Fan the Flame - 2 Timothy 1:3-7

Sermon Series: Burning Out?

About a year and a half ago I got fed up with the inexpensive gas grill that Amy and I had purchased right after we got married.  For about 8.5 years that thing used to give me fits.  I would literally have to stand guard over the grill while the food was cooking because every time I walked away the flames would inevitably jump up, catch the food on fire and burn it.  I also hated the fact that that particular grill never cooked food evenly.  The food that was cooked right over the flame was usually over-cooked and the food that was away from the flame was usually under-cooked.  But last summer we got a small charcoal grill.  While gas grills are great in regards to prep-time (i.e. not having to put charcoal in, not having to wait for the charcoals to be ready to cook, etc.) I wanted a charcoal grill because I wanted to be able to cook food evenly and not have to worry about over aggressive flames that were looking to ruin my dinner – that, and charcoal grills smell AWESOME when they’re cooking! 

One of the things I knew about charcoal grills from my days of tailgating was that the charcoals would start off with a really big flame of fire.  But that wasn’t the time to throw the food on the grill.  The big flame would eventually die down and go away completely.  In the process the black charcoal would eventually turn gray.  It is only after the flame goes away and all the charcoal turns gray that you should put your food on the grill to cook it.  I knew that!  And I knew that during the hot summer both those charcoals and the grill would stay hot long after I had finished cooking my food.  But I had never tried to cook on a charcoal grill while it was really cold outside until a few weeks ago.  A few weeks ago I was in the mood for some hamburgers and decided I would brave the particularly cold night to cook some burgers on the grill.  Everything started out as usual.  Charcoal in the grill – check.  Big flame from the charcoal – check.  Black charcoal turned gray – check.  Grill hot – check.  So I put the burgers on and began to get excited as the smell of charcoal and burgers filled the air around me.  But something happened really quickly that particular night.  The charcoal in the grill on that cold night died really quickly.  The cold temperature caused them to quickly lose their heat and as a result my burgers sat on the grill only half cooked.  And at that point there was little I could do.  I couldn’t turn a knob like I could on a gas grill and turn up the flame.  I couldn’t re-light or re-heat the charcoal that was already in the grill.  Emptying the grill and starting over seemed pointless – it would take another 20 minutes for the charcoal to be ready and the cold temperature would probably just do the same thing to the new charcoal as it had to the charcoal that was currently in the grill.  The flame had gone out, the heat was gone, and those charcoals had become useless to cook the food that was on the grill.

As I think about what took place that night it seems that that is an unbelievable illustration of what takes place when believers in Christ get burned out in their faith.  When we grow cold in our faith we lose our ability to have an impact on the world around us.  We’re in our communities with everyone else – just like the charcoal sits in the grill with the food.  But cold charcoal doesn’t have any impact on the food above it.  The charcoal sits there burned out and the food sits on the grill uncooked.  The reality is that living in a sinful world tends to cause sincere faith to move towards burn out.  As believers in Christ, when we first come to faith, it seems that our faith burns big and strong – like charcoal that has just been lit.  But over time, if nothing is done to keep the flame strong, the flame begins to gradually grow smaller until there is little excitement, little joy, and little zest left in one’s faith.  The trials and hardships we encounter in life, the discouragement we experience as we observe the state of the world around us, and the busyness of life that tempts us to fill our lives with things that are only life-taking can take a hot and burning faith and transform it to cold, ashy, charcoals.

So there are two questions we want to address this week.  For those whose faith is still burning strong the question is this, “Is ‘burn out’ in faith inevitable, or is there something that can be done to keep the flame of faith burning strong?”  For those who feel like their faith is dying out and grown weak the question is this, “Is there hope that my faith can once again burn strong?”  As Paul wrote to Timothy he addressed this issue and began his letter to Timothy with a word of encouragement that would prove helpful to both Timothy and those who read Paul’s letter today.

Paul begins the body of his letter in verse 3 saying, “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.”  Paul was incredibly grateful for Timothy and recognized the goodness of God in providing him with a friend and partner in ministry like Timothy.  Paul’s thankfulness for Timothy was so great that he told Timothy he was an object of his prayers each time Paul set aside time for prayer.  In the midst of Paul’s labor as an apostle of Jesus, and in the midst of the trials and afflictions that he regularly experienced, Paul still found time to express his gratitude for Timothy. 

Now allow me to make an observation or two before we move forward.  Paul says that he thanks God whom he serves.  Two weeks ago when we concluded the OT book of Joshua we ended with Joshua’s charge to the Israelites to choose who they were going to serve (“. . . choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15).  As we worked through that passage we noted that willing, joyful, whole-hearted service is the greatest expression of worship that we can give.  Paul served God not out of a sense of obligation or as a means of earning God’s favor – Paul served God as an act of genuine worship, just as his ancestors, like Joshua, had done.  So Paul notes that the God he was directing his thanks to was also the God he was worshipping through consistent service.  Paul’s relationship with God wasn’t just one of lip-service and thanks, it was marked by genuine service.  But there was still more.  Paul’s relationship with God was also marked by a clear conscience.  Paul’s relationship with God was one that was unhindered.  He wasn’t trying to serve God with a sinful heart and a guilty conscience.  Paul wasn’t trying to serve God with one hand while trying to hide sin with the other hand.  When Paul became aware of sin in his life he didn’t shrug it off and pretend like it wasn’t there.  Paul was worshipping God through his service without any lingering or unconfessed sin in his life.  He recognized the forgiveness that had been purchased for him through Jesus’ death on the cross and he made sure to seek out that forgiveness and cleansing when he did sin.  That forgiveness and cleansing then gave Paul the opportunity to live for and worship God without any kind of hindrance.  Though these truths aren’t what Paul is going to emphasize with Timothy as his letter begins, they will play an important role – so make sure to make note of them.

In verses 4 and 5 Paul recalls two things of which he is reminded of.  The first thing was Timothy’s tears.  It’s unclear as to what the occasion was which Paul was referencing and what it was that prompted Timothy to be moved to such great emotion.  But whatever the occasion, as Paul was reminded of it, it caused him to long to see Timothy again – an occasion that would bring great joy to Paul.  The second of the two things of which Paul is reminded of is Timothy’s “sincere faith.”  Paul had been a witness of Timothy’s faith and as he comments on it here he makes a point to emphasize that it was a sincere and genuine faith.  In other words Timothy’s faith wasn’t a disguise; it wasn’t superficial; and it wasn’t a faith of convenience.  Timothy’s faith in God and his faith in Jesus were real and genuine and had been proven so in his faithful service on behalf of the gospel.  Paul tells Timothy that he had seen that kind of sincere faith before in the life of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, and now he was certain that the same kind of faith was residing in Timothy.  Paul had no doubt in his mind concerning the genuineness of Timothy’s faith.  But when we consider the context and what comes next in his letter to Timothy, it appears that Paul may have been concerned that Timothy’s faith as a whole or perhaps certain facets of his faith were beginning to burn out.

Paul was certain that Timothy’s faith was sincere, but he adds in verse 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 . . .”  Paul was concerned that Timothy’s faith as a whole or certain facets of His faith might be burning out so Paul urged Timothy to rekindle the extinguishing flame by fanning it and causing it to burn strong once again.  One of the difficulties with the text is identifying what exactly Paul was talking about when he used the phrase, “the gift of God.”  One interpretation is to understand the phrase “the gift of God” as modifying the “sincere faith” Paul was making reference to in verse 5.  The Bible certainly makes clear that ‘faith’ is a gift we receive from God.  So in understanding the phrase “the gift of God” to modify Paul’s sincere faith, we would understand that Paul was concerned that Timothy’s faith as a whole was not as strong and passionate as it once was.  (Note – Paul doesn’t ever say that Timothy’s “gift of God” was completely extinguished – when God grants to us sincere faith in Christ it can’t be taken away from us.  He only encourages Timothy to “fan into flame” the “gift of God” which suggests that it needed some strengthening.)  So Paul may have been beginning his letter to Timothy encouraging him to make efforts to strengthen the faith that he had been given.  A second interpretation is to understand the phrase “the gift of God” as a spiritual gift that was a facet of Timothy’s faith.  Some prefer to believe that Paul was referencing a specific spiritual gift that Paul felt Timothy should be practicing more and that this was Paul’s way of encouraging Timothy and charging Him to be more active in his use of his spiritual gift.  Both interpretations have their difficulties.  The rest of verse 6 says, “which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”  Whether “the gift of God” is a reference to Timothy’s faith or one of his spiritual gifts it isn’t clear why either one of those would have been accompanied with Paul laying hands on Timothy.  There isn’t any clear NT pattern of the laying on of hands accompanying one’s salvation or being the means by which one received a spiritual gift.  So the end of verse 6 doesn’t really help add any clarity concerning what “the gift of God” was for which Paul wanted Timothy to fan the flame.  But even without having great certainty, I believe we can make a case for why it is important to fan into flame both one’s faith as a whole as well as certain spiritual gifts that accompany an individual’s faith.

Let’s first flesh out some important points of application if we were to understand the phrase “the gift of God” as a reference to the gift of sincere faith which Timothy received and which we receive from God for means of salvation.  As we have already mentioned before, living in a sinful world can have wearing effects on our sincere faith.  The trials we face, the unloving people we encounter, and the negative effects of sin in our world can cause us all to experience a little bit of burn out in our faith.  And the reality is, if we don’t work to fan the flame and keep the flame burning strong, then it will continue to grow weaker and weaker.  We have to do something to help keep our faith burning strong.  With that in mind there are two questions that I think become essential or us to ask.  The first question is this, “Is there anything in my life that is a hindrance to my faith burning strongly?”  If you and I have unconfessed sin for which we have not repented, that sin is working against our faith as an extinguishing factor.  It’s like adding wet wood to a fire.  It isn’t going to help the fire grow stronger and it’s actually going to work against the fire’s strength.  So is there today sin in your life for which you need to repent?  An author in one of the books I’m reading right now says that there are three broad categories of sin that he sees in the life of many churches right now which need great attention and great repentance.  The first is apathy towards sin.  He says that there are too many believers in Christ who aren’t concerned about the sin in their life and who are looking for ways to ignore or manage their sin rather than put the sin they wrestle with to death.  The illustration he uses is that of a puppy.  He says that most of us know that a new puppy is going to be destructive.  So we look for ways to manage the puppy and cut down on our losses.  We stick the puppy in the garage or in the laundry room.  We know along the way that a door may get scratched up or a tennis shoe chewed up, but those losses are minimal and we can absorb those.  What we don’t do is take the destructive puppy out back and shoot it.  The author says that we do the same thing with our sin.  We push it into corners where we believe it will do the least amount of damage and where our chances are greatest that it will go unnoticed.    But rather than attempting to manage our sin we need to be trying to put it to death.  Sin is always destructive!  And it is always eating away at your faith and relationship with God.  So let me ask you today, do you have sin in your life towards which you have grown apathetic?  Guys, have you discovered a time and a place where you can get on the computer when no one else is around and look at porn?  Ladies, have you discovered a small group of close friends where you feel it’s safe to talk bad about others or put others down because you know the conversation won’t leave the group?  Husbands, have you given up on sacrificially loving and spiritually leading your wives, and you’re okay with that?  Wives, do you find more enjoyment in poking fun at your husband and belittling him than you do encouraging and helping him?  Single adults, have you compromised on convictions you have because you feel like you need the approval of some guy or some girl to satisfy your heart?  Have you justified aspects of your relationship because you really ‘need’ a person of the opposite sex in your life to prove your value and significance?  These are just a few examples – but give it some honest thought this week.  If you have sin in your life that you’re trying to manage chances are you’re having to put a good deal of effort into managing it and you know about it.  So is apathy towards sin something you need to repent of today?  Do you need to ask God to help you see your sin the way He sees it and ask God to give you the strength to put the sin to death rather than being content to manage it.

The second broad category of sin which the author says plagues many churches and believers is indifference towards the lost.  In other words there are too many believers who daily find themselves surrounded by individuals who don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior and who are currently without any hope of being reconciled to God and having the promise of eternal life with Him, and quite honestly it doesn’t bother those believers one bit.  Jesus, Himself, said that He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and before He returned to Heaven this was the charge that He gave to all of His disciples (Matt. 28:18-20).  But it seems like in the Church today there are only a few who are really burdened for the souls of the lost.  How often do we go out to eat and fail to even once think about the soul of our waiter or waitress?  How often do we go through the check out line at the grocery store and fail to be concerned with whether he or she has been reconciled to God?  How often do we find ourselves in public atmospheres, surrounded by people, and fail to have any kind of sense of burden for their eternal destiny?  Then for those who do occasionally give thought to the lost around them and feel a sense of burden for them, how often do we fail to actually act and step out of our comfort zone to engage them and share with them the life-giving news of the gospel.  We may say that we aren’t indifferent towards the lost with our words, but what are our actions saying?  Is indifference towards the lost a sin you need to repent of today?

The third broad category of sin which the author says plagues many believers in the Church today is the sin of fear of man.  Ask almost any believer in Christ and they’ll tell you that they  become paralyzed when it comes to engaging the lost, sharing their faith, or using their gifts and talents for kingdom purposes because they  are too afraid of what people will think or say.  I don’t know any believer who doesn’t seem to struggle with this sin at least to some degree.  But it’s important that we don’t simply write it off as nothing more than a fear.  When we continually give in to the fear of man it keeps us from ever sharing our faith or using our talents and abilities to demonstrate the love of God to others.  And when we continually give in to the fear of man we end up elevating mankind to a position greater than God, Himself.  We have a greater fear for man than we have for God.  We demonstrate a distrust in and lack of faith in God who has promised to help us and strengthen us in our efforts to minister to the lost.  And those attitudes are in fact sinful attitudes – attitudes for which we need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.  Paul said in verse 3 that he served God with a clear conscience.  We can’t fan the flame of faith when we’re entangled in sin.  If there is lingering sin in our lives we have to confess it to God and repent of it!

The second question that becomes essential for us to ask in regards to fanning the flame of the gift of faith we have from God is “How do we fan the flame of faith.”  If what Paul says in verse 1 is true, then the answer to this question isn’t terribly difficult.  If there really is “life that is in Christ Jesus” then we fan the flame of faith by drawing close to Jesus and making efforts to grow our relationship with Him.  We do that through spending time in His word.  We do that through spending time with Him in prayer.  And we do that through daily rehearsing the good news of the gospel and what Jesus has done and accomplished for us.  This is entirely different from involving myself more in religious activities.  This is making efforts to know and relate to a person, who is for us the only source of real life that we can experience.  So let me ask you, “Are you spending regular and consistent time in the Bible discovering who God is, discovering how He has loved you, and discovering what Jesus has done and accomplished on your behalf?”  “Are you spending regular and consistent time in prayer both sharing what’s on your heart and quietly listening so that God can speak to you?”  And “are you daily reminding yourself of the good news of the gospel which reveals to us what Jesus has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection and how our identity can be wrapped up entirely in Him?”  If these times with Christ and these meditations aren’t a regular part of your walk with Him, you won’t ever be encouraged, or refreshed, or experience the new life He gives to those who are walking with Him.

Now let’s quickly give some consideration to how we might flesh out some of the important points of application if we choose to understand the phrase “the gift of God” as a reference to specific spiritual gifts that are a part of our genuine and sincere faith.  The NT helps us understand spiritual gifts as talents or abilities that have been given to us for the purpose of building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12) and advancing His kingdom.  The way that one fans the flame of the gift of God if it is referring to a spiritual gift is by using the spiritual gift to humbly serve and glorify God so that He is made much of.  When you aren’t using the talents and abilities that God has given you to help build up the body of Christ and help advance His kingdom then the ability isn’t put on display and God’s graciousness towards you in the gift He has given isn’t put on display.  So rather than seeing an individual whose faith is on fire through the use of their gifts, the individual fades into the background and you wonder if the individual’s faith is really sincere at all.  Think about it.  If God has given you the ability to teach but you’re not teaching, how will people see God’s unique gifting in your life.  When I was at a former church and one of my responsibilities was to help recruit individuals to be teachers, I had people tell me for years about one gentleman who was, by their accounts, an outstanding teacher.  But in all my time serving at that church he never once agreed to teach a class.  Now for many there wasn’t a question regarding the sincerity of his faith.  But for me the story was different.  If God really had given this guy the ability to teach, why wasn’t he using his gift?  Why wasn’t he using his gift to help others grow?  Why wasn’t he putting the graciousness of God on display by allowing others to experience the giftedness that God had given him?  I can’t speak for others, but for me, it made me question the genuineness of his faith.  So I’ll ask you this, “Are you using the gift or gifts which God has given you?  If you can teach, are you teaching?  If you can sing or play an instrument, are you doing that?  If you can cook hotdogs, are you cooking hotdogs for the glory of God?  When we don’t use our giftedness we rob God of one of His resources to build up, encourage, and grow the body of Christ; we rob Him of the opportunity to demonstrate His graciousness in our lives; and we rob Him of resources that He desires to use to grow and expand His kingdom.  If you have trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord, you have an ability that He can use to put His glory on display.  So fan the flame by using it!

Paul tells Timothy in verse 7 that in addition to the ‘gift of God’ he had received (vs. 6), God had also given Timothy a spirit of power, love, and self-control.  These were all traits that Timothy was going to need as one whose faith was fanned into a strong flame.  As Timothy went out on Paul’s behalf – his faith enflamed and strong - power would be necessary for Timothy to carry out the tasks, love would be necessary to rightly deal with those who would oppose him, and self-control would be necessary in warning and correcting those who had strayed from right doctrine.

As we conclude let me ask you a few final questions.  “Are we going to be believers in Christ who resemble cold and ashy charcoal or believers in Christ whose faith is burning strong?”  “Are we going to be a church that’s in the community, but having little to no impact on the lives of the lost around us – like the cold charcoal sitting underneath the uncooked burgers on the grill?  Or are we going to be a church that burns so strong and hot that those around us can’t help but be impacted by our faith?”  I hope it’s the latter.  But that kind of faith doesn’t just happen – it takes work to keep our faith strong and hot in a world where sin works against our faith to try to extinguish it and weaken it.  So let’s work to draw close to Christ; let’s pray that He would cause us to burn strong for Him; and let’s pray that He would use us to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the lost around us and that through that good news He would transform lives for His glory!

Small Group Questions for Discussion:

1. Timothey was very fortunate to have Paul in his life, who was for him a great source of encouragement.  When you get discouraged in life do you have someone that you talk to?  Who is it?  How does that person encourage you?  When you get discouraged in your faith do you have someone that you talk to?  If you do, how does that person encourage you?  If not, why do you think that's the case?  Is there any way that we as a church can do a better job of encouraging one another in life and in faith?

2. Paul was concerned about the strength of Timothy's faith and apparently took notice when he felt Timothy wasn't burning as strongly as he could?  Are we ever concerned about the strength of other people's faith (especially those who are a part of our church or small group)?  If not, why not?  If so, do we encourage in a loving way those we feel could be buring stronger, and if so, how?  Whose responsibility do you think it is to encourage others in their faith and service?

3. Do we have any sin that is hindering our faith from burning strongly and that we as a group need to spend some time praying about?  How do we continue to encourage one another not to simply manage this sin, but to continue to strive to put it to death in the days and weeks ahead?