Sermon - Proper 22, Year C, 2025 - 2 Timothy 1:1-14

St Paul Preaching at Athens, Raphael, 1515

Do Not Be Ashamed

Intro: We commonly keep our faith private because we’re afraid of the world’s ridicule. 

1. Of the Word of God

1. Therefore, follow the pattern of sound words and guard the good deposit entrusted to you

2. Nor of other christians

“I remind you to rekindle the gift of God… for God gave us a Spirit not of timidity [or cowardice] but of power and love and self-control.” I notice a lot of timidity among Christians. We tend to treat our faith as something which is private, tucked away in our lives like a secret embarrassing hobby we’d rather others not know about. Perhaps we try not to let others know some of the details of our church, for example that our church doesn’t have women pastors or gay marriage, or that we believe all life is sacred even before birth, because we don’t want to be seen as haters, and we’d rather not face that kind of ridicule from the world. Sometimes we go so far as to even criticize fellow Christians for not being winsome enough, so as to distance ourselves from them and not be ridiculed by association. Instead of defending our fellow Christians when they’re attacked for speaking the truth, we join the world and stab them in the back. Lord have mercy upon us!

We live in a different age today, one that requires a bit more backbone, one that refuses to be ashamed of our Christian faith. We live in a secular age today, so to speak. They’re religiously unaffiliated. They’re spiritual but not religious. Not that people are earnestly neutral about matters of faith. It’s not like people don’t have opinions about religion and what we Christians believe. Rather, they’re hostile to Christianity. 

This growing secularism is the largest threat facing us today. After confirmation when 8 out of 10 children aren’t in the pews the next Sunday, it’s not that they’ve fallen in love with the Methodist church or the Roman Church or the Muslim temple, but they’ve simply stopped going anywhere; they fall in love with secularism, with spiritual but not religious. This secular onslaught has been plaguing us since before the 80s, and in the meantime we’ve grown rather timid and quiet.

We don’t want to offend anyone if we speak the truth, afterall, because they might leave our church. We try to be so cautious about speaking the truth, so winsome and tactful, that we often end up saying nothing. We don’t want to offend that cousin or grandkid, we don’t want to get excluded from that friend group, we don’t want to get passed by for promotions, so we just keep our heads down and our mouths shut.

So for that reason St. Paul lovingly admonishes Timothy, and I am here lovingly admonishing you, reminding you to rekindle the gift of God. Think of your faith and the Holy Spirit who dwells in you like a fire, just as the Spirit descended upon the disciples on Pentecost as tongues of fire. The Spirit of God is a spirit of power, love, and self-control; He is not timid or quiet. So in your heart and soul, rekindle the fiery Spirit of God, and be unashamed of your faith. 

“Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord.” Because what is the heart of that testimony? What is the heart of God’s word? “Our Savior Christ Jesus abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” That’s the sum and substance of His Word, is it not! The Lord Jesus Christ suffered at the hands of sinful men, by His own free will, in order to conquer the power of sin and death, and deliver us from Satan’s domain of darkness unto His marvelous light. The Lord Jesus died to atone for our sins and declare us righteous. He died to set us free from sin and all of Satan’s traps. Christ Jesus died to set you free from the devils of this age! Your sins are forgiven, and you have a new lease on life. Immortality has been set before you through the blood of Jesus.

This means, very simply, that the Word of God condemns all of this world’s evils, because God’s Word sets us free from bondage to Satan. Since this world is the devil’s kingdom, until Christ returns, the world will despise what God’s Word says about the evils of this age. The evil world cannot stand to hear that Jesus has conquered it and abolished death, because this sinful world loves death and hates life. Everyone who hates God loves death because God loves life.

Because God’s Word so marvelously reveals life and immortality to us, we take God’s word very seriously. “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Only the words of Jesus can deliver life to us. In the words of the disciples: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The word of Jesus is sharper than any two-edged sword, it is living and active, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

So while some may complain that Christians have been too nit-picky about words over the centuries, it’s not without reason. The Holy Bible is God’s precious Word that delivers us out of death and to life. If we misused and abused His word, then we would be risking everlasting life itself. If we change God’s Word, then it’s no longer His word that we’re speaking, and people’s eternal souls are then at stake. Only His words give eternal life, so if I replace His words with my words, I’m risking the eternal salvation of myself and others. Therefore, because what we’re dealing with is of such importance, it’s vital that we “follow the pattern of the sound words.” So let us not be ashamed of God’s Word, thinking we can change it to be more palatable to our worldly ears, but let us staunchly follow Christ’s words of eternal life.

Additionally, just as we must not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, let us also not be ashamed of other Christians. “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.” We have been called to suffer together for the sake of Christ. We Christians are one body, and we are meant to support and encourage one another. Remember what Jesus said: “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand… Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” We Christians must fight against the devil and this world together. When we are ashamed of each other, biting one another, stabbing each other in the back, always complaining about and mocking other Christians who are on our side, we are a divided kingdom.

Perhaps you wouldn’t say it that way, maybe you think you could do it better, okay, fair enough. But at least that other Christian is taking a stand on the side of truth, at least they’re doing something. If you don’t think they’re doing it good enough, then you need to step up and help them do it better, but at the very least don’t be embarrassed of them for doing something while you don’t do anything.

This is a fairly significant issue among Christians today that we spend so much time backbiting. I don’t mean recognizing the theological distinctions among different denominations, that’s appropriate because it’s about holding onto God’s word. So let me give you a couple examples of what I mean. First, consider a local parish, where some members are very passionate about the faith, so they are vocal about the word of God, and in speaking some get offended because God’s Word shined light on their sins. The other members of that congregation should be supportive of those vocal members, even if it means they must suffer as well.

Or another example, perhaps let’s just talk about an obvious contemporary example: Charlie Kirk. Now, he wasn’t LCMS, so would we agree with him on every theological point? No. Do we have to agree with him on every other opinion or belief he asserted? No. But by and large he was extremely vocal about his faith in Jesus Christ, about sin and death, about the forgiveness of sins through the death of Jesus, and how we will rise with Christ. By and large he dealt with the issues of the day and believed what he did because of his Christian faith. This means many people were offended by him because he disagreed with them, and attempted to show them the truth. Instead of being embarrassed of him, I should share in his suffering.

Brothers and sisters, the christian faith is real and that requires us to speak up with the Word of God when possible. When our brothers and sisters in the faith speak up, let us be there to have their backs. Let’s defend each other. Let us not be embarrassed by the Word of God nor of His Christians, my brothers and sisters, but let us suffer alongside one another. See how Christ was mocked and ridiculed before He died, see how most of the apostles were embarrassed of Him during His trial. Christ is still speaking, He is still on trial, His Words are still sounding forth from the lips of faithful Christians everywhere. Are we going to be embarrassed of Him and deny Him, or will we unite our voice with His and suffer alongside Him?

Because as Jesus said: “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” My friends: be faithful and emboldened in your confession of the faith and your life therein. Don’t give into embarrassment of Christ and His Word, don’t give into embarrassment of His vocal Christians, because if you do He will also deny you before the throne of God. But if you share in His suffering, bearing the ridicule of this world with Him, know that He will stand before the Heavenly Father with you. For all of our embarrassing faults and sins, knowing our every wicked thought, He not only stands beside you, but He has suffered in your stead, so that when He presents you to the Father He bears your filth, and you wear His righteous robe and kingly crown.