← ArchiveFaith Over FearThe Power of Christian RememberingDateNovember 1, 2020SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText—Passages in this sermon2 Timothy 1:34:54Mark 1216:27TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30Okay, my name is Josh, pastor here, one of our pastors on staff here at Bethel. I ask that you would join me in the Word of God today. We just finished 1st Timothy, which means we're now today for the first time in 2nd Timothy.0:55So if you would join me in 2nd Timothy, it's near the end of the New Testament. So if you can find the maps in your Bible, backtrack a couple hundred pages or less and you'll find 2nd Timothy. 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy. We're going to look today at the danger of forgetfulness. Specifically the devastating effects of spiritual amnesia in our lives.1:19And so the story of Benjamin Kyle is instructive at this moment. Benjamin was the only person ever to be listed as a missing person in the FBI database even though they had found him. He appeared with no name, no identity and no memory. So if you thought you've had a bad day, listen to Benjamin Kyle's morning in August of 2004.1:47An employer of Burger King in Georgia found a man unconscious next to the dumpster. This man was naked, he was sunburnt and he had bites all over his body from red ants. On top of that, he had amnesia and he was unable to remember his name.2:12And he had no clue how he had arrived at this location. Later they find out that he has been missing for 20 years. After Benjamin was found, in air quotes, he struggled in and out of homelessness because he had no clue who he was. And he had no community around him to remind him of who he was.2:40He could not get a social security number because he had one. He just could not remember it. So he had no benefits, he had no support. And for the next 10 years he's in and out of homelessness. Ten years later, through investigative journalism and a genome project, they found that he has family in the Midwest. And he finally found his true identity.3:06Although he still had no recollection of who he was. Years later, they asked Benjamin what it was like to be back with people who knew him. And this is what he said. He says, "Looking at all these names and all of these people gives me a sense of belonging." He said, "I knew I had a history and identity.3:32I just forgot what it was." A journalist asked him, "Well, why did you choose the name Benjamin? Out of all the names you could have chosen," because he forgot his name. This is what he said. He said, "I read something one time in the Hebrew that said the name Benjamin means beloved son." I believe spiritual amnesia is destructive. And it will lead you to ruin. That's why you and I need the community of faith.4:00We need people around us to remind us of who we are and to remind us of our faith story. The prayer this morning for your life and mine is this: that God would do something within us that you would remember for the rest of your life. If you are not a Christ follower, that today would be the day that you take a step of faith in Jesus. As 1 Timothy says, that you would lay hold of eternal life by faith.4:24As Randall has already shared. The invitation has been extended. Will you receive the Lord Jesus? And if you are a Christ follower, that today would be the day that he would renew your heart and that you would remember what the Lord has done in your life. Today's message is simply entitled, "The Power of Christian Remembrance."4:462 Timothy 1:3 Let's read together. You can read out loud if you want. I'm going to read, but if you would join me in the Word of God. Verse 3 "I thank God, who I serve with a clear conscience, as did my ancestors, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.5:06Remembering your tears, I long to see you that I might be filled with joy." Paul says to Timothy, "I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. Now I am convinced is in you also."5:33So Timothy, therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power and of love and of sound judgment." Your version might have sound mind. Let's pray.6:01Let's pray. Father, would you do something in us today that we would never forget? And Lord, we will face storms in life. There will be days where we feel like we're beaten up and sunburned and left near the trash heap. But Father, in those days, would you surround us with a community of faith that will never let us forget our identity. That would never let us forget how good of a savior you are.6:27Lord, let us remember today the good news of Jesus, which is Jesus in our place. Father, would you revive our hearts right now so that we would never forget this day. Because your spirit has moved in us and through us for your glory and for our good. O Lord, hear our prayer. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.6:55Amen. Amen. So I want to give you three thoughts on remembrance today. The "I" of remembrance. The "you" of remembrance. And the "us" of remembrance. So if we look back at verse 3, we see Paul writing. The Apostle Paul writing to a friend, a young friend, a friend named Timothy. And he's writing from jail. And I have to believe that the Apostle is writing knowing this might be his last communication.7:19So if you could only write one last letter to someone that you cared about from jail. And you knew that you most likely had a destinace on your life. What would that include? How would that begin? How much emotion would you put into that letter? And I have to wonder, who would you entrust to deliver the letter to the person that you love?7:42And Paul begins this way, verse 3. He says, "I thank my God whom I serve." Can you imagine the audacity of this Apostle? He's in jail? He's in a storm? He's in the most difficult, dark place of his life. And he writes, "I thank God?" Who does he think he is?8:10Unless he realizes that Jesus makes the difference. Yes, we can thank God in the most difficult situations because we know that we have peace with God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And that's exactly what Paul says. And he even says, "I thank this God." Why? Because I serve Him with a what? A clear conscience.8:38You see, Paul was not sinless, but he was guiltless. You're not sinless. I know you. And you should say, "Well, Pastor, there's three fingers sticking back towards you. I got a hand. I know you're not sinless either." I'm not. There's no one that's perfect. But in Jesus Christ, to the glory of our Father, we can be guiltless. Because He has paid the price. And so we can say in the most dark of situations, the eye of remembrance, "I thank God because I have a clear conscience."9:07And we live in a world of guilt and shame. And the Christians should stand up and say, "Not me. I have a clear conscience because of the blood of Jesus Christ that washes over me." Church, this is the eye of remembrance. This is the eye of what Christ is doing in your life. You see, the telling and retelling of our faith stories, the nurturing of our memories, reminds us of the glorious hope that you have in Christ.9:36The more you share your story, the more you hear your story. The more you hear that God loves you, the more you realize that He loves you. And the more you realize that He loves you, the more thankful that we become that He is our atoning sacrifice. I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience.10:03Remembering people are thankful people. That's not it. That's not all. Remembering people are praying people. Paul says, "I thank God whom I remember with a clear conscience." And then he says this, "I constantly remember you, Timothy." And I don't remember anyone that doesn't remember the grace of God. Because you know my answer when people ask me how I am? Better than I deserve. And every day I live, there's another day I realize that is more true today than it was yesterday. Remembering people are thankful people.10:32That's not it. That's not all. Remembering people are praying people. Paul says, "I thank God whom I remember with a clear conscience." And then he says this, "I constantly remember you, Timothy, in my prayers night and day." And some of you are thinking, "Well, I'm not an apostle. I can't pray night and day." Well, Paul is not literally saying he never has slept in his life. What the apostle is saying is he has regular occurring times of every day and every night where he's praying.10:59Do you have regular cycles of prayer? And when you do, are you regularly praying for people in your life? I believe that remembering people are praying people. God desires us to be that. And so intentional remembering and praying for others is a pilot light of faith in your life. You want God to light something in your heart?11:28Pray for others. You want to know how you bless those who curse you? Pray for them. It's hard to curse people that you pray for. Are you praying? Is God regularly working in you? That's why we give you the prayer guide now online. Usually on Tuesday in that email we have a prayer guide so we can pray for specific people. And let me just say thank you. There are people in this location right now that pray for me every day.11:56You pray for me day and night. And that does not go unnoticed. And I want to thank you for doing that. Because I've pastored in a pandemic before. And I hope to never do it again. And it is the prayers of the saints that restores our hearts. Praying people and thankful people are being lit by the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Are you praying?12:25If you say well I'm not, do more today than you did yesterday. Remembering people are praying people. But there's more. There's another I here of remembrance. He says I pray for you day and night remembering your tears. He said I long to see you. What was Paul expressing here? He's saying Timothy I want you to know how much I love you. I want you to know how much I deeply care for you. And is that not exactly what God wants in our life?12:53So you see the more we love God, the more you love God, the more you love others. You can't actually love God without loving others. Unless you want to break the two commandments that Jesus gives us. That we'll look at shortly. So let me ask you. Does your Facebook feed demonstrate your love for other people? I figured I wouldn't get an amen from that. Does your life demonstrate your love for other people?13:23Because what Paul is showing, the more that you and I love God with all of our heart and soul and strength, naturally the more we love God vertically, we will love others horizontally. So when you pray God let me long for others, let me need others Lord, let me love others more. We're also praying Lord let me love you more. You see remembering people are people who love.13:50People who deeply love others. That's the I of remembrance. If you never forget what Jesus has done, you'll never forget to love others. There's one more I here of remembering in our lives. He said, "I remember your tears. I long to see you that I might be filled with joy." It's almost as if Paul is saying, "I will never be filled with joy until you are filled with joy."14:19So here's the reminder for covenant people. The reminder is that we should celebrate when God is working in other people's lives. Now that's a novel concept in the world that we live in. We live in a world of jealousy and competition. We live in a world that says when God is working over here, they must have done something wrong. Or they must be manipulating, or they must be doing something that we don't know about.14:46Rather than us saying, "Lord, thank you for moving in Randall's life." And thank you for moving in Scott's life. God, thank you for showing up in other people's lives. We need people who remember God's grace and celebrate when God is moving their lives. You see, remembering people are people who celebrate others.15:10Will you do that in someone's life today? Would you be someone else's Paul? Would you be the one that when they need to be encouraged, you're here saying, "Good job. No one else saw you, but good job. I saw you praying. I saw you seeking. Don't give up." Would you be someone's Paul? Because the more I remember His grace, the more I want to celebrate others.15:37And God's grace poured out in the lives of other people. This is the "I" of worship. This is the "I" of remembrance. But there's more. There's also the "you" of remembrance. So look at what remembering God's grace in our lives does for others. Not only does it fill us with joy so we can celebrate, but it begins to focus our attentions outward.16:05So it's not all about "I". It's not all about "me". It's not all about "my". So if we stop here, I've led you to believe, "Well, God only cares about you. Be filled. Go on your merry way." But that's not the full gospel, is it? Jesus actually says in Mark 12, He says what? The two greatest commands: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." Love.16:34Love. We can just stop there. You don't have to love them as much as yourself, but just love others. We live in a world that I don't see much love of others anymore. And I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about us. I don't see the Christian community loving others like God has commanded us to love others. So let's talk about how the remembering of Jesus Christ and His death helps you and I love others. This is the "you" of others.17:04So Paul says in verse 4, "Timothy, I remember your tears." Now, if I'm Timothy at this point, I'm going to say, "Paul, did you have to remind the whole world that I cried?" Because you have not just said, "I remember the last time we departed." But what is he saying here? He's reminding Timothy of the deep love that they had for one another. And I think Paul is reminding him, "Timothy, don't forget how much I care about you."17:34And he's investing in a young man. "Pouring out in his life." Because the missionary knew that the more that he loved Jesus, the more that he loved Timothy. And he's saying, "Timothy, don't forget, I remember your tears." But I think Paul is saying, "Lord, I want you to remember my tears too. I want you to know how much I deeply care about you." This is the "you" of remembrance. So Paul has shifted his focus from "me" to now "you."18:03And look what he says, he continues. He says, "I remember your tears. I long to see you, that I might be filled with joy." Because remembrance fills our hearts with joy. He says in verse 5, "I recall your sincere faith." What is Paul doing here? He's reminding Timothy that his faith is genuine. He's saying, "Hey, Timothy, I've looked at your life and your faith is genuine. I believe in what God is doing."18:32It's a word that means without hypocrisy. He's saying this, "Timothy, I looked at your Facebook thread today and I see your genuine faith." Well done. Keep it up. Can you imagine the encouragement? If Billy Graham sent you a tweet, I know he's in glory right now. If the Apostle Paul tweeted you, direct messaged you and said, "Hey, Josh, I see your sincere faith." Keep it up.19:02Can you imagine the joy that would bring? If one of your heroes in faith messaged you and said, "I see your sincere faith. Keep it up." There is great encouragement when we remember God's faith in others. That's the you of faith. Because the you of faith transforms not only your life, but it transforms your family. Look at what he says, "I remember your sincere faith. Well done. Keep it up." But he also says, "I remember the faith of your grandmother. I remember your mom and them."19:30But your grandmother right here, the only time her name is used in all of the scripture. Her name is Lois. And that's not all. Paul says, "I also remember your mom, Eunice. And this is what I remember about them. I know their faith and I am convinced the faith that dwelt in them, that lived in them, dwells in you also."19:52The word used here, to live, means to dwell, some of your verses say. It means to be at home. Paul is saying, "I know that faith is at home in your home." And as Pastor Jared has already shared, why do we believe so strongly in home worship? Because we want our homes to be a place where faith dwells.20:20We want our homes to be a place where faith is at home with us. Because we believe the "you" investing in others, encouraging others, is transformative in our neighborhoods. It's transformative. So are you living out a "you" type faith? Where God fills "I" and then he fills you for his glory. Never underestimate what your faith can do in your home.20:47Never underestimate. My Theodorette of Sire said this in 400 A.D. He said, "Nothing helps so much as a domestic example." Will you remember Jesus for others in your home? I know that we have spouses for years. You have come here and you have faithfully worshipped without your significant other. And every time you come in here is difficult.21:16But the encouragement of the word is they see. You don't worship in vain. God is using you to make a difference. God is using your domestic example so that faith would be at home in your home. Keep it up. Don't grow weary. May the Lord use you in mighty ways. Today would you remember Jesus for others. May that be our heart.21:44May that be our heart. And then he says this. Not only is God transforming your home, your grandmother and your mother and you. But he's also doing this. Timothy, don't forget. Verse 6. He says, "Let me remind you, son. If I had to call granny, I will. If I had to call mom, I will because I know their name, boy." I mean, that's what's going on here. But then he says this.22:14He says, "I remind you to rekindle the faith. Rekindle the gift by the laying on of hands, the Spirit of God within you." Right here in verse 6. What is he saying? In essence, Paul is saying, "Timothy, keep fire alive." This is what I believe God is saying. He's saying, "Paul, don't you start fires in people's lives.22:42Rekindle fires." I want to be someone that rekindles a fire in other people. I want to be someone that when they get around me, they say, "Wow, the fire for Christ burns bright. And because of that, my fire is burning a little bit more." Would you rekindle someone else today? Before you leave, would you encourage someone to say, "Don't give up. Let the fire of Christ burn a little bit hotter today than it did yesterday."23:10Would you live a life that is loving others? I love what the missionary Jim Elliot said. He prayed this way. He said, "Lord, God, I pray, light these idle sticks of my life that I might burn for thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is thine. He says, I seek not a long life, but a full one.23:37Like you, Lord Jesus." Would God use you today to rekindle the fire in someone else's life? That's why you're here. You thought you came here today and it was about you. Joke's up. God has brought you here to be a vessel and a tool to rekindle the fire in someone else's life. Who is that person?24:07Who is God using you today to stoke and to encourage? Listen, we're tired of starting fires. It's not your job. That's the Holy Spirit's job. But God is using us to rekindle fires. And may our fire burn bright for the sake of Jesus Christ. This is the you of remembrance. But there's one more. It's not just about I. It's not just about you.24:36So let's look at this last verse. It's a verse many of us have somewhere on a bookshelf in our home. Right? God has not given me a spirit of fear. But he has given me a spirit of power and of love and of sound mind. If we need anything else in 2020, it is a sound mind. But that's not what the verse says, is it?25:04The word of the Lord says, God has not given us a spirit of fear. The word fear here is the word for cowardice. He's really saying, Timothy, God has not given us a spirit where in the face of adversity we run like cowards. Because that's what the world does. He said, God has given us a spirit that when times get difficult, Jesus Christ gets going.25:32When we face adversity, the power of the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you and in me and in us. So how does the word of God dwell in us? This is how the word of God dwells richly. One, when we gather together regularly for worship, as is commanded, it's a reminder that God has not given us fear.25:56And let me just share with you. One day, if our government or any government says, you can no longer worship ever. We're going to say, well, that's fine. You can tell us that, but we will worship. And if they say, we will throw you in jail. We will say, that's fine. You can throw us in jail and we are going to gather and we are going to worship. And if they say, well, we will kill you, we're going to say, that's fine.26:23You can kill us. But we worship a risen Messiah who you also killed. And in three days he rose again. And so if you kill me, we will gather and assemble together in heaven. And that will be an eternal assembly. And the reminder is there, God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sound mind.26:45Did you realize that when you gather today, when we pray, the fear in our lives, God takes that away? Do you realize that when we gather and when we sing songs, fear in our lives leaves. It's a reminder that God has not given us cowardice. When we sing songs, we're going to sing an invitation very shortly.27:14And one of the verses is this. It says, my sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the tree. And I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Oh, my soul. Do you know why we sing that? Because we believe that.27:43You know why we sing that? Because there are some people here that don't believe that in this moment. And you know why we sing that? So that when they hear that, they will believe that. And the fear that is in us will be disseminated because the power of God working in us. That is why corporate assembly is vital. Because God has not given us the spirit of fear. So when we sing this song shortly, may we sing like never before.28:13And if you have fear in your life right now, would you sing the fear out? Would you sing the fear away? If you know Christ, that's what we do. We honor Him and we glorify Him as a reminder and a remembrance of who Jesus is. But there's more in the us of remembrance. Not only has He not given us the spirit of cowardice, but He has given us the spirit of what?28:40Verse 7. He has given us the spirit of power. It's the power that begins in our life the moment the indwelling of the spirit begins. The moment you give your life to Christ, and you turn from your sins, you repent, and you surrender your life to Him, and you say, "God, my life is yours." He says, "My spirit will be in you and through you forever."29:09That is the power of God in your life. Right now, if you are a Christ follower, you are a powerful Christian. Never let the enemy take away the power of us. The power of the Spirit of God moving. That's why Jesus says this. He says, "Where one person is gathered, there I am also."29:36No. He says, "Where what?" "Where us is gathered." "Where two or more." When we gather, it's a reminder of the power of God. But there's more in the remembrance of us. Not only power, but of love. The reminder that when we gather together, it is a community of love.30:02Because the first fruit of the believer in Jesus Christ is love. When we gather together, we are to spur one another on to love and good works. We gather together as a reminder of God's love for us and in us and through us. Church, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound mind.30:31Sound mind is the word used for sound judgment. It's the judgment God gives you when you ask, "Father, should I share this on social media?" And the Holy Spirit is saying, "No." No. It's the sound mind when some of you say, "Lord, should I turn on the TV and watch this?"30:58The Holy Spirit says, "No." No. Should I look at this? No, you shouldn't. We need sound judgment. It is a balanced God-first outlook on life. It's the balance and the sound mind that we need when an election is coming up. And one side says, "If you don't vote for me, the world is going to end."31:25And the other side says, "If you don't vote for me, the world is going to end." And God says, "The world is going to end because my son will return the same way he ascended." And there will be a new heaven. And there will be a new earth. May the Lord give us sound mind and a sound judgment. You see, there's something in the power and the remembrance of us. Have you ever wondered why, when you sin, you don't want to come to the assembly of the saints?31:55Am I the only one, when you've failed this week, you say, "I don't want to go to worship God." Because Satan knows that in us, God restores and removes sin. Did you know the us of worship, the us of the power of God is a barrier to sin in your life? May God restore us and renew us this morning.32:22Because the last thing the enemy wants in your life is the power of the assembly of the saints. The last thing that Satan wants in your life is the love of us. The last thing that the enemy wants in your life is the us of sound judgment. May the Lord honor us as we honor him. Maybe you look at all this and you say, "Okay, Pastor, what are you getting at? So what?"32:52My prayer this week and this morning has always been, "Lord, would you create in us new memories. New remembrances." Yeah, I believe some here and watching online, you have just fallen into sin like never before. And you think, "Okay, I'm going to worship, but no one's going to know what I did."33:19And right now, the Holy Spirit is all over you to say, "If you would confess your sins, you will be restored. You will be cleansed. You will be renewed." And the us of the power of God and the us of the sound judgment of God and the us of love of God is asking you right now, "Come to the altar and confess your sins and find a new memory." And the new memory is this, that when you confess, he is faithful.33:46That's a memory Satan doesn't want you to have. But it's a memory that the Savior wants you to have. How is God working in you today? Would the Lord renew our hearts? Would we have the I's of remembrance and the you's of remembrance and the us's of remembrance today?34:10And may our prayer be simple like Jim Elliot. "Lord, light these idle sticks of my life that I might burn for you." Would you be bold enough to pray that? Lord, you know that I only have some wet kindling. But Lord, whatever I have, would you burn?34:38Would it burn bright for you? Would your prayer be, "Lord, light me up today?" Maybe you're here and you are living a life of fear because you have never given your life to Jesus. I pray that this will be a day you'll never forget. That this would be the day that you would say yes to Jesus Christ. But you need to understand this biblical. When you say yes to Jesus, you're saying no to yourself.35:06It's called repentance. It's turning from me and turning to Him. And if you're here and you've never given your life to Christ, would you pray a prayer something like this? Lord, I know I'm a sinner. Lord, I need you. I'm tired of the fear. I'm tired of the doubts. I'm tired of the guilty conscience. Lord, today I will say yes to you.35:33And I will follow you all the days of my life. Forgive me, lead me, I pray in Jesus' name. The Bible says if you believe in your heart that He died and rose again, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, He's your boss, you will be saved. And would today be the day that you will never forget. Today, would that be the day of your salvation? There's a lot of work for the Lord to do here.36:03But may we not forget this day. A day of renewal and a day of salvation. Because He is faithful. Let's go to the Lord. Father.← Previous in Faith Over FearSome Fights are Worth FightingNext in Faith Over Fear →Gospel-Centered Bravery
