, are you half-hearted and cold? God help you and me to get a little warmed up and seek to go on for our Lord Jesus if we have to go on alone. For thank God he can kindle the flame and that which is within us he can cause it to burn brightly and give forth not only its light but shed forth its heat and warmth to the glory of God and to the blessing of others.
Beloved, shall we pray, our time has gone. Father, bless thy word, would like thee to stir up some flames and kindle the heart that belonged to thee, to be on fire for the Lord. In Jesus' name for his glory, amen.