01-14-18 Kevin Goins - Fearless!

“Fearless!”  2 Timothy 1:6-8

We all have certain fears and these fears can keep us from doing the things we would really like to do. In fact, sometimes fear keeps us from doing the work God calls us to do. That is why at the beginning of this new ministry year we need to look at the handicap of fear. The Bible has an antidote to fear and it is found in our text for today.

I If you have never felt fear in carrying out your calling as a Christian, I want you to put yourself in the place of someone who did. Imagine you are pastor of the t______ l_________ Christian church in the first-century world.

   A. As pastor you have all the responsibilities that come with the job, but in addition to that, your church has some problems:

      1. Your church isn’t exactly a u_______ body of believers. There are groups within your church q__________ about what Christians should believe.

      2. The g_________ is putting pressure on you and your church.

  B. Timothy had to face all that and he wasn’t exactly a c_____________ personality with nerves of s_________. And he was y________ and had h________ p_______.

II After beginning his letter, Paul comes to the point 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.”

  A. There was a time in Timothy’s life when Paul laid his hands on him in prayer and asked God to give him a g_____ for m__________.

  B. The question for us is: Do we have the same e_________in our ministry today? If not we need to f____ the f_______.

III But it is hard to be enthusiastic when you are scared to death, so Paul goes on in verse seven to deal with fear:

  A. First, the n___________ - “God did not give us a spirit of fear.”

  B. After telling us what God hasn’t given us, he goes on to tell us what God has provided:

      1. P__________

      2. L________

      3. A s__________ m________

IV Finally, what is the result of this fearless approach to life? Answer: b_______ t__________.