R1647 A Christian Response to Fear

Sometimes we have to do with our fear today Dr. Don Wilton Texas to God's word to discover a Christian response to the open 24 hours a day to pray with you and for you and 866-899-WORD 866-899-9673 now Dr. Don Wilton you going to need your Bibles always second Timothy to be in chapter 1, although I do want you to know I got quite a few different verses to share with you today. What I want to do is I want just real quickly introduce the core issue that I'm about to speak about the Bible says in second Timothy God has not given us a spirit of fear and I'm going to explain that word to you in in in a biblical and spiritual way. God is not given to us a spirit of community and by the way, God is talking to me he's talking to believers to Christian people, I'm a Christian man he's taught he's actually that's for me. He's talking to those who believe who know Christ. God has not given to us. Those who believe Christ who know him. God is not given to us a spirit of fear, a spirit of timidity that that little word timidity that we going to study in just a moment is an interesting word.

It doesn't mean like fear this kind of fear, although it can mean that word timidity there means it. It speaks to this thing that Christians have that everywhere in our world today, and it's that thing about being a Christian that you had better not be a Christian too much you ever found yourself and just be honest with the literature's role in this ever found yourself at school, at work and you all you back down on your Christian faith. Now let's go to the extreme. I'm not talking about strutting around getting in people's faces and smacking them up the left side of the cheek with the Bible. Every time you get. That's not what we talking about your but would you at least admit before God that you and I are becoming increasingly intimidated by the world that we living just let's go ahead and admit you just becoming increasingly we are being told by everybody. You can scream, carry on and say whatever you want. But Jesus keep them out of.

We were living in a world today where just about any other religion can do whatever I want to do can mean you can talk and pray and where can say can advocate but not Jesus. People not you can be an outspoken Muslim and hardly anybody will dare say anything, but you be a Christian but I got your number man. So if you look at it. Second Timothy chapter 1 just one verse they but I'm not.

I'm going to read you all things. Verse seven God has not given us a spirit of timidity, a spirit of fear. I want to speak to you today on a Christian response to fear. So in this place… Second term of the insulator written to Timothy Timothy, a young man who just happened to be going into full-time ministry and this is what God tells him he's a Christian man and his he's going out into his world and by the way, and we won't spend a lot of time on the saga if if you ever wanted to do some private study guns study the world that Timothy was a Christian in they faced persecution, governmental issues and proclamation rank paganism, intimidation, isolation. I mean, you name it.

So excuse me God comes into Timothy's life and he comes to know Christ and then he he goes out into use world. How do you think he's gonna react gonna be commitment. I'm not. That's not a criminal act. You not committing a crime. Because of this timidity, but God sees you don't need to be backing down with your Christian faith. This is put this in context, your quickly to get in second Timothy chapter 1. This is what he says, verse five he says I've been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother, Eunice, and I am persuaded now lives in you. Also, for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you by the laying on of my hands because God did not give us a spurt of timidity.

In fact what God gave to us is a spirit of power, a spirit of love and a spirit of self discipline. Now why would he say that and what was he saying to Timothy, well if you go to Bible to know the page to chapter 4. Look at verse four with me.

He's about to thump the soul over Timothy. He's telling Timothy okay you're a Christian man and you belong to Jesus and you going out into your world and this is what I'm going to tell you to do Kelsey's instructions. You ready so in chapter 4, and we going to be in verse two preach the word be prepared in the season and out of season correct review. Encourage with great patience and careful instruction. What's this for the time will come. I can't get over what I'm reading. The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine with what you believe about God. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear the rivers flow.

They will turn there is away from truth and will turn toward myths.

But you Christian lady Christian man Christian teenager and in this context you Timothy. Keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist and discharge all your duties. So what was Timothy's mandate. There were four things he was told that he had to do as a Christian now this is Timothy, is what he was dog no one preach the word paternity was told he was called to preach your pasta Timothy was told stick to the word preach truth wears truth what is truth telling the truth. Stick to God's word don't get sidetracked.

Gonna get pulled in this direction pulled in that direction, but most of all you going to be pulled in another direction accepting underground. You game to be muffled. You game to be threatened. You going to be intimidated. You become scared that he refrained somebody preach the word second thing he tells them to do is to be prepared. Just be prepared in season and out of season. So what does that mean that means 24 seven. Whether it suits whether thousand with your up with you down so let's put this all on me or on how many of you would like to tell me how I feel right now. You don't know.

Do let's say at 7 o'clock this morning.

How do you think I felt when I got up this morning to lie my alarm goes off at 530, or some unearthly hour on Sunday mornings and I grapple around and throat through the window and all the other things that everybody does and the so how did I feel this morning while nobody knows you don't know that nobody knows God is telling me regardless of how I feel maybe I had a tummy ache loss not IVI did something wrong.

I got a toothache. Maybe someone died in my family. Maybe one of my grandkids is very sick in hospital might be my wife had a car wreck. By the way, none of these things happen.

We are not right.

Maybe someone wrote me a horrible letter on Friday. Maybe my phone rang at 12 o'clock on Saturday night, someone was being rushed to the hospital.

Maybe I didn't get any sleep last night. Be prepared in season and out of season. So what he was telling Timothy is you preach the word you stick to God's truth and you do it 24 seven regardless right so… Say that I wasn't feeling good. How would you will feel if I came in here just a minute ago and Genesis bandits through and come up and walk around, go through the routine again and Eileen on a cellular summing folks I and feel all that good in on my team lost yesterday by the way men is out there hooping and hollering and they lost got beaten by that other stupid team and I feel terrible and not yellow. This yard may not just I actually I just raw. The not be here but you know I will be here. So why just open your Bible, let's get this thing is I'm outta here man, how would you feel you are said well I hope some of you would feel little sympathetic right this is deep. He saying to us when you are out there for Jesus be Octavian.

Please forgive the eruption will be back in just a moment with today's teasing from Dr. Wilton but when he challenges us to be out there for Jesus to be all there. We know that the way we do that is to stay connected to God's word on a daily basis. If you're not receiving the daily devotional via email from Dr. Wilton, you're missing out on the wonderful point of connection you can sign up right now on our website TW online.org that's TE WR online.org sign of the daily devotional today about today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton so to me putting this late. Is that fair for me.

There is never a time ever that I have the right to stand up here and not give my old to and for Jesus never you say, but now pasta what if you go through trade, will they not have somebody else preach rocked I did I get somebody else up inside.

When would you please preach the word today. That's what I do. It's not well I'm going to be here, and I'm suffering with live awards. You know I'm not saying that he saying, be prepared in season and out of season. Number three. He tells Timothy to understand your world, he says, the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine hello hello America, the time has come.

The time will come. The Bible say is when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Whereat it America is not interested in what God has to say and that's intimidating to me because I know that everywhere I go. There are barriers. It's like you living in a world today where you gotta be careful about everything you say because you might theme somebody out there as a believer I mean just don't say the Bible says don't say Jesus is the only way to have it out. Can you say that… Preach truth don't say that critical race theory is an abomination to everything that God teaches us don't say that.

Don't rock the boat. Don't be a Christian man, a Christian woman standing up for God has done for us all.

The outspoken living in a very intimidating world, and it can be very subtle but it decided Timothy to preach the word, be prepared understand the world and the fourth thing he said keep your head. You know, I think he said keep your head because even we Christians can lose hours Christians can do the stupidest things I've ever heard in my life. Christians can behave like idiots. I never heard Naaman, but I know they lots of them out here. Christians can have you watchtower Christians are behaving these days. Just don't read social media. I read some social media site and that person is a Christian. Christians don't behave like that to what is he tells Timothy said look, I know you're a fireball preacher you that Don Wilton and you think you stop and you going to just listen. As soon as you give somebody an audience. I can say anything they want brought you know, someone told me many years ago because on the teacher, a wise old man looked at me and he said don't let me tell you something. As a teacher, the bigger your audience grows the stupid are you going to be, because going to feed off your audience the bigger your audience grows the stupid are you going to be, excuse me, are you talking to me altering a brick.

Do you not know how fabulous I am. This is powerful stuff guys a Christian response to timidity and fear, and he puts it all away.

He gives us the whole embrace and he gives to us the greatest resource award as his counsel.

What is he counsel Timothy three councils that he gives them number one he says first thing I want you to do is draw strength from others look at the chapter 1 second Timothy chapter 1 operated to you in verse five he says you know what remember your grandmother.

She had the right spirit. Oh, remember your mother. She had the right spirit. You know what Timothy I see that same spirit in you.

That's a fantastic word of encouragement is draw strength from others. I look around the audience. Even today, and I see many of you we draw strength from you. Watch others learn from others catch that same spirit of the Lord. See how it operates.

We will, but people that we know all living for the Lord Jesus Christ. You notice that all phrases be like Mark well Michael Jordan was a great basketball player.

I love to watch it.

Many was one of my heroes. When he was out. They just love men the Chicago Bulls that just killed everybody he and Scottie Pippen and even my buddy Dennis Rodman was a trip.

I used to love watching be like Mark what was that about what is he telling us your he saying thank God for your grandmother. You know if your grandfather your mother for your dad. That person draw strength from them. Number two use gifts that God has given you. Use gifts that God has given you.

That's what he says yeah she's I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you and I'm going to explain that in just a minute.

By the way, do you know that God has no gift lists children, every believer is gifted by God, I'm about to show you the three gifts that all believers have, you know, the Bible tells us there are many many gifts told you read you a couple other passages of just picking on one yeah I think it's in Romans chapter 12. Listen to this is what he sees in Romans chapter 12 and verse six we have different gifts, according to the grace which God is given to us. If a person's gift is prophecy. Let that person use it in proportion to his faith.

If it is serving. You want a gift of serving so you got a gift of teaching teach you have a gift of encouragement. Encourage but know you got a gift of contributing to the needs of others then contribute to needs of others. By the way, none of these are mutually exclusive.

When not studying gifts today. But God by his Spirit gifts, all of us in varying and different ways. We all serve. We all encourage we all do. But there are some people that God gives to you a unique spatial gift for Thanksgiving.

For example, is a good one because it makes sense you Thanksgiving everyone of us choose a believer here have got the gift of giving because we have to God. Everyone of us. You can earn $20 and you need to give at least two of those dollars 10% to your church. That's God's way right.

Would you not agree with me that there are some people who earn a lot more than $20. There are some people God in dollars with a major gift of giving. That's what he's talking about. And it's it's a powerfully just by the way. Just another little taste for everyone.

One of the three purposes of spiritual gifts in the Bible. What are the three purposes.

Many give them to you if you don't know number one God gifts all believers for the purpose of expanding his kingdom.

We are all gifted in order that all people might know Christ and that more and more, can come to faith in him and be part of the church and grow and eventually that we are all in heaven together that's extending his kingdom. We put out gifts to work so that people can know Christ because Christ makes the difference. Second purpose is for the building up of his church right throughout the New Testament Bible says God is giving you the gift of teaching using right so what gives the extending of his kingdom.

Moving up of the body of Christ. What's the third one to glorify his name. I love that one. That's my favorite but powerful teaching from the pulpit with Dr. Don Wilton now in our closing moments as he steps in the studio.

Open your heart to what he wants to share next are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Iversen and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my phone in Jesus night, my friend.

I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. If you gave your life to Christ afraid to rededicate your life. Dr. Wilson has resources he wants you to have for free if you call 866899673. That's 866-899-9673 also asked us about how you can be a financial supporter of the ministry as well are excited to announce the ministry hundred dollars balance to our donors and donations in this talent. Call 899-9998 and in the encouraging would love you to get involved. We also just love the minister and encourage you find encouraging resources for free on our website anytime. The DEW online.org. And of course always available. At 866899 word 866-899-WORD 967