Fatherly Care for a Spiritual Son

As Pastor David noted last week, 2 Timothy is Paul’s final letter, written to his young protege Timothy before he was killed as a prisoner in Rome. Paul hopes that Timothy will be able to visit him (4:9, 21), but he has no assurances. These may be the last words he ever writes to Timothy. And thus there is a deeply personal quality in the letter.

There’s a fatherly quality to Paul’s words to Timothy, his beloved child in the faith. And this fatherly care will be evident throughout the letter and thus, will likely show up in our sermons. But in this opening chapter, I want to press in on Paul’s fatherly care and encouragement for Timothy in his words. I want us to think of the ways that we can cultivate this sort of familial quality in our families and in our church. I have four ways that Paul shows a fatherly care for Timothy in this first chapter, and I’m simply going to walk through each one briefly.

1) Paul cares for Timothy through his constant prayers.

Night and day, day and night, Paul prays for Timothy. Like many saints throughout history, Paul likely engaged in morning and evening prayers, concerted and devoted time to bringing praise, thanksgiving, and requests to God. And Timothy was regularly in his heart and on his lips. And notice what kind of prayers Paul leads with—“I thank God whom I serve, as I remember you.” Paul wants Timothy to know that he prays for him regularly, constantly, persistently. But these aren’t first prayers for all the things that Timothy needs to change. “I regularly pray that you would get your act together. I regularly pray for your sins and shortcomings.” Paul wants Timothy to know that he prays for Timothy with gratitude. And this challenges me as a parent. As parents, we pray for our children. We pray for the challenges they face, the struggles they have. We pray that God would help them to overcome the sins that we see in their lives, that they would have a living faith in Jesus. All of these are good prayers, and it’s good for them to know that we pray for them in that way. But isn’t there a different quality to those prayers about struggles, challenges, and sins, if they are bracketed by prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude to God? Is there something different about our prayers for other people when those prayers emerge from a heart of spoken and specific gratitude? Paul’s prayers for Timothy were marked by thanksgiving, and he wants Timothy to know it.

2) Paul cares for Timothy by communicating his desire for Timothy’s presence.

He longs to see Timothy face to face. And he highlights the depth of their relationship—tears when they part, joy when they are together. My in-laws are in town this week from Texas, and whenever we visit them there, it’s a good bet that when we part, there will be some tears. And when we talk to our boys about their tears when they leave their grandparents and their cousins, we remind them that those are good tears. They are marks of love and affection, in the same way that joy fills everyone when we get together after a long absence. For Paul to speak his desire to see Timothy so that he can be filled with joy, and then to request Timothy to visit him soon (twice!) at the end of the letter, is one of the ways that Paul encourages his son in the faith. “I want to be with you, Timothy.”

3) Paul cares for Timothy by showing an awareness of Timothy’s weaknesses and temptations.

Now there is a little bit of reading between the lines here. We don’t know if Timothy was a somewhat timid person. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. But Paul’s exhortations to him at the very least demonstrate Paul’s assessment of the temptations that Timothy may be facing in ministry. We see this in a couple of ways. First, there is the repeated them of “being ashamed.” Paul tells Timothy not “to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner.” Later, Pauls says that he Paul is not ashamed of Jesus and the gospel. And he highlights Onesiphorus, a Christian who was not ashamed of Paul’s chains (unlike others who abandoned Paul) and thus sought to find him and refresh him in the Lord. The focus on not being ashamed suggests that Paul is concerned that Timothy might be. Second, there is Paul’s statement that God did not give us a spirit of fear or cowardice. Together, these suggest that there might have been pressure for Timothy to distance himself from Paul (perhaps because of his imprisonment), pressure to downplay certain aspects of the gospel so as not to offend other people. Given how Paul’s ministry ended up, it would be very reasonable for Timothy to think about how to so speak and act in order to put some distance between him and Paul, to not “make the same mistakes” that Paul did. And Paul, aware of that potential temptation, speaks directly to it. The final ways that Paul cares for Timothy address this possible temptation.

4) Paul cares for Timothy through examples, exhortations, reminders, and responsibility.

Originally, I planned to break each of these out, but Paul weaves them together, so I’m going to treat them together. The final four verses of the chapter contain a negative and a positive example. On the one hand, everyone in Asia abandoned Paul, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. Perhaps these two get mentioned because of how surprising it is that they abandoned Paul. Perhaps they were fellow-workers with him in the gospel, and thus their abandonment cuts deep.

On the other hand, Onesiphorus not only stuck by Paul, but diligently searched for Paul in Rome in order to encourage and refresh him. He was unashamed of Paul’s chains; he didn’t run from persecution and suffering, but ran towards it because he wanted to serve Paul. These examples are meant to embolden Timothy in his own ministry. Be like Onesiphorus; don’t run from the imprisoned apostle and the gospel of Jesus; don’t be like those who turn away from Christ’s heralds in their moment of need. Paul cares for Timothy by holding up examples worth imitating and examples worth rejecting.

Now notice the way that Paul weaves exhortations and reminders together. 1:3-5 is all about Paul’s memory. “I remember you in my prayers; I remember your tears; I am reminded of your sincere faith.” And then, in light of Paul’s remembrance, he gives an exhortation, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” and then gives a reminder “which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” This is meant to encourage Timothy (and us) in a number of ways.

First, God is the ultimate source of Timothy’s gifts and calling. God has called you to this ministry, Timothy. God has equipped you for this ministry, Timothy.

Second, this gift and calling from God came through human means. Paul (and the Ephesian elders, 1 Timothy 4:14) laid hands on Timothy in order to appoint him to his task. There was a visible, tangible moment that represented Timothy’s appointment to his task.

Third, Timothy must steward this gift and calling. And there’s an implicit warning here—Timothy’s perseverance in faithful ministry is not automatic. He must “fan it into flame.” God lit a spark, but that spark could dwindle; it could go out, if Timothy does not act to fan it, to give it oxygen so that the spark becomes a roaring fire. And even though we may not have the same ministry as Timothy, these words apply to us too. Paul says, that God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but the Spirit of power and love and self-control (or prudence). The Spirit of the living God is resting upon Timothy for ministry, and he must actively cultivate the Spirit’s influence in his life.

One more note about this combination of exhortation and reminder—in the midst of this spiritual father encouraging his spiritual son, he reminds Timothy of the role played by his mother and grandmother (his mammy) in his life. There’s a generational faithfulness at work here. Paul wants Timothy to know that he sees the family resemblance in the sincere faith that Timothy has. Your grandmother had it; your mother had it; and now you have it. That faith has taken up residence in you, Timothy. So fan it into flame. Don’t let the fire go out. Later in the letter, Paul will say, “Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed (there’s the sincere faith), knowing from whom you learned it (Lois and Eunice), and how from childhood you’ve been acquainted with the sacred writings.” This is where we see the beauty of the Christian church and the Christian family working together. Parents, we want to acquaint our children with the sacred writings; we want to have a sincere faith and then seek to instruct our children in that faith, so that, when they grow up, other Christians (not related by blood) can appeal to our faith in order to encourage our children’s faith. How precious will it be when our children are grown, and their spiritual mentors can point to us, as their parents, and say, “Remember the faith of your father. Remember the faith of your mother. Remember the faith of your grandparents and uncles and aunts. Continue in that faith because it dwells in you too.”

Here’s another weaving of exhortations and reminders. Here’s the exhortation: “Don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord (and of me), but share in suffering for the gospel.” In other words, don’t shrink back, don’t be a coward, don’t run from the persecution and affliction that mark God’s heralds and teachers. Embrace that suffering.” And then the reminder about who this God is and what he’s done. He does so with carefully structured pairs:

• He saved us and called us to a holy calling

• Not because of works, but because of his own purpose and grace

• Given in Christ in eternity past; manifested in time through the appearing of our Savior Jesus

• Who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Note how this is meant to encourage Timothy. God saved you, Timothy. God called you, Timothy. And it wasn’t because of anything you did. Your works did not qualify you for salvation or for ministry. It’s all grace. It is a holy calling, but your holiness is not what qualified you for it. God’s eternal purpose and grace is the source of your salvation and calling. Think about that phrase “before the ages began.” Creation had a beginning. Time had a beginning. And yet there was a time before time. Before God created the world, before he said “Let there be light,” before he called the universe into being out of nothing, he had purposes and grace in mind for you.

Before time began, he already gave you gifts and grace. And that grace has now been revealed through the appearing of Jesus. Before time, God gave grace. In the fullness of time, the Word became flesh, for us and our salvation. And Christ has abolished death; he has brought life and immortality to us through the gospel. Therefore, Timothy, what do you have to be afraid of? What is left to make you afraid? What is left to make you ashamed? To borrow a phrase from Pastor Jonathan, Jesus is real, and Paul is seeking to bring the reality of Jesus home to Timothy to encourage and strengthen his faith.

And this brings us to the way that Paul cares for Timothy by giving him responsibility. “Follow the pattern of sounds words that you have heard from me. Guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” As Paul is finishing his race, he is calling Timothy to run his faithfully. He is passing the baton to Timothy. He is calling Timothy to rise to the occasion, to take on the responsibility and be a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to him. And Paul uses himself as an example here. Notice these parallels:

“I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher” (1:11) -> “you have the gift of God through the laying on of my hands” (1:6). In other words, just as I was appointed to my ministry, so God through me has appointed you and equipped you for your ministry.

“Because I’ve been appointed a preacher of the gospel, I suffer as I do (imprisonment; 1:12) -> “Share in suffering for the gospel” (1:8). In other words, just as I suffer for the gospel in my ministry, so you should share in suffering for the gospel in your ministry.

“Don’t be ashamed of the gospel” (1:8) -> “I am not ashamed” (1:12)

“I am convinced that God is able to guard what has been entrusted to me” (1:12) -> “Guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (1:14).

Just as Timothy is to follow the pattern of sound words that he heard from Paul, so also is he to follow the example of Paul’s life in his ministry. But this isn’t just role modeling. Role modeling is natural. All human beings do it, and it’s good. But there’s nothing inherently spiritual or supernatural about it. And Paul’s ministry is supernatural. So Paul goes beyond merely being an example for Timothy, but instead highlights the spiritual and supernatural link between his ministry and Timothy’s. You hear it in the language of “sharing in suffering” for the gospel. Paul is in Rome; Timothy is in Ephesus, but they are sharing in the suffering for the sake of the gospel. There is some kind of bond, some kind of connection between them that is real and substantive. It’s more than just nature. Listen to the subtlety here:

• I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, for God gave us a Spirit of power and love and self-control

• Guard the good deposit entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

• Share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God (the power that comes from the Spirit God has given us and which dwells in us).

Let me summarize it this way. Paul wants to encourage Timothy in a number of practical and meaningful ways: through grateful prayers, through his desire to see him face to face, through his awareness of the temptations and pressures that Timothy will face, through examples both good and bad, through exhortations to stoke the flames of God’s gift, through reminders about God’s past faithfulness, and through giving him responsibility. And Paul’s way of encouragement should challenge us as we seek to encourage others: Do you pray for people this way? Do you have relationships that bring joy when you’re together and tears when you’re apart? Do you remind others of good examples and bad examples as a way of calling them to persevere? Are you fanning into flame the gifts that God has given to you (and encouraging others to do the same)? Are you leaning into suffering for the gospel, or are you shrinking back in fear and timidity? These are all very practical and relevant questions for us.

But underneath all of these is the fundamental reality that the risen Lord Jesus, the one who abolished death and brought life through the gospel, is present to both Paul and Timothy through the Holy Spirit. Timothy can overcome his cowardice and fear because he has the Spirit of power, love, and wisdom, the same Spirit that has kept Paul for thirty years. He can share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. He is able to guard the good deposit by the Holy Spirit that dwells in both of them.

And don’t miss this. Don’t miss where Paul’s ultimate confidence comes from in this passage. It’s not in the power of his personality or the competence of Timothy. Paul’s confidence comes from knowing Jesus. “I know whom I have believed.” That’s the bottom-line for Paul. I know him. Not, “I know it.” The gospel is not simply a good philosophy of life or a pattern of sound words (as important as those are). The gospel is about an encounter with the Person of Jesus Christ. “I know him, and because I know him, I am convinced that he will guard what has been entrusted to me, which includes you, and so, because I know him, I can entrust you to him and call you to fan into flame the gift of God and to follow the example you have in me.”

This brings us to the Table. This Table is meant to fan into flame the gift of God; it’s meant to encourage us by reminding us of God’s salvation, of our holy calling, of God’s eternal purpose and grace which has been manifested in Jesus, who has abolished death and brought life to us. Those are sound words. But those sound words point to a Person. At this Table, we meet Him. At this Table, we say, “I know whom I have believed, and he will keep me and he will keep what has been entrusted to me.”