Time. Alright. Amen. Second Timothy chapter one. Amen.

Is that all of em? It's good to have extras here today. Sarah Joe, why don't you just move down here? You're down here enough. Alright.

Second Timothy chapter one. Second Timothy one beginning again in verse six. Paul says to Timothy, 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 has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Be not 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 who has loved 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 us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

And it's now made manifest by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ who had abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the witch calls, also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for this day and opportunity that you have given us to serve you, to sing praises to your name, be conformed to the image of your son, to share the good news of with the gospel with others today that they might come to know you as the Lord and savior of their life. Lord, I pray that you would take away the fear that would hinder them from making that decision, and you will replace it with the fear of the Lord and a love for the God who gave his son for them that they might receive him even today. Dear heavenly father, thank you for your word and for the opportunity to proclaim it. May you be honored in all we say and do in Jesus name.

Amen. The last few weeks, we've been discussing a few things that get in the way of God's children being all that they can be for the Lord. Like selfishness, doubt, and fear. Last week, we looked at this passage from from second Timothy and took a look into the life of a young pastor and his fears. Fears which Paul knew were threats to his ministry and growth.

And fears that many of us may be dealing with today, fears that we need courage to overcome, fears that we need to get victory over and can in Jesus Christ. Timothy, I'm sure had fears too. He had great responsibility. With great responsibility also comes a bit of stress and fear. So Paul wanted to encourage him.

Timothy, God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Last week, we looked at the the fear part. God has not given us a spirit of fear. Christian, you don't need to be afraid of eternity because if you are born again believer in Jesus Christ, you have nothing to fear. You only have something to look forward to.

Your place in heaven is as secure as your savior is trustworthy, who is already there holding your place, preparing your place until the day he comes back to take you home. Thus, Paul reassured Timothy that had no near need to fear for God would be faithful to keep his soul and reward his effort. Verse 12, Paul says, for which cause I suffer these things, nevertheless, I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. What what is it that Paul had committed to the Lord? His soul, his eternity.

And he was trusting that God could keep that for him because he couldn't keep it on his own, and he can't. We're saved by grace. We're kept by grace. Nothing you can add to the grace of God. Only respond in love and humility and service for the one who has done so much and assures us that our eternity is secure in him.

So you need not fear eternity, child of God. Failure. We all fail from time to time, but God will not fail us. Thankfully, He is a God of mercy and grace and patience. We need not fear failure.

We have a forgiving God. He helps to restore those that are broken, and he helps up those who are fallen that they might succeed next time. Satan wants you to give up. He wants you to not even try because you might fail. Read about the heroes of the faith in here.

How many of them failed before they succeeded and became heroes of the faith? The vast majority of them, if you would have stopped at a certain point in life, you just said, boy, they were a failure. But we don't think of Moses as a failure. And we don't think of David as a failure. We don't think of Joshua as a failure.

Or Abraham because they weren't. They did fail, but they got back up. They tried again. God sustained them, and he will us. Don't be afraid to fail.

That's that's part of growth. The unknown. Some people are just so scared of the unknown. They're so scared of what tomorrow might bring. We don't have to be scared of the unknown because it's not it's not unknown to who.

It's not unknown to our God. So Paul told the Philippians not to fret over tomorrow, but to turn it over to God, then he would give them peace that passes what? All understanding. Jesus told his disciples to do the same. And he said, ask and it shall be given.

Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be open to you. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Don't fret. Don't worry.

Just follow me. I I will take care of you. And since he holds tomorrow, I don't I don't have to worry. I don't have to fear the unknown because God knows it all. And he's watching my father watches over me.

The fear of man. All the fear of man, which ensnares and traps us in its terrible clutches. And preachers aren't immune to that. The fear of man is one of Satan's most devious and powerful tools to keep us from stepping out in faith, to keep our mouth shut, to keep us from surrendering to God's call, whatever it may be. It ensnares us.

It traps us from doing the will of God. Paul didn't want Timothy to be trapped by the fear of man and to not not preaching the word in its fullness, not not confronting the sin and the sinner, the fear of man. Paul knew Timothy would grapple with this fear the same as you and me, but we needn't. It says in first John four four, ye are of who? God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

You don't fear man if you've got who on your side? God. You do not need to fear man for greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world. John sixteen thirty three, these things have I spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world.

All the world's gonna throw stuff at you and people are going to shake their head at you. They're gonna talk behind your back and they're gonna be mean and that's gonna happen. They're not gonna like you. Jesus said, don't be surprised if they hate you because they hated me before they hated you. Don't fear them.

They they cannot harm you. They can affect your eternity. They can affect your position in Christ, your relationship with God. Those things that are of eternal value, they they can affect those things. Just trust God.

No, Timothy. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I'm going to spend the next few minutes this morning focusing on the the power, the love, and the sound mind. We need not live in fear for we have been given a spirit of power. The Holy Spirit's power.

God's power. It lives inside of you that know Christ as savior. He is there. He is real. He is powerful, and that power is yours.

The Greek word for power is dunamis. What word sounds a little bit like? Maybe dynamos. What's that sound like? The word dynamite in English comes from the Greek word dunamis, if that gives you an indication of what this word means.

It is a dynamic force. It is active ability, miraculous power, the power to change and alter and move things. That's what you do with dynamite. You you move mountains with it. You stick it in there and when I drive home to Virginia, I see a lot of evidence of dynamite because when you go through those mountains, they didn't wanna have to put that road all the way up the top of that mountain.

So what did they do? They took dynamite and they blew away the mountain. And then you can drive, you don't have to go all the way to the top. In in West Virginia, they have a couple of these things called tunnels. I don't know if you've been through any of those on what's that?

77. And you go a long way. It's how did that tunnel get there? Dynamite, among other things. And spiritually speaking, we have all the dynamite at our disposal to change the world for Jesus Christ, to move mountains for Jesus Christ.

116 times in the New Testament, we read of the power of God, and this power is available to us in his service. We need not be afraid. Matthew six thirteen, and lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Luke four thirty six, and they were all amazed and spake among themselves saying, what a word is this? For with authority and power, he commanded the unsplained unclean spirits and they come out.

Luke nine one, then he called his 12 disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. Acts one eight, it says this, but you shall receive what? Power. After that, the holy ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth. What kind of spirit has God given us?

He's given us his spirit and is a spirit of what? It is a spirit of power. And our spirit should be empowered by the knowledge then we have all the power of heaven behind us and in us. We need not fear. That mountain can't stand before us because the power of God that is ours in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the what? The power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. I have several I have a long list of verses here. I can keep going, but I'm gonna skip to the end. Philippians four thirteen.

I can do what? All things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Now you see that word strengtheneth? Guess what word that is. It's same same root word, dunamis, empowers.

I can do all things through Christ who empowers me. Whatever mountain I have to climb, whatever trial I have to bear, whatever task he lays before me, whatever fear that I must face, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens, who empowers me from above. The word given, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but he has given us a spirit of what? Power. That's a past tense.

That means we already have this power at our disposal. We need but to trust Christ and appropriate it to our lives. His power is at our disposal to withstand any trial, tackle any problem, or complete any task. All we need to do is ask and step out in faith, and we'll see his power. Problem is so often we let fear win and we don't do what?

We don't step out in faith. And so we don't step out in faith and we miss an opportunity to see the power of who? The power of God. Change lives. Defend his children.

Strengthen us for the task. Joshua, Joshua facing Jericho. Noah having to build the ark. Moses standing before pharaoh. I know he was scared, but he stepped out in faith.

He believed in the power of God. Gideon, he need a little help. God had to kind of prod him along and keep reassuring him, but he got there and defeated the Midianites. David standing before Goliath. Paul defending the gospel of Jesus Christ that he preached before dozens of those who wanted him to be quiet and never speak again.

But he stepped out in faith. And when he did get thrown in prison, the Lord delivered him and he went to the next town and he did it again and he did it again and he did it again. Matter of fact, that verse, I can do all things through Christ with strength with me, isn't talking about having physical strength to lift a thousand pounds or do some incredible feat that's going to impress everybody. No. In context, when Paul writes that, he's talking about enduring.

Whatever whatever obstacle Satan throws in his path, whatever difficulty or trial he has to go through to get the gospel of Christ to the next person, to the next city. He said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And so can we. And so can Timothy. But we need to not be controlled by that spirit of fear, the fear of man, the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown.

But let the power of God shine in our life. God has not given us spirit of fear, but of power and of what? And of love. John first John four eighteen says, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment, but he that feareth is not made perfect in love. God hasn't given us the spirit of fear but of love, of love.

What's the word for love? It's the word agape. It's used here. It's used many, many times in scripture. It describes the love of God.

It is the love of God. A selfless love, a sacrificial love, a an active love, unconditional love. It is the love that God has for us and the love that he has bestowed upon us. It is described in detail in first Corinthians 13. Many of you are already familiar with that passage.

We won't go there, but what does first Corinthians 13 tell us about this love? It's depicted as selfless, as merciful, as humble, as considerate, as patient. It bears all things. It believes all things. It hopes all things.

It endures all things. It's the love of God that bore our sins and our sorrows, that believed in us, that that hoped certain confidence that we were worth dying for and that he could change us. It endured the cross for us. That is the love of God. Before we can truly fully understand how to love others, we need to have a better understanding of how God loves us.

And what what happens when we begin to understand the love of God for us? It casts out what? It casts out fear. For what do I have to be afraid of? My creator, my savior, the God of heaven, he loves me.

Of what do I have to be afraid? This is the love of Christ for us in which we are wrapped up and made secure like a big blanket and at the same time, like a mighty fortress. Nothing can separate us from his love. Knowing that takes away the fear. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul says, things don't scare me anymore. Why don't they scare him? Because they can't set the one thing, the one thing that matters the most, they can't affect. They they can't affect. These things can't separate me from God's love, can't separate me from his care, can't separate me from my home in heaven from the spirit that he has given me.

If you are in Christ, if you put your faith and trust in him, if you've made him the Lord of your life, then he's that big blanket that has you wrapped up. He's that mighty fortress in which you are secure. None of these things can destroy you. None of these things can separate you from his love. It is this love.

He has given us also for him and for others. We love him because he what? First loved us. Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love.

God expects us to take the love that he has shown us and to show that same love for who? For others. It isn't just God's love for me that drives away fear. It's my love for others that drives away that fear as well. Let his love rule in your heart, nurture it, nurture it, exercise it in your prayer life, your devotional life, in your service for Christ, in your relationships with your parents, your spouse, your children, your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, let the love of Christ shine through you.

And when you do, it'll drive away the what? It'll drive away the fear because the object of the love becomes more important than who? Self. Why do I fear? Because I'm afraid for who?

Afraid for me. I'm afraid for me because I'm most concerned about who? Me. But when my love for you is greater than my love for me or at least equal, love your neighbor as yourself. The love of God is greater than the love of self diminishes and it gets out of the way.

And you can start doing what God wants you to do. You can be what God wants you to be. When self gets out of the way and you become more focused on your God and others and less focused on what people think of you. When we do it, we'll overcome our fears because the object of love becomes more important than ourselves, our pride, our desires, and our fears. I think of this illustration when I come to this point back in when was that?

2001 09/11. Was that 2001? You've got buildings on fire in New York City. While everybody is running, trying to get to the bottom in time to get out, what are the firefighters and the policemen doing? They're running into the towers rather than running away.

The first tower falls. I watched it on TV real time. The second tower is on fire. The firemen are still doing what? They're still running into the tower.

Why? In that instance, at least, the love of others was greater than the love of what? Of self. The love of duty was greater than the love of self. And they did their duty and they loved their neighbors and they ran into the tower that they must have suspected was about to fall like the one beside it and they did it anyway.

For perfect love casts out what? Fear. I think of illustration. The few of the songs in our hymn book are written by a man named Philip Bliss. He is like a cousin of my great grandmother.

Loosely connected, Philip Bliss, but he wrote several of the hymns in our hymn book. Philip Bliss didn't make it out of his forties. He was riding on a train with his wife. He periodically was the song leader for D. L.

Moody. He didn't live in Chicago. He had to travel to Chicago from a little ways away. And he got on the train to go to lead singing for D. L.

Moody, And unbeknownst to him, the train trestle bridge that they were about to go over had problems and the train didn't make it. The trestle collapsed and fell to the ground. Many people were killed. Philip Bliss actually survived the wreck. He made it out of the wreckage, but his wife didn't.

He tried and tried to get her out. When it just wasn't possible, Philip Bliss crawled back in the train and he died with his wife. For perfect love casts out what? Fear. How much do you love Christ is the question we should all be answering for ourselves even more than how much we fear him.

There was a girl in Russia, story goes, back under the Soviet Union. They had a picture of Christ, a portrait, on the table up by the pulpit. And the KGB showed up. And they they were trying to figure out how do we get these people to to to to deny to deny their their savior because that's what they were there to do. And they decided it would be more fitting rather than just having them recant their faith to take the picture that was on the pulpit and have them line up and spit on the picture.

So many of them did. One little girl walked up and she grabbed the picture and she wiped it off for she wasn't going to spit on the face of her savior. Perfect love casts out what? Casts out fear. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The word sound mind means disciplined or self controlled. It speaks of thought which is disciplined, clear, and discerning. You, child of God, have a new mind and a new heart. You a mind that God is changing. He's cleaning out the cobwebs.

And the more that you spend time in this, the more cobwebs he'll clear out. And he says if you lack wisdom, just just ask of God and he'll give it. Trust his word. Trust the mind that he has given you. Trust his spirit who lives within you.

Don't shrink in fear of failure. Might say the wrong thing or trust in the Lord and trust in his word and trust in his wisdom. Ask him. Step out in faith. God is through Christ in salvation by the power of his spirit and through his word cleared up our mind from the foolishness of the world.

Like God's power, we need to trust his word and let God change our mind more each day to give us the mind of Christ, to guide us on the path. Like God's love, we need to embrace and exercise that mind in service for the Lord. Nurture it, feed it. Not conforming ourselves to the world, but being transformed by the renewing of our mind. Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that giveth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Don't fear. Don't give up.

Don't no. God has given you his power, his love, and his mind. Trust him. Trust him. Live by his principles.

Step out in faith. He won't let you down. When we do, when we know right from wrong, when we are certain of God's will, when we embrace the mind of Christ and see see things from God's perspective, we will make decisions that we can be confident in. I'm confident that God wanted me here eighteen years ago. I'm confident that God led me to the church I youth pastored in Georgia for twelve years.

I am confident of the the calling that God had on my life to be a preacher because I knew it wasn't mine. It had to be his because the idea of this scared me to death. I was not one who wanted to be up in front of anybody. What God calls you to do, he will enable and empower you to do. Don't be afraid to hand that track and speak to that neighbor about the love of Jesus.

Don't be afraid to take a stand for what is right. Be honest at work. Don't be afraid to be open and honest with that loved one that you need to just be open and honest with. Trust the Lord. He has given you not the spirit of fear that causes you to hesitate and draw back.

He has given you the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind that compels us forward in the service of Christ, that gives us confidence in our ministry, in our relationships, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Use that mind God has given you. Feed it with his word. Make decisions based upon it, and you will have no need to fear. No need to fear of taking a stand for the gospel, saying and living what you believe, making important decisions if you do it in the power and the love and with the mind of Christ.

But first, you must embrace Christ and make the most important decision you will ever make to accept him, his word, his son, his salvation. Have you received his gift of salvation? That's the starting point. The power, the love, and the sound mind are the gifts of God to his children. But if you have not Christ, you do have reason to fear.

But if you'll come to him, he will not cast you out. If you're here today and you haven't made that all important decision that will change your life and your eternity forever, you can do that today and know the power and the love and the mind of Christ and be delivered from the fear. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for Jesus Christ who overcame the suffering and the fear to hang on that cross for me.

Lord, I pray whatever is might be holding someone back in here today from coming to Christ, I pray that they would cast that aside once and for all and run to Christ and embrace him in faith. I pray, Lord, for the child of God in here that's been allowing fear to cause them to hesitate in their service for you to hold back. I pray that you would give them victory today and that you would help them to confess that sin of allowing fear to control them, that they would step out in faith and trust you. Lord, if you've spoken to our heart today, I pray as we sing this hymn of invitation that before we sing, we might pray. And we might not let this time pass without letting you and your power and your love change us.

Empower us. And Lord, if there's anyone here that's yet to receive Christ, I pray they'd come as we sing the first verse of this invitation song. In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.