Standing for The Gospel

Dr. Michael Unisan introducing leading the way. I want all of feeling directly through his successor, Timothy is writing to every one of us is appealing to the next generation for this generation say don't sell the biblical truth. Don't be embarrassed about the gospel.

Don't be ashamed of the word of God. Don't diluted the portable recognition don't repackaging the gospel to make it acceptable to the nonbelievers. Don't ever give up on the gospel regardless of what names that Michael has a young and zealous man mission was to rid the world of Christianity.

He believed that Christians were direct to the heart of his world and fate. Judaism did very Jesus that he fought against him and transformed his life igniting a passion to declare the gospel to the world today and leading the way. Dr. Yousef opened the letter that Paul wrote to tenant with an encouragement to never give up when it comes to the truth of the gospel. Listen with me now to Dr. Michael you sat and is very challenging. Leading the way the word shame or being ashamed has been turned upside down over recent years, right things that we used to be ashamed of. Now we are proud off rehab parades to express our pride things that we use to take pride and now we kind of embarrassed and ashamed and we keep quiet about them. That's because our culture has departed from biblical definitions of shame and have produced instead of its own definition, a prominent psychologist defined shame as a master emotion.

He said it is really difficult to get rid off but I'm going to show you that is wrong in the moment because the Bible portrays shame as an indicator of how we respond to sin and that is why there is a healthy shame and there is an on healthy shame, healthy shame is what comes when we realize that we have violated our own conscience and that we can immediately turn to the Lord.

Confess and repent and receive forgiveness and restoration. That's healthy.

Shame the unhealthy shame or guilt is when a person rejects himself or herself, and they think that while I didn't just fail, but I am a failure, and they begin to convince themselves that there are failures and they condemn themselves they condemn themselves as failures, they condemn themselves as they'll never measure up, will never and sometimes that kind of emotion has developed an early childhood as a result of the things like abuse will be physical abuse or emotional abuse or sexual abuse that unhealthy shame comes from believing a lie and a lie comes from Satan that unhealthy shame often leads to also serve overindulgent similes all sorts of addictions while my taking time to clear up this confusion because the apostle Paul is redundancy in the moment uses the term shame or being ashamed and it is of utmost importance to understand what he's talking about.

For example, the apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians because of some things going on in the church. He said there are some shameful things that are taking place in the church can even be verbalized in words in Romans chapter 1 he calls sexual perversion as shameful acts, but now we have departed from biblical authority in our Western culture.

Some pastors have now accepted the shameful acts as love and if there is a message from the word of God today to the old and the young alike to everyone and every generation it is here in second Timothy chapter 1 verses 8 to 18 second Timothy chapter 1 verses 8 to 18.

Please do not be ashamed of biblical truth.

Please do not be ashamed of biblical morality. Please do not be ashamed of the name-calling that they call you. Do not be ashamed. Please for believing in what is good ungodly. If I understand anything about second Timothy chapter 1. It is this shame as a child of fear. I will repeat this shame as a child of fear. Fear and shame belong to the same family we saw in the last message verse seven of chapter 1 in verse seven he says for God has not given us the spirit of fear but he has given us a spirit of love and self-control.

He immediately goes to the daughter of fear of the son of fear and talks about shame in order to encourage the next generation to remain faithful here saying never never never give up on biblical truth. Never be fearful to stand up for the truth.

Never go with the flow. For the sake of popularity. Started letting Timothy know that the spirit of fear is not from God and here he says you need to be aware of the child of fear and that's being ashamed of the truth being embarrassed about biblical truth being watering it down so that you don't get attacked please. You must understand that the Bible does not waste words had Timothy not being tempted to be ashamed of the gospel and ashamed of the prisoner of the gospel. The apostle Paul had he not being tempted in that regard.

Paul would not have told him not to be ashamed.

Had the apostle Paul himself not experience the temptation of being ashamed of the gospel he would not have said in Romans chapter 1 verse 16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes you don't think Jesus understood that temptation will allow Lord Jesus himself did not understand that this is a very great temptation.

Why else would have warned in Mark 838 remember Mark 838 if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation will be ashamed of him before my father in heaven and his holy angels motherless good for you. Every one of us care about the opinion of others. Write some more than others. In fact, we care more than we willing to admit it will all find the whole of the easier to go with the flow than to swim upstream. We all prefer self-affirmation rather than self-examination. We all rather avoid witnessing further fear of ridicule estimation. None of us like suffering. None of us enjoy suffering Lord and Savior himself in Gethsemane since father therapies her mother why Paul said, I prayed three times for God to remove the thorn in the flesh.

Whatever it wants when the crunch came in Caiaphas's house. Her sister slave girl wishes that you're one of his disciples, and who knew me, Jesus will Jesus and honor him, beloved friends. God's word tells us that sometimes suffering is part and parcel of our faithfulness to God who is faithful to us and furthermore, when the crunch comes in. We begin to suffer for righteousness.

We are not going to be alone is never going to leave us alone. Remember, the worst thing they can do to me is what Kelly that is a wonderful promotion and that is why in verses nine and 10 look at with me verses nine and 10 is leisure center Timothy don't be afraid of death. Don't be afraid of death. Why, because he said God saved us and called us and brought us from death to life, but that's not all he said God will give us the power to not be afraid when the time comes.

We need to understand this, that when God created Adam and Eve in the garden he created them. Having dominion over fear but when disobedience set in when God said don't do this and they did it and disobedience sit in what happened. Disobedience brought fear, and in that irrational fear. First, fear is irrational without irrational fear. They thought all they could hide from God.

We can hide from God with all the cross Jesus restored that dominion over fear to everyone who believe in him.

Therefore, fear has no place in the life of the brothers and the sisters of Jesus, can I get an amen.

How come well, you need to know that Jesus has given us authority over principalities and powers and authority of the darkness. If your ashamed of the gospel is because of fear. Then you do not know all you have not yet learned how to take authority over these powers, authorities and principalities, which I have, because on the cross, Jesus disarmed the principalities and the authorities and the powers and he alone rendered them useless against his children because by his death. The apostle Paul said he abolished death by his death he abolished after he said that with by his death he abolished death, and in abolishing death.

He abolished fear.

Fear of death, to be sure that many of us probably will end the life in a dungeon like the apostle Paul that many of us going to be beheaded for our faith but some of us may lose friends over our stand for the truth. Some of us may be pastoral promotion because of righteousness and standing for biblical morality.

Some of us will lose business deals because of our righteousness in Christ. Some of us may be snubbed by neighbors and by others because we take a stand for righteousness sake. Some of us very few of us might lose their life but the only thing that will happen when my life is snuffed out his armor to move from the basement to the penthouse you ask yourself the question, why, why do they hate us so much whether the head Christ believers, what is it that makes biblical faith an irritant and a cause of anger to the nonbelievers. What about the believers. What about the infallibility of the word of God that the just want them to reject us the answer actually is much simpler than you think.

It's very simple.

This God saves us by grace, not by works right.

He forgives us all our sins.

When we repent and come to him. The moment we recognize the gravity of sin in our lives and our need for forgiveness.

God by his grace and mercy forgives us, transforms us and justifies us. So what's the problem with that.

Why should this irritate the march of this upset them. Why does this make the nonbelievers angry well because the natural mind the natural mother, nonbelieving mind does not want to admit the gravity of sin they wanted take pride in it.

Then I will confess it and repent of it and want to brag about it. The natural nonbelieving mind does not want to admit their inability to save themselves once his business somebody dies 2000 years ago that he can save me.

I save myself and that is why today. Many a preacher that's really where my goodness many a preacher would rather preach man's virtue than Christ's cross the University today. They substitute one for the other. They really do you.

If you have good thoughts, good things happen to you if you say it will be yours as all you you you you you will have the power you can do anything you wanted to write somebody says something as he can do, you can kiss your elbow. We lick the back of your neck. Some things you can do. Why do the substitute the cross of Christ for man's virtue. All they want to be liked. The just want to be like you want to be accepted, there would be admired by the nonbelieving world question what is Timothy to do what are you and not to do.

Verse 13 we are to guard the truth we are to follow it literally why because it is God's up blueprints.

The word translated patent here, but no sound words.

It's really the same word used for architectural design what we call the blueprints I want to think of them if the builder decides would be just too many columns in the design and the architectural design onus won't happen you know what will happen. The building sooner or later may stifle what is going to collapse if the blueprint of godly living would begin to tamper with it and change it at whim. Sooner or later there's going to be spiritual starvation on the inside, and sooner or later the appetite for the word of God would've gone.

And sooner or later the desire to fellowship with other believers would wither and sooner or later a critical spirit is going to sit in and like a house of cards will collapse. That is why the dying apostle is looking to Bethany. I could've been days no more than weeks when he was writing those words and is pleading with the next generation please please follow the path of sound words all over.

Please follow the blueprints, please do not try to improve on it. Please don't try to deviate from it. Please don't try to modify it. Above all, don't you ever give up or get tired of upholding it regardless of the suffering regardless of the price regardless of the temporary cost. Salvation is by grace alone will receive with is a gift from God.

When we repent of our sins, but daily growing in Christ with the theological sanctification of growing more like Christ. Every day growing in the spiritual sense, it's a partnership between you and the Holy Spirit between me and the Holy Spirit between us and the Holy Spirit children of Jesus listen to me you are and I see Karen and he is found your and I'm not and he will open the door. You and I call upon the Lord and he will and service you are not walk with him. He walks with us you're not to like ourselves and him and in his will and he will give us the desires of our hearts.

You're not draw near to him who draw near to us and that is why Paul said in verse 12. I know I know this is knowing experientially not theoretically knowing experientially whom I have believed you know experientially that he is able to keep me faithful. I know experientially that he is able to keep and guard the truth of the gospel. I know experientially that he can empower me to uphold them to the truth unmolested to the end question. What is Paul's burden obviously see it right here in this chapter, his greatest burden as he is dying is that false teachers and false preachers has infiltrated the church the infiltrated the church while still alive just like the infiltrating the church now these false teachers and preachers that are bent on corrupting the gospel. They are determined to rob the church of its most and only priceless treasure that has been entrusted to us and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I know say that with me but I know he is able to protect and keep it safe to the next generation until Jesus comes back. Remember the burden of the apostle Paul, as he was facing death is Timothy be an instrument in preventing the truth of the gospel to be corrupt, but he also is aware of Timothy's proclivity toward fear and intimidation and saw the great apostle is advising Timothy Timothy you don't have to feel that you must carry that burden along Timothy you don't have to feel that you can do this in your own strength. Timothy, you do not have to feel alone in carrying this awesome responsibility. Timothy you need to ask God for help, Timothy. You need to be on your guard, but God ever ever ever forget who upholds you as you uphold the truth.

Timothy be urgent in the task of holding onto the truth is you mean on God is clear from the last few verses of chapter 1. It's very clear that so many people in the church of Asia. Remember Timothy was pastoring the church in Ephesus, when he wrote them when received this letter from Paul. He was in Asia. Paul was in Rome and apparently the word got back to the apostle Paul that the sum in the church of Jesus Christ in Asia just couldn't take the heat and opted to turn their backs on the truth. But thank God there are exceptions. As always I thank God that there are many faithful needs have not bow down to about thank God for them every day. Other sold-out to the cultural demands and cultural conformity.

Others have defected from the demands of the gospel. Others have opted for entertainment. Others have opted for tickling the fancies, but as far as you are concerned Timothy resolve to ground your confidence, not in public opinion. But in Jesus the Guardian on a government tort of the gospel and that is why Paul said don't be afraid Timothy don't be afraid God will never allow the light of the gospel to be extinguished completely. He is watching over it.

God is making sure that he will preserve it all. Timothy remember remember that he is trustworthy. Remember that is faithful. Remember that he will accomplish all things according to the counsel of his will, and so my friends whatever you are and whatever you going through right now you can trust Jesus. The faithful and true, and you can trust them all the way all the way into the text you home and be with him for all of eternity. This is leading the way into those words had stirred the foundation of your fate. You can speak with one of our pastoral team members begin that conversation@ltw.org/Jesus realize that when you stand with leading the way you become a part of bringing encouragement to those all around the world were living out their faith in difficult areas. It strength is he leading the way, has teams in many locations where simply being a Christian man thickens culture places where living as Christians brings danger even abandoned by their families dismissed by employers, and communities.

These are people often with literally no where to go but when you support leading the way the international team is able to coordinate assistance with partner churches and organizations in the area to minister to the physical and emotional into the spiritual needs of brothers and sisters to expansive discipleship here so you can learn more, call us at 866-626-4396 866-626-4356 you can always go online LTW.org LTW.org. This program is furnished by leading the way with Dr. Michael.

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