Keep the Fire Burning | 2 Timothy 1:1-7 | David Sorn

1. SERIES INTRO
1. (Series Slide)
2. Good morning! My name is David Sorn, and I’m Lead Pastor of Renovation Church.
1. I am excited this morning as we will be starting a new series where we will be teaching verse-by-verse through an entire book of the Bible…as we love to do!
1. This morning we will be starting 2 Timothy!
2. Last year, we did a 14-week series on all 6 chapters of 1 Timothy, and this morning, we’ll be starting a 10-week series on the 4 chapters of 2 Timothy
3. 2 Timothy was written by one of the leaders of the early church, named the Apostle Paul.
1. And it was written to one of the men he mentored into ministry, named, you guessed it, Timothy.
1. And it was his 2nd letter (ha) to Timothy
2. And sadly, 2 Timothy was the last letter that Paul wrote in the Bible.
1. Paul wrote this letter from his second imprisonment in Rome
1. And his 2nd time in prison in Rome was much worse than his first time.
1. The first time, Acts 28 tells us, that Paul was just watched by a guard in a rented house.
1. It was like Airbnb with a guard
2. But now, Paul is in a cold dungeon, and chained like a common criminal
1. And shortly after he sent this letter, Paul was condemned and executed in Rome during the reign of the emperor Nero
1. And so, you will sense and feel his urgency as he writes this letter.
1. And Paul will talk often to Timothy about not giving up, but enduring in his faith
1. Which is why we’ve called this series: Faithful Endurance
2. VERSES 1-4
1. 2 Timothy 1:1-4
2. Page 813
1. While you’re finding your spot, let me update you about our new Shoreview Location!
1. If you haven’t heard yet, we had over 600 people at our Shoreview Grand Opening 2 weeks ago!
2. Also, now that our Shoreview location is through their Grand Opening and Easter Sunday, this is our first official Sunday as a church where we are now in sync and teaching the same passage.
1. And so Pastor Matt is teaching our Shoreview location through this exact same text in 2 Timothy this Sunday morning.
1. Pretty cool!
3. (2 Timothy 1:1-4) – NIV
4. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
   2 To Timothy, my dear son:
   Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
   3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
1. You can keep this open today as we walk through it
2. This is a pretty standard opening of a letter for Paul
1. Paul mentions in verse 3 that, as a Christian, he’s serving the same God as his ancestors, the Jews did
1. And then he remembers Timothy’s tears from the last time they parted
1. Let’s read verse 5 now.
3. VERSE 5
1. 2 Timothy 1:5
2. Page 813
4. (2 Timothy 1:5) – NIV
5. 5 I am 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.
1. (Keep the Fire Burning)
2. So Paul starts by praising Timothy for his SINCERE faith.
1. Paul wrote this original letter to Timothy in Greek, and the Greek word for “sincere” literally means unhypocritical
1. Timothy’s faith is not fake.
1. It’s not built on emotion from some hyped-up event or experience…
2. …it’s a solid, genuine faith that has been built over time.
6. Think of it this way:
1. (Fire Drawing #1)
2. If our goal as Christians is to have a vibrant, passionate, and alive faith in Christ, the foundation of that faith is a sincere, genuine faith built over time.
1. So if you think of your faith like a campfire, what makes your faith come alive is when you are born again…you trust in Jesus as your Savior.
1. That’s the spark…that’s what lights the fire.
1. But what will keep the fire going for a long, long time is if you can build a SINCERE, solid faith.
1. And a sincere faith is represented by the logs in this diagram…logs that can burn for a long time
7. And how was Timothy’s sincere faith built?
1. Well, what did verse 5 say?
1. It says that Timothy’s sincere faith came from his GRANDMA who first became a Christian, and then Timothy’s mom
1. So, shout-out to Godly women raising up children in the faith!
1. And of course, Timothy was also mentored by Paul himself
2. And so Timothy’s solid, sincere faith is built up over time by discipleship
1. It wasn’t just one big event or moment, but it was built…
2. … day after day…log after log…laying the foundation for a vibrant faith.
1. These logs are simple (they’re not flashy): Attending church, gathering with believers, learning the Bible, prayer
1. And a lot of you are just getting started in that, and that’s awesome!
8. And listen, Timothy didn’t come from the perfect Christian family.
1. We read in Acts 16 that although Timothy’s mom was a Christian, his dad was not.
1. His dad was a Greek follower of paganism, and wasn’t involved in his son’s Christian upbringing and discipleship
1. And yet, Timothy’s mom and grandma soldiered on anyway.
1. In fact, chapter 3 of 2 Timothy tells us that these 2 women taught him the Scriptures from infancy even
1. And I bet that his mom and grandma probably had no idea that they were discipling a little boy who would become one of the most influential men in Christian history.
2. And I think the same thing when I see parents walking into our library after service, grabbing Christian books for their kids, or asking us questions like what kids Bible should they read to their children every days
1. Who knows?
1. The next Billy Graham could be in our 3-year-old room right now.
9. But what I want you to see is that you can’t build sincere & solid faith in a day.
1. And even if you’re like me, and you didn’t grow up in a Christian home, where this was discipled and built into you, here’s the good news:
1. You can become the starting point for your family… your future family…or even your friends.
1. Many of you will be able to build a solid foundation of faith, that will be passed onto future generations through you.
1. In fact, lots of you in this room are just coming to faith in your teens, and your twenties
1. And I believe that 50 years from now, there will be kids and grandkids gathered around you, followers of Jesus that could fill a room, and will be looking to you as the one who changed everything their family tree.
1. That’s pretty cool!
10. But if you’re going to live out that picture to reality, you’ve got to prioritize building a solid foundation of spiritual disciplines…of being in church (even when you’re tired), of reading the Bible (even when you just want to scroll), getting in house church (and on and on)
11. FAN INTO FLAME
1. And then, there’s actually a part two of the fire.
1. Let’s read verses 6 & 7
2. 2 Timothy 1:6-7
3. Page 813
12. (2 Timothy 1:6-7) – NIV
13. 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 the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
14. (Keep the Fire Burning)
15. So yes, build a foundation of faith…but if you truly want a VIBRANT & PASSIONATE faith…you have to do something else besides just building the foundation..
1. Look at verse 6: Paul says in verse 6 that you must “fan into flame the gift of God”
1. What does that mean?
16. It means that if you’re sitting in your backyard, or a friend’s yard, and that fire has been lit, and the logs are burning, what happens if you do nothing?
1. Eventually, even if there is a good foundation of logs, after a long time, that fire gets smaller & smaller until it’s just down to a few burning embers.
1. And no one will be drawn to it anymore…it won’t give off light or warmth.
2. And the same thing can happen with your faith if ALL you’re doing is building a foundation.
1. And it won’t matter if you were once a passionate fire when you were in college, or in your mid-thirties…
1. …if you do not fan the flame, if nothing is blowing on the embers of the fire, stoking your fire, it will fade away
17. So how do you fan the flame of your faith?
1. Well, what does the Bible say?
2. Verse 6:
1. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame….(the what???)…the GIFT of God
1. This is the spiritual gift that God has given you
18. The Bible has 3 main passages about spiritual gifts:
1. Spiritual Gifts Chapters
2. Ephesians 4
3. 1 Corinthians 12
4. Romans 12
1. These are spiritual talents and gifts that God gives each believer, not for themselves, but so they can build up God’s Kingdom, and His church, and serve God with these gifts.
1. They are things like: Teaching, administration, hospitality, healing, generosity, encouragement, leadership, and more.
19. (Fire Drawing #2)
1. And so if you want a vibrant, on-fire faith, Paul says you have to take your gifts and put them to use.
1. THAT, is the thing that Paul says will “fan the flame” and create a vibrant faith in you…
1. Especially when it’s combined with the firewood of having a foundation of sincere faith.
20. And this is really important because here in America, we live in a culture of consumerism.
1. I meet people ALL THE TIME…who say, “yeah, we were at such and such a church, and we weren’t really getting fed there, and our faith was really cooling off, so we came here”
1. And see, we talk like that because we are under this false belief that the way to really grow passionate and alive in our faith is by consuming.
1. We think, “If we could just consume really good teaching, then we would grow.”
1. And yes, good teaching is a part of growing in your faith.
1. But I would say it’s more a part of that foundational firewood stage.
2. But if you really want that flame to pop in you…you have to use the gifts God put in YOU!
1. That’s what the Bible says fans the flame!
2. We’ve been talking a lot about kids & young people, but this is just as true for those of you retired or getting closer to thinking about retirement.
1. A friend told me a story this week about a man named Marv.
1. Marv retired from his life as a carpenter at the age of 62.
1. Shortly thereafter he was on a trip in South Africa, but he kept noticing all of the children there that didn’t have shelter.
1. As he prayed about what to do, he told his family and friends, “I’ve decided to die with my boots on.”
1. That was 24 years ago!
1. Marv and his wife Marie have given their lives to providing emergency housing and care for children in South Africa.
2. Marv is now 86 years old, still in charge of the maintenance at all of the buildings that house the children, and he’s on fire for Jesus.
1. And see…the path to the fire is not to put a bib on and wait for someone else to feed you
2. The path to a vibrant faith is to put your boots on, fan the flame, and use the unique gifts that God has given each and every one of you
21. I think a lot of Christians have this whole thing backwards.
1. We think, “If I only felt more passionate in my faith, I would step up”
1. “If I was in a better spot, I’d use my gift of hospitality and be a host home for House Church…I’d help in Renovation Kids, or start that Bible study at work, or begin that thing at home that God has been nudging me about.
2. But that’s inverted. It’s not how God says it works.
1. The fire grows HOW??
1. Not out of the blue (so stop waiting for it to happen out of the blue), it gets set ablaze when we use our gifts
22. And what else happens when you fan the flame and use your gifts?
1. Look at verse 7 again
1. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
2. Not fear…not timidity, but POWER, LOVE, and SELF-DISCIPLINE
1. Power to do actually do what God’s calling you to do!
2. Love for the people God’s calling you to serve
3. And Self-Discipline to keep going even when it’s hard!
23. And we need this!
1. The church in America needs thousands and hundreds of thousands of its people to get off the bench and start fanning the flame.
24. I know so many of you are new and just exploring Christianity, so this next part isn’t so much for you (let yourself off the hook for a sec), but let me talk to those of you that have been Christians for a while.
1. One of my great laments for this current generation of American Christians…almost of all ages…is a lack courage.
1. It is a missing character trait…at large…in our Christian culture right now.
1. I will tell you, as our church has been exponentially expanding for years now, I have personally met with countless leaders who I’ve tried to send into ministry and leadership
1. I’ve asked them to step into pastoral ministry, a job on our staff, to plant a new church, to start a new location, to lead a house church, teach a class, you name it...I’ve asked.
1. And certainly, many say yes, but A LOT don’t.
2. But here’s the thing:
1. People always LOVE to meet!
2. They never refuse to meet.
3. We love to hear our ego stroked.
4. We love the words, “I think you could do this. I see these gifts in you!”
1. But when it comes to the moment of truth, all too often, they choose comfort. Work. Money. They use their kids (or their stage of life) as an excuse for why they can’t serve God.
1. By the way, parents, don’t spend the next 10 years raising kids but falling out of love with Jesus.
1. You can raise Godly kids and still serve God.
1. In fact, studies even show that your kids have a greater chance of becoming lifelong Christians if they watch their mom & dad sacrifice their time & serve God
2. Cuz otherwise, what they see mom & dad doing (or not doing) isn’t matching what they’re saying
2. Others instead of courage, choose fear.
1. There was a study done in 2025 about Gen Z (and I think this almost just as true of Millennials), and they asked them to rank the importance of personal goals.
1. And there were options like, “Having fun, being kind, being healthy, being successful,” and all the usual goals.
2. And the Personal Goal that young Americans chose as THE most important was…. To be SAFE.
5. I’m not saying that anyone should be needlessly reckless, but listen, none of us are going to get to heaven, meet Jesus, and say, “You’ll be so proud of me, I stayed…safe”
1. “Jesus, I never risked anything.”
1. You know what that sounds like?
2. That’s like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 when The Christ-figure gives each person talents/gifts to put to use, but the one, because he was AFRAID, just buried his talent.
2. Cuz look at me, you cannot please God if you’re worshipping the idol of safety.
1. Paul just said the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid.
1. Or as the old translations say, “God did not give us a spirit of fear”…
2. FAN THE FLAME! USE what He deposited in you. Do not bury it!
1. The world out there is lost…and dying.
1. And it doesn’t need more consumer Christians.
2. It doesn’t need more Christians bowing to the idols of comfort and safety.
1. It needs young men and young women of courage!
2. It needs moms & dads who will fan the flame of the gifts God put in them!
3. It needs retired folks who want to die with their boots on!
3. And listen, this is not only how the world gets changed, it’s how YOU come alive!
1. When you use your gifts, you get to see God move.
1. And when you see God move, you get even more on fire for who He is and what He can do.
25. BAPTISM
26. And I want to show you some examples of people who have seen God move in their lives…as we are baptizing ANOTHER 24 people throughout the morning, 5-7 at each service.
27. (Baptism Slide)
28. At this point I want to call out Baptism Team on stage.
1. Baptisms are a visual reminder that God’s Son, Jesus Christ has paid for our sins.
1. And by our faith in Him, we were forgiven, washed clean.
1. And not only that, that God has raised us up from the dead and given us new life.
2. Baptism doesn’t save you.
1. But it is such an important symbol of his love.
3. We have heard the testimony of every person getting baptized today and every person will be baptized by sponsors (people who’ve had a spiritual impact on them)
1. We have had SO many people coming to Christ here that each service now will still have one live testimony, and the rest of the baptisms will have a summary of their testimony on the screen as they get baptized.
29. (Baptism Interest Mtg slide)
1. And finally, if you have given your life to Christ, baptism is THE next step that the Bible tells you to do after you give your life to Christ.
1. So if you need to get baptized, I want you to go to the baptism interest meeting that is happening today!
1. Stop by this 10-15 minute meeting in the Northpoint room after the service today, okay?
2. All right, let’s get to some baptisms…starting with our live testimony
30. GOSPEL.
1. (Keep the Fire Burning)
1. Thank you for your testimonies of faith!
2. You can see the fire of God moving in their life.
1. And I want that for your life.
1. Especially if you’re never had a personal relationship with Jesus before
3. But that spark, what makes you come alive for God is when you truly believe in Him as your Savior and Leader
1. (explain Gospel)
31. And if you’re ready to truly come to truly accept Jesus as your Savior, I want to give you that opportunity today.
32. Let’s just have everyone, just for a minute, close your eyes and bow your head.
33. If you need to make this decision for the first time today…to tell Jesus that you need His forgiveness for your sins…to make Him the Leader of your life…to accept His gift of Eternal life…
1. In just a minute, I’m going to ask you to stand up
1. No one’s going to be looking at you at all, that’s why we had everyone close their eyes.
2. But sometimes in life, we just need that moment…that moment where you say, “God, put that fire in me! I want to know you!”
34. If you need to tell God for the first time today that you do believe, and you want to follow Him and be forgiven.
1. I invite you to raise your hand where you are right now
35. The Bible tells us that in this moment we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths.
36. Dear God
1. I confess to you, that I have sinned against you.
2. But God I believe, that you sent your Son Jesus, to take my place
1. And God I thank you, for forgiving my sins.
3. And now I commit, to following you, with my life.

Amen, you can have a seat.

1. 2 very Quick things
1. 1) If you haven’t taken the step to get baptized yet
1. (Baptism interest meeting slide)
1. …head to that interest meeting right now. Follow the signs to the northpoint room.
2. 2) For the ___ of you that stood up, come meet me right up here for some really important resources and next steps.