Good morning to everyone. Good to see you all this morning and thank you for the encouragement and the testimonies. You know, it can get a little wearying in the world. It's so good to come here and to be with brothers and sisters, like-minded people who share faith in Christ, and just to be encouraged and build up. 

I was thinking this week as I was studying through our passage this morning in 2nd Timothy that I'm continually amazed as I study and prepare and teach the Word of God at how incredibly relevant and applicable and practical it is for our lives. There's nowhere else that we can go, no other source, no other writing of man or wisdom of man or philosophy of this world where we can find clear solid truth, answers to the questions of life that's able to make us wise for salvation, that truly transforms our thinking and our living. There's no place but the revealed Word of God and it's so exciting to study, to learn, to discover the truths that God has given us in this book. 

I don't know about you, but this old world has been a bit of a struggle for me of late. There's so much uncertainty, turmoil, division, lies, and deception. I've never seen anything quite like this. I don't know that any of us have seen such an environment in our world, such a fearful condition of man. And that's the word that keeps coming back to my mind to really explain all that's going on in our world: fear. People are afraid. They're afraid of trouble and trials and tribulation. They're afraid of riots and upheaval in our culture. They're afraid of sickness and disease from a virus, so much so that they are absolutely paralyzed in every aspect of their lives. Ultimately, men are afraid of death—physical death, spiritual death, eternal death in the lake of fire, which they know in their hearts is true and real.

So we see many fearful responses around us as to what's going on, and this fear is being fueled by those in power, politics, and media for an express purpose for their own ends. It's a corrupt world. It's a satanic system, my friends. The whole world lies in the sway of the wicked one, and Satan is working out his plan under the sovereign permissive will of God to bring his man to power to rule over this one world government in these last days. And we can really see it now. You can almost feel it. The stage is being set. Man has been given over to his sin. We see the ultimate effects of the curse: disease, pestilence, and the rising of a one-world system, ultimate power, and control given to one man as all hell breaks loose on this earth. Honestly, the lost man in Adam has a lot to fear. 

Jesus warned of the time that's coming on this earth. Turn over to Luke 21 with me, please. Luke 21 at verse 10. Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences. There will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore, settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but not a hair of your head shall be lost. By your patience, possess your souls. 

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant, to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led away captive into all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in the sun and the moon and in the stars, and on the earth, distress of nations, with perplexity. The sea and waves roaring, men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."

Well, these are amazing words. It's going to get a lot worse. Men's hearts will fail them from fear and the expectation of what is coming on the earth. And Jesus' command, His exhortation to us, is this: by your patience, possess your souls. "Souls" is "psuche," meaning the mind and emotions. By patience, endurance, "hupe mine," bear up under. By patience, possess your souls. 

This is so important for us, my brothers and sisters in Christ. One more truth I want to highlight in this passage is in verse 13 when He says, "but it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony." Great trial and tribulation is coming on our world. It will wax worse and worse as evil men gain control and rise to power. How do we possess our souls in this process leading up to these events? How do we keep our minds right, think God's thoughts, and anticipate our salvation? By patient endurance and faith. Faith and focus on Jesus and His truths, and by a laser focus on our purpose for being here, our calling, our commission as believers in a world such as this: it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 

I know this is speaking of a time in the future and we won't be here, but trouble and tribulation is in this world, fear is gripping men, and this is a time, an occasion for us, for testimony. My brothers and sisters, I want you to hear me now, this is the real application I want you to take from our text this morning. We are here for a purpose; God has given us amazing resources of His power, He's working out His plan, we have His promises in Christ. There is nothing for us, there is nothing for those who believe, who belong to Christ, who are called by God, who are kept by His power, who hold His promises by faith. There is nothing for the believer in Jesus Christ. For you, my brother and sister in Christ: there is nothing to fear. In Christ, there's nothing to fear.

Let's look at our text together in 2nd Timothy 1 at verse 6: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. To which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day." 

I've given you four points on your outline. First, no fear in suffering. Second, no fear of persecution. Third, no fear of death. And fourth, no fear for eternity. Well, this is truly an amazing, encouraging text before us this morning, and I believe these truths summarized here, which we see throughout the Scriptures, are the key to possessing our souls, keeping our emotions in check, keeping our minds thinking the right thoughts concerning truth, and being fruitful with no fear in these trying times. 

We're going to come back to verse 7 at the end of the message, but first we see in our text in verse 8 and 9, no fear of suffering. “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner,” Paul says, “but share with me in the sufferings of the gospel according to the power of God.” This is one of those texts where I struggle with my great insufficiency to find the words to express and explain the fullness of the truths God is teaching here. Verse 9 is so full, so profound. He says, “God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.” Note this: “which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Before time began. 

Are you afraid? What are you afraid of? You know, this was a major concern for Paul concerning Timothy. Remember our context here: Paul's writing from the dungeon, from the Mamertine prison in Rome, knowing that his time is short, his martyrdom is at hand, and he wants to pass the torch of ministry off to Timothy. He wants to strengthen, encourage, and challenge Timothy to carry on the good work of the gospel, just as Paul did. Timothy did not have the same personality, perhaps, the same resolve and strength, or perhaps focus that Paul had, but he had the exact same power, the same calling, the Holy Spirit strengthening him. Timothy tended to be timid, not liking confrontation, being pushed around a bit, to be fearful. He had a formidable task before him in Ephesus. There were strong-minded, false teachers there challenging him, working against him, and so Paul's concerned about fear. He's concerned about Timothy being ashamed, being afraid to be associated with Paul and standing for Christ, for the truth, because it's easy to get your mind in the wrong place, to not really see things for how they are, and fail to have an eternal perspective when the pressure is on. 

So these words are meant to strengthen and encourage Timothy and to remind him of the gift and calling that he has received directly from God. Paul's first exhortation is that Timothy—and we—should not fear suffering. It's easy to say, right? We should not fear suffering. It's hard. I mean, I like to avoid conflict if I can. I really would rather not have people mad at me, upset with me. It's hard on my soul, my mind, my emotions, and my gut. But the truth is that if we are faithful in our ministry and our calling, if we bring the gospel truth to this world, if we stand for Christ, we should expect opposition. We should expect persecution and hatred, and it will become more and more severe as time goes on as we approach that day. 

I just was listening to some news stories yesterday. I didn't even realize it was going on, but apparently some of the mobs that are attacking our cities have now turned their attention to Christian churches and are attacking them, defacing them, and burning them down. It's really ultimately a hatred for God. This is something I think we need to settle in our hearts and minds and expect. Peter said don't think it some strange thing that you're enduring this fiery trial. Paul said that all those who desire to live godly in this ungodly age will suffer persecution.

Turn over to 1 Peter 2 with me; let's look at verse 15. 1 Peter 2:15 says, “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the King. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. This most stunning statement in verse 21: 'For to this you were called.' Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth, who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Have you thought about this truth? You and I were called to suffer for His sake. Paul said, “I bear the marks of Christ in my body.” That's not the stigmata, my friends; these are the scars from rods and whips and stones that he took because of his identification with Christ, because of his bold and faithful witness concerning the gospel. The blows that were meant for Jesus, directed at Jesus, believers take in this world. This is not a popular message in our world, in the church. This message doesn't make for mega churches, but this is the biblical message. A faithful witness for Jesus in this world will suffer persecution. 

We should expect sufferings because of Christ, and more and more as the world becomes more openly hostile toward believers. But we should not fear this. It should not be a source of trepidation and fear. It is truly, as Paul said, a privilege to suffer for Christ, and it means that the message is getting across loud and clear. The message that God has given to us to preach, so that He might accomplish His purposes and will through us for His glory. We really should have no fear because, look again at verse 9, the truth is that our salvation has been secure since before time began: “who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” 

Paul's argument here is amazing. God purposed before time began to save you, to make it happen in time through Christ, to work out His plan, to bring the gospel to you through faithful witnesses, and to wonderfully, powerfully, purposefully save you and transform you into a new creation in Christ. Now the point here is this: assurance, confidence. If God chose you before time began, then there is any chance that He will lose you? No. 

I want you to look at Romans 5 with me, please, at verse 6—one of the great passages on eternal security. Romans 5:6 says, "'For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." 

Paul argues from the greater to the lesser. If Jesus could save us by His death, then He certainly can keep us by His life. Look at Romans 8:28; flip over a couple of pages to another great passage about our security. Romans 8:28 says, "'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called. Whom He called, these He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things?" Look at this great statement: "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

Jesus saved us by His death. How much more can He keep us by His life? God saved us and keeps us. He will deliver us from this body of sin and death, this world of corruption, into His glorious kingdom and heaven for eternity based on what Jesus has done for us in the salvation that He provides. If God gave the greater to save us, He will surely do the lesser to keep us. What can separate us from the love of Christ? Not suffering, not persecution, not even death. Nothing. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the great truth of our eternal salvation. 

So we need not fear suffering. We need not fear persecution. Rather, we should expect these things as God has promised us in His Word that they will come. And He's also promised that His grace is sufficient in these times of trial. He will keep us by His power. 

Next, we see in our text that there's no fear of death. And what a glorious truth this is. Look at 2 Timothy 1:8. "Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel, according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 

The word "abolished" here means to render powerless. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "O death, where is your sting?" It doesn't mean that we no longer die physically, but it means that death has no power over us because Jesus has conquered sin and death and Satan and hell in His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. In Romans 6:5, it says, "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with or rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves of sin, for he who has died has been freed from sin. For as we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Death no longer has dominion over us because we are in Him. We have passed from death unto life. Physical death is now simply a glorious transition to heaven to be with our Lord. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We may not have a great desire to go through the process—I understand that—but there's no fear of death for the believer. And as the world grows crazier and crazier, as evil men wax worse and worse, we as believers have a greater anticipation, expectation, even a longing and a groaning for the time when we will pass from this world to be with Christ, either through death or the rapture of the church. 

I remember my mom when she was old and dying. She actually came to Christ; she spent her life, raised her children, buried her husband in the Catholic church, came to faith when she was 70 years old, and was baptized in a Baptist church. I remember when she was old and dying, she'd say to me, “Oh John, I'm so glad I'm getting out of here.” You feel like that today? I can't wait to get out of here, to be with my Lord. Paul expressed this desire to die, really, in Philippians 1: “For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit for my labor, yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” 

This is not some morbid fascination, but there's a reality to the desire of the believer to die and go and be with Christ, which is far better for us than to stay here. Yet God has us here, as Paul says, for a purpose: to encourage one another, to bear fruit for Him as a witness for Him. But my friends, we have no fear of death; in fact, it's really quite the opposite. If we're focused on the truth, on the promises of God, if we're trusting Him, then Timothy does not need to fear suffering and persecution. He does not even need to fear death, as Paul was so tangibly facing when he wrote these words. 

It'd be easy for me to write about not fearing death, right? But Paul was sitting there waiting to be beheaded. It was coming. He'd already been poured out as a drink offering, he said. And yet he had no fear, and he didn't want Timothy to fear. He didn't want us to fear. 

Our last point in our text this morning is that Timothy and every believer in Jesus Christ does not need to fear eternity. Look at verse 11: “To which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day.” 

God's plan and purpose in saving Paul, and you, and me, is so that we might be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ. That we might boldly and clearly preach the truth of the saving gospel to every lost man that God gives us opportunity to speak to as He arranges those meetings, as He arranges those details. I had such an opportunity yesterday—an unexpected opportunity. I was asked by a lady to speak at a memorial service for a local man who'd passed away, and the meeting was up here at the Skyview. A little bit of an unorthodox situation, but it was an opportunity. An opportunity that God arranged to make the gospel clear. That's what we have to do. That's why we're here. That's the good news that we get to share with people so that they might believe and be saved. 

Paul said he was called to take the gospel to the Gentiles, and Paul says, “It is for this reason that I suffer these things.” His chains were because of Christ. His head would roll from his shoulders for one reason and one reason only: Jesus Christ. It's quite a truth to really ponder, to grasp for ourselves that if we preach Jesus, if we live for Him, we will suffer in this world. The world will hate us because it first hated Him, Jesus said. 

And at this time—listen now—at the time when Paul wrote these words to Timothy, he was facing it. He was living it. He was experiencing real and severe persecution, even unto death, for his testimony to Christ in the saving gospel. Yet look at what he writes: “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed until that day.” 

Paul was not ashamed of Jesus Christ. It's an amazing thing to ponder Hebrews 2, which says that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren. He has every right to be ashamed, and yet it is we who are so often ashamed of Him—afraid to associate ourselves with Him, to speak of Him, to speak His saving gospel. It always reminds me of Haddon Robinson's sermon on prayer and evangelism when he said, “Sometimes silence is golden, but I'm talking about when it's just plain yellow.” 

Why would Timothy be ashamed of Christ, of Paul? Why would he be ashamed of the gospel? Fear. Fear of ending up like Paul in a Roman dungeon, awaiting martyrdom. But Paul was not afraid; he was not ashamed. Why? Because he knew whom he had placed his faith in, and he was persuaded, he trusted with all his being that God is able to keep him, to keep Paul, and to bring him to glory on the great day. 

If this is our faith, if this is our belief, if this is our trust, then what can man do to me? He can make fun of me, he can attack me, he can persecute me, he can even cut off my head, but he can't take my salvation. He cannot touch my eternity with Christ. He can't stop the church. 

My friends, when we consider what it means that we believe Jesus, that we are in Christ and all the promises in Him are yes, when we know whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able, then there's no fear. There's no fear in this world—only a solitary focus on our mission here and serving God in thankfulness with a strong love for men for whom Christ died and for their salvation through the preaching of the gospel. 

Our focus needs to be on holding fast to the promises, to the truth of God's Word and why we are here, the power of God that keeps us and works in us. Because Christ's perfect love casts out fear. It's amazing power. I don't know if we think about that much, if we understand that. 

Turn over to Ephesians 1; I want you to look at two prayers in the book of Ephesians, Ephesians 1, verse 15. These are two prayers that Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers concerning the power of God working in their lives. He says, “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty power, even that power which He raised Jesus from the dead." That power works in us. 

Turn over to chapter 3, verse 14. Paul prays again: "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

I don't think we really comprehend the power, the power and the plan and the purpose of God in our lives—what He will accomplish in and through us as we abide in Him, as we trust in Him, as we know and are persuaded that He will keep His Word. When we place our focus on these things, when we choose to reckon them to be so, then the fears of this world pass away, they're put in their proper perspective, and we can live in confident assurance even if we as Paul face martyrdom and persecution. 

These are the things Timothy needed to know in his time of fear and trepidation. And my brothers and sisters, I do not believe it's by accident that God has us in this text this morning in this time of fear and uncertainty in our country and our world. Our witness to the world should not be one of fear. We should not be people who are timid, who are afraid, who lack confidence and assurance and peace because God has not given us a spirit of fear but of boldness and of love and a sound mind. 

What an amazing verse of Scripture for us today, this day. Wherever I go these days, I see a spirit of fear—fear of disease and sickness, of violence and mobs. I see people who are very, very afraid. People come to our farm to buy meat, they'll call ahead, they'll go on our website, they'll make an order, you know—a young woman in her twenties or thirties, drive up our driveway by herself in her car with her mask on, turn around, hit the trunk button and point, and I'll put the bag of meat in her trunk and shut the trunk, and she'll speed away. Fear. 

The world is in a spirit of fear, but God has not given us a spirit of fear but of boldness to preach the gospel of agape love for all men, our motivation of a sound mind of right thinking and self-control. We're not to be fearful people, the people of God. This doesn't mean we should run out into traffic or jump off a building or somehow test God. We should be wise—wise as serpents, harmless as doves in this world—but it does mean that we should have a calm assurance, a steadfast confidence knowing who we believe and who we are in Christ. 

There's nothing to fear. We need not fear persecution, we need not fear disease or sickness because ultimately, we need not fear death. There's no fear of death for the believer; the result is a blessing. It's far better. 

So with all the fears of the world, what must we do? What must Timothy do as he faces harsh opposition in the church, perhaps arrest and persecution—even martyrdom from outside the church? What should we do about the many fears that can possess us, disturb our souls? Remember the words of Jesus: by patience, possess your souls, and the example of Paul who, even in his martyrdom, was so fixed on Christ, so confident in him by faith, so trusting in the promises of God that he could encourage Timothy, even in the worst of circumstances, as he thought not of himself, not of his suffering, not of his imminent death, but of the salvation that God granted him through Christ and the mission that he had been given to carry the gospel to the Gentiles.

And now the torch would be passed to Timothy, and he must have the same trust, the same focus. If he were to be effective in leading the church in Ephesus and keeping his heart and mind straight as the fears of this world assaulted him. My brothers and sisters, as you go through this week, I want you to remember this one thing: Perfect love casts out fear. Perfect love casts out fear. In Christ, we have nothing to fear. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful for your Word, your truth. We're thankful that you've given us this place and these people, this body of believers to encourage one another, to help one another, to redirect, correct, and point to Christ. Thank you for the love that we have for one another. Thank you for the truth, your Word that we can preach freely here and believe and trust and reckon to be so. We ask for wisdom and guidance as we move through this world, and as times become worse, we pray that you would give us a motive of love for all men and that you would give us boldness and clarity to preach the gospel as we ought. For your glory, and for the salvation of lost men, we know that this is your will. In Jesus' name, amen.