Text: 2 Timothy 1:8–14
Date: July 4, 2021
Event: The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
2 Timothy 1:8–14 (EHV)
8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Instead, join with me in suffering for the gospel while relying on the power of God. 9He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10and it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles, 12and that is why I am suffering these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14Through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.
The Gospel Is Worth Risking It All!
I’m not much of a gambler. The couple of times I’ve been to Las Vegas combined, I’ve put probably a grand total of $10 in slot machines and (surprise, surprise) lost it all. I walked away from those experiences thinking, “Well, that was dumb.” But it feels the same with other types of gambling like poker or sports betting or whatever else someone might put a lot of money on. Never mind the greed aspect of it all, in the end, I’m somewhat risk-averse. Risking a large amount of money on the performance of things outside of my control has never made sense or seemed worth it.
And that same feeling can even weigh in on things like determining where and how to invest for retirement. I usually look for stability over the possibility of huge gains. I don’t want to risk it all. So we try not to put all of our eggs in one basket. Diversify! That might mean missing out on positive things if the markets go well, but it also means you’re a bit sheltered if things go belly-up.
But the apostle Paul in our Second Lesson for this morning is giving us some different advice. Not in how to behave in a casino or how to invest your money. He says there is one thing worth risking it all for, worth potentially losing it all—even our own lives! And that is the gospel message. It is so valuable, so worthwhile, that we do well to bet everything we have, earthly speaking, for the blessings God brings through that message. So this morning, let’s look at how we can avoid hedging our bets and instead go all-in on the promises God has made!
Paul’s second letter to Timothy is likely the last letter Paul wrote that is recorded in the Bible before he died. He’s not under house arrest; he’s in prison. He’s not going to go on any missionary journeys anymore; he’s likely going to lose his life in the coming weeks or months. And he knows it. And he knows why it’s happening. During the reign of Roman emperor Nero, the emperor started persecuting Christians throughout the empire. Many Christians were put to death for their faith. Tradition has it that both Peter and Paul met their ends during this persecution because they were messengers of the gospel.
But notice how you don’t hear any regret in Paul’s words here. And if you read through all of 2 Timothy (which you should this afternoon—it’ll take like 15 minutes even if you’re a slow reader like I am), you won’t find any regret in any of his words in that whole letter. Some sadness that he can’t spread the gospel like he wants to? Sure. A bit of trepidation as to what exactly lies ahead? Absolutely. But regret? Not even a hint of it.
But why? This is not Paul coming down with an unavoidable disease or an accident that took his life. Paul knows the exact reason he’s going to die: the gospel message about Jesus. If he had just not done that work or maybe been a bit more discrete about it, he might have preserved his life. Surely when his untimely death is coming for a reason that was in his control, there would be some sadness over having it go this way.
And yet, that’s not what we hear from Paul. In fact, just the opposite. His purpose in writing to young Pastor Timothy is, in part, to encourage Timothy not to give up the work that he’s doing. Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Instead, join with me in suffering for the gospel while relying on the power of God. That’s not exactly a pep-talk, is it? There’s no mention of “everything’s going to be fine” or “God will take care of you and protect you.” No, “join with me in suffering.” That doesn’t sound great. That sounds downright bad and unpleasant.
Why would Paul say such a thing? Because the gospel is worth risking it all. Consider his brief and beautiful summary of that message: He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, and it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
What a beautiful picture! God called us from what we were by nature—sinners devoted to rebelling against him—and brought us to a new life, a life that serves him. This was not done “because of our works” but “because of his purpose and grace.” Grace is that love of God that he gives us even though we don’t deserve it, love that even gives us the opposite of what we deserve.
And this message of a new calling of forgiveness in Jesus? Paul says that he’s suffering because he was a messenger of this good news. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. The gospel is worth risking it all because the gospel ensures that we are not risking it all. If we suffer for Jesus, so what? We have Jesus. Even if we die for Jesus, so what? We have Jesus. Faith in Jesus as Savior produces what seems like an irrational response to death. Faith in Jesus as Savior clings to the one who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Paul has no regret because he’s looking well beyond the threats and power of the emperor; he’s looking to the promises and power of God. He said that God can guard what Paul entrusted to him. What did Paul entrust? His very life. Not limited to this temporal, physical life, but his eternal life. God can and will keep that safe because that is his grace, which is what the gospel is all about. Jesus dies to pay for sin; thus, we are safe with God forever.
Paul’s encouragement to Timothy is the same as the encouragement he would have for you and me. Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you. These two thoughts are very connected. The deposit that we have entrusted to God is our life, even our eternal life. What is the deposit he gave to us? The faith to trust Jesus as Savior. We are to guard that, take care of that because our very eternal lives depend on it. And how do we do that? Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Stay connected to the Scriptures, to the teaching that God inspired. Guard that good deposit by surrounding yourself with the gospel message and the whole of God’s Word, by which the Holy Spirit creates and strengthens faith.
So what does this mean for us? Partially, it means changing what we might naturally think about death. Death is not indicative of God’s abandonment. That’s what the disciples in our Gospel thought last week, right? “Don’t you care that we are about to drown?” (Mark 4:34) they accusingly asked Jesus as the storm raged on the Sea of Galilee. It would be easy to think that God had turned his back on Paul, and that’s why he was going to die, but that could not be farther from the truth!
When a loved one faces death, when we face death, it is not that God has left us. It is that he is calling us to our eternal reward. The Christian faith changes our response to death because it fundamentally changes what death is all about. It is no longer the beginning of punishment for our sins in hell; it is the full realization of all that God has done for us in Jesus, the end of sin, and the beginning of our true, eternal life with God! Immortality with Jesus, won by Jesus!
So Jesus undoes the scariness of death and replaces it with life and comfort. Jesus was not lying when he called death just a sleep for those in Jairus’ house. Likewise, Paul faced death without fear because he knew that he was safe with Christ. He also knew that he was facing death because he brought that message of comfort and confidence to others—and for that, there can be no shame or regret!
Jesus undoes death’s fear for us as well. As a result, we can face our own deaths or the deaths of a loved one in the Lord with confidence, knowing that nothing is left to chance. God’s promises mean that death is but the entry into eternal life. Or, as Jesus said, pointing ahead to his own resurrection from the dead, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:18).
So do not shrink from death out of fear. Do not be ashamed of the gospel you cling to or the Savior who gave it. This message of eternal life in Jesus’ death and resurrection is worth risking it all, even our very lives, because eternity for us and for those around us depends on that gospel message. Like Paul, may we too be heralds of this good news: Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again! Thanks be to God! Amen.
