Lemmond Farewell (2 Timothy 1:3-7)
- please open your Bibles to 2 Timothy 1 tonight
- I’ve been at Richview just over a year now
- I’ve been thinking back – I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into!
- I don’t mean that in a bad way
- it’s just a simple fact
- when a pastor comes to a church, the people don’t fully understand who they’re getting, and the pastor isn’t sure what he’s getting himself into
- well, I’m here tonight to say that God has been good
- I wouldn’t go back
- Richview has been great
- there are challenges, but there challenges at every church
- do you know what joys have stood out?
- two things
- for sure – the congregation
- we’ve been amazed at how warm, accepting, and gracious you have been
- we didn’t for a minute think that we would experience the love that we’ve felt
- and we’ve only been here a year – it’s going to get better
- but the other area that I’ve appreciated the most has to do with people like you, Peter, and you, Cathie
- I’ve been learning more than ever the joy that comes with co-laboring with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ
- I’ve been learning the joy of working side by side with others – to be in the trenches together with those who love Jesus Christ and are just as committed as I am to lead all people to become fully devoted followers of Christ
- now, some people think that the senior pastor should be multi-talented and hire only weaker people to serve with him
- but it’s been my joy to work with people who are much more gifted in certain areas than I am
- and Peter and Cathie, you’ve been part of that
- you have been my colleagues in the ministry
- we’ve shared a lot together
- we’ve been in some of the same trenches
- I’ve watched you both use gifts that I don’t even have
- and what a joy it’s been
- and so tonight I’m giving thanks for you
- what am I thankful for?
- look at 2 Timothy 1
- at the time Paul wrote this letter, he was imprisoned for the last time, and he knew that he was about to die
- unlike previous times in prison, this time he had little freedom
- he was probably in a dark dungeon
- what we have in this book are the last words from the apostle Paul
- and as he sat in that dungeon, his mind welled up with thankfulness for the privilege he had of serving with the young pastor in Ephesus named Timothy
- and I’m going to copy Paul in his thankfulness, and apply it to Peter and Cathie
- FIRST, I’M THANKFUL FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL PARTNERSHIP
- (2 Timothy 1:3) I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
- Paul begins with a general, “I thank God for you”
- and then he launches into a description of that God: the God that he serves with a clear conscience, just as his ancestors do
- I think he’s highlighting the spiritual partnership that he shares with Timothy
- they are partners in serving God together
- more and more, I’m developing an appreciation for others in ministry, and their spouses
- I’m so thankful for those God has placed in church leadership
- I’m not asking for sympathy here, but pastoring a church has been rated as one of the three hardest professions
- many people don’t understand that, but you do, Peter and Cathie
- you’ve been in church leadership, and you understand some of the struggles
- you’ve taken the hits that all those in ministry have taken
- you’ve seen the discouragements
- and Cathie, you’ve also experienced what every spouse of a church leader has experienced: being in the tough place of watching your husband take hits, and being unable to do anything else but take it to God in prayer
- but you’ve also had the highs
- you’ve also experienced the perks of being in church leadership
- you’ve had the joy of being in a front-row seat and watching God work in the lives of people
- you’ve had the joy of working arm in arm with those who are passionately committed to serve God
- you know that the joys far outweigh the lows in church ministry
- Peter and Cathie, thank you for your spiritual partnership in serving God
- it’s been evident from the day we met that you love God
- nobody who gets to know you could doubt that you have a desire and passion to serve God and to love him more
- SECOND, I’M THANKFUL FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP
- (2 Timothy 1:4) Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
- here you begin to see the type of relationship that Paul and Timothy had
- they were friends, fellow travelers, leaders in the church
- and Timothy was a son in the faith
- the last time they left each other, there were many tears
- it was probably when Paul was arrested and taken to Rome for his second imprisonment
- the tears they shed at parting revealed the depth of their friendship
- Peter and Cathie, you have that sort of friendship with many in this congregation, as you’ve seen tonight
- you are loved by many
- we not only appreciate what you’ve done, but who you are
- thank you for your friendship
- I know that my family looks forward to getting together with you in the near future, and we promise that we will continue to pray for you
- as Paul says, “Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers”
- THIRD, I’M THANKFUL FOR THOSE WHO HAVE MADE YOU THE WAY YOU ARE
- (2 Timothy 1:5) I have been 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.
- as Paul looked at Timothy, he saw the connection between the faith of his mother and his grandmother
- in the same way that I have looked at both of you, and have seen the way your parents have passed on a spiritual heritage which is alive in you
- and I see you passing this on to your children as well
- I thank God for bringing people into your lives who have taught you how to be godly and committed to him
- I could go on and thank God for other things that I’ve seen in you
- Peter, thank you for your sensitive spirit
- Cathie, thanks for exercising your leadership gift
- Peter, thanks for the great choirs that you’ve led, and for selecting such great music
- Cathie, thank you for caring enough about children that you championed a VBS program
- and we could go on
- but thank you for all that you are and all that you have done
- I don’t want to say much more, but I do want to challenge you as you move ahead
- when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, Timothy was facing a tough challenge
- he was experiencing opposition to his message, and to himself as a leader
- his youth, his association with Paul, and his leadership had come under fire
- he wasn’t in the easiest church, and there were significant challenges ahead
- that’s why Paul gives two challenges to him
- I’m going to give these two challenges to you before we pray for you as a couple
- we’re entering a new phase of ministry – one in which we watch each other’s ministry from a distance
- and so I would leave these two challenges with you
- REKINDLE YOUR GIFTS
- (2 Timothy 1:6) 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.
- “For this reason…” Paul says
- what reason?
- because Timothy is a man of established faith
- because of this, “Fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you”
- this is a reference to Tim othy’s ordination
- (1 Timothy 4:14) Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
- Peter and Cathie, you have received spiritual gifts, as every believer in Jesus Christ has received spiritual gifts
- but you have also been set aside for church leadership
- like Timothy, different churches have appointed you to a position of leadership
- and your gifts can be compared to a fire
- the idea here of rekindling here isn’t that your fire has almost gone out
- the idea is that the embers need constant stirring
- so continue to keep those embers hot
- fan the fire into a flame
- keep the passion alive within your hearts
- I’m learning that nobody ever drifts in a positive direction
- when we begin to drift in any area of our lives, we have a tendency to go south, and I don’t mean Florida
- when churches begin to drift, they lose their vision
- when marriages begin to drift, the intimacy is lost
- when pastors begin to drift, they lose their edge
- as a pastor I face many dangers
- the two greatest dangers I face are equally dangerous
- one is outright sin
- and the other is complacency
- in one scenario, Satan would destroy my ministry by causing me to stumble
- in the other scenario, Satan would destroy my ministry one degree at a time, until the flame of my giftedness had all but gone out
- I’ve watched both of you
- I’ve seen how God has gifted both of you
- you are quite a team
- God has given you everything that you need to accomplish all that he has planned for you
- you don’t need any more gifts
- but as you enter a new era of ministry, keep those gifts that you’ve received red-hot
- don’t let Satan cool you down
- BE COURAGEOUS WITH YOUR GIFTS
- (2 Timothy 1:7) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
- I love this verse
- this is a time that calls for courageous actions by committed people
- it is a day in which God is calling for weak, ordinary people to use their God-given gifts – not because they’re great, but because they’ve received a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline
- this is not a day for the timid or the weak-hearted
- this is a day for the courageous to stand up and make a difference for God
- three things are needed
- power – enabling us to deal with any situation with moral authority
- love – self-sacrificing, affectionate service to our fellow believers
- and self-discipline – the restraint and self-control that every Christian leader requires
- Peter and Cathie, please be courageous
- God has gifted you
- he’s called you into ministry
- he’s made us fellow servants of Jesus Christ
- he’s made us friends
- we give thanks to God for you
- now, fan the flame of your giftedness
- keep serving him
- be courageous
- give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor for him is not in vain
- I hope you’ll pray with me that our ministries will reflect the words written on an old burial plaque 300 years ago:
- “In the year of 1653, when all things sacred were throughout the nation destroyed or profaned, this church was built to the glory of God by Sir Robert Shirley, whose singular praise it was to have done the best things in the worst times”
- may it be said of us that, like the Apostle Paul and like Sir Robert Shirley, we built our ministries to the glory of God by having done the best things in the worst times
