Introduction

What is the most important thing to pass on to your children?

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One preacher I was listening to told a story about staying in a hotel run by a family from India. He noticed the very hard working character of the owners and complimented them on that. They responded with gratitude but then lamented that that work ethic was not being passed down to the next generation.

This family was going to be able to build a great business and pass it down to their children. But they could not instill in them the work ethic to maintain it with the excellence they had achieved.

The American culture had bequeathed to their children a goal of mediocrity. Our TV shows are filled with characters who avoid difficult challenges and just get by. They don’t achieve much but have a fun life. Certainly this is the general attitude of most American teenagers: don’t do the best. In fact, those who do attain the best grades, athletic performance, or best in other skill sets are often derided by their peers as “sweats” or “try-hards.”

Need

What do you consider the most important thing your parents passed down to you? What do you think is the most important thing to pass down to your children or other loved ones? Is it the material or is it something immaterial?

Topic

Paul is going to address this issue in 2 Timothy 1:1-7. Specifically, he will address what it is that is so important to be passed down.

Reference

Turn with me to 2 Timothy 1:1-7 as we explore Paul’s final letter.

Outline

This morning we will see redouble, remember, and rekindle. Death’s Focus2 Timothy 1:1–2ESV

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.Revelation

This is the beginning of the final letter Paul wrote that we have preserved for us. This introduction is the standard way that most would begin a letter, first with the sender, then the addressee. Certainly though, there are some unique things to note in Paul’s introduction.

First, Paul still recognizes his apostolic authority.

Mounce, William D. Pastoral Epistles. Vol. 46. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2000.

This may seem strange for such a personal letter; however, it is clear that Paul intended it’s use in the church as well. Paul does not write haphazardly and stream-of-conscious. The words he uses are inspired by the Holy Spirit and carefully drafted. And so it is not only the apostolic authority, but also the divine authority on which we hang upon. Apostolic authority only has worth as it is derived from God’s authority.

Second, notice the Christ-centeredness of this introduction. The phrase “Christ Jesus” is repeated three times: at the beginning “apostle of Christ Jesus;” at the end of v. 1 “life that it is in Christ Jesus;” and, at the end of v. 2 the source of our grace, mercy, and peace. So we see that Christ forms the basis of Paul’s identity and the source of every spiritual need resulting in the fulness of life and eternal life.

What is striking here is that even though Paul’s formality comes through, so does his compassion. And I don’t think that we should allow the context to escape us. Paul knows that his days are numbered. 2 Timothy 4:6 “6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.”

And this for Paul brings focus to calling Timothy, “my beloved child.” Furthermore, he says, “according to the promise of life.” Certainly that promise of eternal life is so much sweeter to the man who is about to die.

Death forces us to redouble our concentration on what we really value.Relevance

Death is cold, final, exacting, and unpleasant. I remember the night my grandfather passed away. I was still a kid. I stayed the night with my cousin while my mom stayed the night at the hospital. It was early in the morning around 3AM and the home phone started to ring (back when home phones were still a common thing). I remember still being up with my cousin because we had stayed up all night. And I asked him, “Who in the world would be calling at this time?” He responded with incredulity, “Don’t you know?” He knew the call must have been Papaw passing away, but I didn’t. I couldn’t believe he was gone. And it was permanent.

It was at that moment I realized how much I had taken him for granted. I believed he would always be around. It made me reexamine my relationships.

I don’t say this to mean that Paul was previously wrong in his relationships or value systems.

Rather, death has a way to get us to redouble our focus on what we value.

Paul, approaching his doom, is ensuring that he gets across to Timothy his affection for him and making sure he understands what the main thing is.Remember2 Timothy 1:3–5ESV

3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Remember the heritage of sincere faith

Remember/remind forms the basis of this text as it is repeated three times.

First, Remembering Timothy bring Paul to sincere gratitude. Paul also claims here to be serving the same God that his ancestors served. He does not believe that he has broken from them or started something new, but rather is continuing that ancient tradition. Paul believes he is continuing what has been passed down to him. Paul also says that he serves God with clear conscience which is important for a man condemned by the state to death.

Second, Paul remembers Timothy’s tears, perhaps at their last departure from one another. This opens a window into this lonely apostle’s heart. Paul believes that seeing Timothy again will bring his joy to completion. We can see in this that for Paul, discipleship relationships were not motivated merely by a since of obligation but also love, compassion, and fulfillment.

Third, after the gratitude and sorrow, Paul is reminded of Timothy’s faith. This faith, like Paul’s, arose from a rich heritage. Paul saw this generational faith first in his grandmother Lois, then in his mother Eunice. Consider the rich faith from such a heritage.Relevance

I remember as a young kid my grandmother teaching me how to memorize Scripture for Awana. She taught me to stop at each punctuation mark. I remember her teaching me how to find the page in a hymnal before I even knew the concept of a hundred’s place. She would call out each number individually, “2-4-5.”

Where did that heritage of faith come from in my grandmother? I’m not certain, I can only speculate. But I know that her mother joined membership of this church sometime before 1935. I know that my grandparents joined membership of this church in 1969 not too long before they moved to Georgia.

I consider all the forces of darkness that came to me as a child. The pull towards atheism and agnosticism, all sorts of conspiracies and doubts. The many sins that attempt to consume a young man. All the flaming darts hurled at me quenched by the sincere faith of my grandmother passed down to me.

And notice that Paul calls it that: a sincere faith. The sincere faith of a mother can conquer the forces of darkness and instill a flame of faith that will never go out.

The world knows youth is power. The world knows that if you can control the mind of young people you can control the future. So they separate children from their parents as early as possible. They make entertainment geared to promote an agenda. They design college to tear apart any foundation of faith. Yet in God’s providence he ordains something so simple as the sincere faith of a mother and grandmother that cannot be overtaken or destroyed.

I pray that we will continue to be a community of faith that produces a heritage of faith.Rekindle2 Timothy 1:6–7ESV

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Paul uses that word “remind” again but now turns to Timothy in a encouragement of sorts: he encourages Timothy to rekindle the spiritual gift imparted to him.

Paul reminds Timothy of his own commissioning ceremony which Paul was a part of. The “laying on of hands” is symbolic of passing on the blessing, an in this case, imparting a spiritual gift. This spiritual gift is the same as Paul’s and mother and grandmother’s of passing on the faith. The Holy Spirit has empowered Timothy to do this.

Paul says, “God gave us a spirit not of cowardice, but power, love, self-control”

This word, “spirit” refers to one’s character and attitude.

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 46: Pastoral EpistlesComment

“The power of the Holy Spirit within [the servant of God] has enabled many a naturally timid man to develop a boldness not his own when called in the name of God to fulfill a difficult ministry

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Paul knows that Timothy will face opposition. Yet, it’s Timothy’s responsibility to continue to pass the torch which was passed to him. No matter what difficulties may come his way.

Relevance

Every time the Olympic games happen, they light a flame from the sun in Olympia, Greece and bring that flame on a torch to the location of the games. It is one of the greatest relay races in all history.

The flame has traveled thousands of miles, it has traveled in the ocean next to the great barrier reef, it has traveled on top of Mt. Everest, it has even traveled in outer space.

No matter the difficult terrain or distance, the responsibility of the torch bearer was clear: to continue to pass it on.

The Christian faith is not a collectible it’s a torch. A collectable you leave in your shed or garage or home. You have it on shelf. It’s nice to look at, but you do nothing with it but keep if for yourself.

A torch you pass on to the next person. There’s an obligation to pass it along. And so it is with this sincere faith. It is not something to keep on the shelf and think how nice it is; rather it is something to be passes along. And just as Paul encouraged Timothy to do so; so, I encourage all of us to fan that same flame.Application

Tell

So let me pose this question again: What is the most important thing you can pass down to your children?

Is it status? Money? Land? Character?

Hopefully the reality of death causes us to redouble on what we really value.

And that is, as we saw in the text, to pass down a sincere faith.

And don’t think that you can get away without this if you don’t have any children. Did Paul have children? No. But he considered Timothy as his own son. In the same way, discipleship, though it certainly involves are own children, also involves older men training younger men and older women training younger women as described in Titus 2:1-8.

Show

I worked at a summer camp for two summers in Andrews, NC called Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters. The campers left Saturday morning and would not come back until Monday afternoon. We would clean up until about Saturday afternoon, then have the rest of the weekend off. Most of us were really exhausted over that time.

I remember one time there was a middle school age kid still on campus. There were several of the full-time staff that were around and their kids, but I did not recognize him. I walked over to him suspicious that somehow a church left a camper behind. He ended up just being someone who lived not that far from camp and was hanging out with some of his friends who were full-time staff kids. His name is Blake.

Camp life had trained me to naturally build relationships with my campers, and I did so with Blake. I ended up giving him a ride home. I did that a few times. I got to know about his school and hobbies. I asked him questions about his relationship with God. I left those conversation feeling that his faith may be there but it was very shallow. He would sort of clam up when talking about it.

That was 2013. Almost ten years later, I’m bringing my youth group to the same camp. I visit the prayer chapel up on the hill which they set up to focus especially on missions. In one portion they have pictures of all the missionaries they support.

There on that board I saw a picture of Blake and was completely surprised. I was able to write a letter to him and did so. I wrote a letter in drawing from 2 Timothy and Titus. I encouraged him to continue to be faithful.

The next summer in 2024 when I went to camp again, I was out going to get some video of my youth as they starting to go lake canoeing. As I was out there on the pier, a young guy was laying down sunning who I didn’t recognize says to me, “Hey Jake Fowler!”

I looked down and it was Blake. He was only in town that week. Of all the weeks he could be in town it was that week. Of all the places in the world he could be, he was right there.

He was able to serve as a missionary to Southeast Asia through the International Mission Board’s Journeyman program.

I drove away that afternoon just in awe that God would orchestrate that grace for me.

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Passing the torch is at upmost importance in this generation than ever before. It only takes one person to fail to pass the torch.

Challenge

Who are you discipling right now? If you are in Christ there is never a wrong time to make disciples. The church is purposefully age integrated so that the older can disciple the younger.

Make time in your schedule this week. Invite someone over to your house. Meet up at a coffee shop. Invite someone to fish or hunt. There’s no limit to where you can disciple. It can start in your own home with your own children. You could be like Paul and have spiritual children.

But have a plan. Redouble on what is most important, remember the heritage of faith, and rekindle that gift of sharing it. There’s a plan for discipleship there.

Meet with someone. Determine what is most important and teach it. Show the heritage of faith passed from one person to another. And encourage that disciple to share his faith.