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Sermon for Ordinary 27
The Reverend Dr Sam Cappleman
The Spirit within us
The epistle reading today is from 2 Timothy, probably the last letter
‘written’ by Paul.
(In reality, many theologians believe Titus and 1 & 2 Timothy to be too
different in vocabulary, style and grammar from letters which are genuinely
Pauline and depict a church which is far more developed than in the letters
directly attributed to Paul and are therefore not written by Paul but
pseudonymous epistles reflecting Paul’s style and probable teaching in the
pastoral situation of the early church to urge the leaders to maintain
ecclesial and societal structure and order).
As some of Paul’s last words they are often seem as his ‘Last will and
Testament’. His life is coming to an end and he refers to his life being
poured out (like a libation or drink offering) 2 Tim 4 v 6
Paul wants to leave the early church with some last words as to how they
should live their lives and conduct themselves in the times ahead, which
could be very difficult and challenging for them. As such, he says many
important things in the letters to Titus and Timothy.
So if it’s important, what was he saying and in particular just what was is
he was saying in his letter which was today’s epistle reading?
In Paul’s letters to Titus and Timothy Paul makes some important points
about how Christians should live their lives, how they should develop their
spiritual lives, what they should do, and how they should encourage each
other in speaking out for God in the world today.
In today’s verses Paul encourages the disciples in their development and
speaking out about their faith to others. He says three important things:
- fan into a flame the gift of God which you have been given
- we have a spirit of power, love and self discipline (bottle and courage),
not of timidity and drawing back
- do not be ashamed of what we believe (because it is the ultimate truth)
‘Fan into a flame the gift of God’, he exhorts the disciples. Take what they
had, us it and encourage it in themselves and others. Take action. As
believers we should not just sit around waiting for ‘God things’ to happen,
we are to be part of those things happening ourselves under the guidance and
power of His Holy Spirit.
But perhaps more importantly he reminds the disciples that the gift of God
is not a spirit of timidity or ‘shrinking back’, but of power, love and
discipline, ‘bottle’
Some people may have noticed that there was a big decision to be made
earlier this weekend. Did England play Mike Catt or Andy Farrell at centre
against the Australians? (The decision by Gordon Brown not to call an
election was arguable another big decision made this weekend.)
If we picture the England rugby team, and especially the forwards and the
front row in particular we get the image of a group of individuals who had
both self belief and a spirit of power and discipline. When we think of them
we do not get the image of individuals who are shrinking back in the face of
the opposition
And whilst we might not all have the size and height of England’s rugby team
we get the picture of what Paul was trying to convey. We are on the winning
side and we should have that same spirit of power and conviction in our
actions as we see in a team of rugby players at the world cup. A spirit of
dynamism and ‘bottle’
The rugby side drew confidence from those around them, all of whom had the
same self belief in their cause. And, it’s important that we as Christians
realise that there are others around us with the same belief too. And it is
easier to be confident if those around you are confident. But as Christians
we are not just confident because of those around us, we are confident
because we have God Himself with us.
God did not leave the early believers alone as just a group of people with
the same belief, He gave them His Holy Spirit to inspire, guide and protect
them, just as He does for us today, He gives us His Holy Spirit to encourage
and empower us. A Spirit of power, love and self discipline.
That is why we are able to testify about our faith and what it stands for in
the world and to tell others about the good news of the kingdom.
It is Jesus Himself who empowers us through His Holy Spirit. He gives us the
strength and conviction, the insight and even the words to say – to speak
out and not be ashamed
Are we proud of what we believe or are we defensive when challenged? How do
we respond when someone asks us whether we really believe all that God
stuff? Do we respond with a spirit of confidence or of apologetic
acquiescence? Yes we need to listen to what people have to say and the
questions they raise but we also need to have the courage of our convictions
to answer them confidently, knowing we are on the winning side. Not because
of ourselves, but because of the God who is in us and goes with us wherever
we go.
Paul is encouraging the believers not only to have confidence in what they
have to say but that they should be challenge the world with their faith and
values. To speak and live out what they believe.
Not to be ashamed but to be proud of what they believe, not defensive and
seeking to agree with all those around them but to be confident in what they
believe
The England rugby side drew confidence from those around them, easy to do if
some of them are well over 6’6’’ tall. But for Christians, for those who
hear and believe God’s holy word, we not only have our fellow believers with
us, we have God Himself who goes with us in all we do or say. Why should we
be ashamed?
As we leave the church today, we take a part of God with us into the world;
we have that same gift as the early disciples, a spirit of power and
‘bottle’, not a spirit of timidity and drawing back.
We are to ‘fan into a flame’ and encourage the faith within us and others,
having God’s Spirit of power and confidence as we do so, speaking proudly
about our belief and religion to all those around us
We don’t know what the future holds for the England rugby team (apart from a
semi-final with France) and we don’t know what the future necessarily holds
for us.
But we do know that whatever the future does hold for us, God goes with us
through His spirit of love, power and discipline. And with that we can take
on the world.