Certainty and Confidence for 2013

2 Timothy 1:8-14

SERMON OUTLINE

Certainty and Confidence for 2013      2 Timothy 1.8-14

Introduction

-2013 leads into an unknown future

-Believers can face an unknown future with certainty and confidence because they know God and He knows them

I Am Not Ashamed   verse 12

-More than not embarrassed or shy

-A declaration of confidence in God and His truth and a certainty that God will fulfill His promises and purposes

-Paul is old and weak, in prison, powerless and insignificant in a world that denies God and God’s purposes and yet he is filled with certainty and confidence. Is Paul deceiving himself???

I Know Whom …I Am Convinced That    verse 12

-Paul knows the true God, the character of God, the purposes of God

-“Convinced” is “to be persuade”. Paul has been persuaded and now lives in that persuasion.

Certainty and Confidence by Knowing God

–Grow in Grace and Knowledge 2 Peter 3.18

1) Choose a Humble attitude before God. Meet with God with your face on the floor. James 4.6,8

2) Disciplined, determined, continuing, reading and meditation of the Word of God. Learn to be disciplined.

3) Obedience. “No more”, loving actions, repentance confession forgiveness, etc…   Philippians 2.12-13

Conclusion

When we know God, God’s character, and God’s purposes, we can live in certainty and confidence even if we do not know what the future holds.

SERMON NOTES

Certainty and Confidence for 2013               2 Timothy 1.8-14

2013 lies before us like an open book. We do not know what the future holds in 2013? We do not know what the future holds, but as believers in the God of the Bible we need not fear an unknown future.

2013 will bring expected and unexpected changes. This year may bring joyful surprises or grievous tragedy. It may bring severe trials and suffering or abounding blessings. We do not know what the future holds for us in 2013. But as a believer who looks toward the coming uncertainty of 2013 you can have certainty and confidence because you know God and God knows you, God loves you, and God guides your future.

In this letter to Timothy Paul knows his life is coming to an end. Paul is about to be executed by Nero and this is his last letter to Timothy, his son in the faith. Paul is exhorting Timothy to keep the faith by continuing to look to God for strength, and to continue to proclaim the Word of God. Paul tells Timothy he is to expect suffering as a follower of Christ. In verse 12 we find Paul reminding Timothy of his own certainty, even in the face of death. There is certainty and confidence for the believer as the believer faces the uncertainty of future circumstances.

Paul says that though he is in prison and suffering for preaching and teaching the Gospel and about to face death, he is not ashamed. “I am not ashamed” means much more than “I am not embarrassed, or I am not shy about proclaiming the gospel”. “I am not ashamed” is a declaration of Paul’s confidence in God and His truth and the power of the Gospel to bring men and women into the presence of God. I am not ashamed is Paul’s certainty that God will fulfill His plan in the age to come. Paul is absolutely certain that he knows the truth and that what he proclaims will one day be fully revealed as true.

How could Paul have such confidence and boldness in a world that mocked God and the Gospel, and had such ungodly power and influence over people? Today we might say how could we have such confidence in God and the Bible in this scientific world? How could Paul have such confidence while experiencing physical weakness, imprisonment and coming death. How could Paul have such confidence while being such a powerless and insignificant person? Either Paul was self-deceived and living in a false certainty or he knew something others did not.

The source of Paul’s confidence is in the next part of this verse which says, “for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me”.

Paul is not ashamed, Paul is confident in his preaching and teaching, Paul is bold and certain in what he says because he knows the true God, the character of God, and the purposes of God. Paul knows that God is in charge of the universe and of history, that God is holy and will judge sin and reward righteousness, that God is loving and gracious and good, and that God is unfolding His perfect plan toward its final fulfillment. Paul is not ashamed and is confident and certain because he knows that one day each and every one that mocked and rejected him and the Gospel he preached will know that he was speaking the truth. Paul knows that should he want to one day he will be able to say to everyone “I told you so”. Paul is not ashamed because he has a certainty about God and God’s purposes. Paul is not looking at his circumstances but to his God, and Paul is convinced that in spite of what he is experiencing and seeing, God’s power is at work in and through him.

The Greek word translated as “convinced” in most of our English Bibles means “to persuade”. In this sentence the verb “to persuade” is a perfect passive. The perfect tense means a past event with present consequences. The passive mood means that Paul was persuaded by someone else. Most likely this persuasion occurred when God confronted Paul on the Damascus road and showed him that Jesus Christ was God and the promised Messiah. That persuasion grew as Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and studied the Old Testament and realized the purposes of God in Jesus Christ and the Church. Paul was convinced that God would keep him, fulfill His Word, and bring to completion His purposes. So Paul had certainty and confidence no matter what circumstances he found himself in because he knew God and God’s character, and God’s plans.

We can have the same certainty and boldness and confidence as Paul by knowing our God and His character and His plan for this world and the age to come.

Peter commands believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3.18). We are to grow both in our understanding of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and also in our experience of his enabling power and fellowship. So how do we grow in our knowledge and experience of God and therefore in our certainty and confidence in this changing and uncertain world?

Growth in knowledge and the experience of God begins with choosing an attitude before God. In Matthew 5 to 7 we find the Sermon on the Mount which begins with 8 beatitudes. In these beatitudes is a very clear outline on how to know and experience God. These beatitudes express the attitude we are to be in to know God. The first step is to come to God with a humble sense of need. James tells us that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. …Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4.6, 8). The attitude we must choose to grow in knowledge and the experience of God is the attitude of need and submission toward God.

Do you really want to know God in 2013 or are you just saying that to yourself and to others because it is the right thing to say? Do you really want to get to know and experience God in 2013? If you truly want to get to know and experience God in 2013 then get alone and get on your face before God. Tell God that you have a great need to know Him this year. Cry out to God and ask for a greater desire for Him and strength to seek Him. Ask God to show you how great your need of Him is and how great His provision for you is in Jesus Christ. If you make this your daily practice and ongoing attitude you will know and experience God in 2013.

The next thing that needs to be done to know and experience God is to follow up attitude with action. You will make a great start by getting on your face and crying out to God to draw you to Himself, but that must be followed up by action. By action I mean a disciplined, determined, continuing, reading and meditation of the Word of God. I want to emphasize the words disciplined and determined and continuing. Many people have enthusiastically started weight loss programs this week. Most will give up within a couple of weeks through lack of discipline and determination to keep going. I read that 85% of new gym memberships will not be used anymore after 8 weeks. Within two months you will be able to buy exercise equipment at cheap prices on Kijiji. Those who are disciplined, determined and continuing on with their weight loss program will loss weight. You will know and experience God to the level that you put your desire to know Him into action. Your desire is expressed in your discipline, determination, and continuation.

By nature and upbringing you may not be a disciplined person. That is not an excuse. You need to learn to be disciplined if you want to be a disciple of Christ. There is no other option. Set a small goal and then do it with all your might. All the desire in the world will not change you and make you grow in your knowledge and experience of God. Through action and obedience you will know God and God’s character and God’s plan and you will have certainty and confidence in this ever changing world with an unknown future.

On your face before God and in the Word each day. A humble attitude asking God to help you to know and experience Him coupled with an active pursuit of God. God says He will reward those who diligently seek Him.

The final step in getting to know God, God’s character and God’s plan is the step of obeying what God says. Again this is a matter of choosing to do what God says and leaving the consequences to God. There is a very encouraging statement in Philippians 2.12-13, “My beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”. God wants to work in you a determination to follow Him and to do His works in obedience to Him. Go to God over and over again for strength and then obey His commands.

Notice verse 14 of our study this morning. “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you”. The Holy Spirit is in us and will do His part in our coming to know and experience God but we have to do some guarding work on our part.

Obedience can take many forms. Obedience can be saying “no more” to sinful thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. You may need help from others in dealing with particular addictions. Obedience can be loving words and actions toward others. Obedience can be repentance and confession of sin to God and asking others to forgive you. What God directs us to do as we come to know Him and experience Him we must obey.

You my brothers and sisters can walk into 2013 with certainty and confidence even though what is coming is unknown to you because you know God, God’s character, and God’s purposes. We need to get to know God and experience God in greater measure in 2013.

Now let us celebrate together this morning the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross that paid the price for our sins and opened the way for us to know God and experience in our innermost being His love, peace and joy.

-only believers to participate

-time of confession of sin