We often think of timidity. Timothy was quiet and maybe a little bit reserved and he was a minister and he preached the gospel and he was pastoring and he could do tough tasks. There were times when he went and he traveled to Corinth, which was not an easy place to go. And he dealt with difficult things, but he was known for his timidity somewhat. And Paul writes to him and says, Timothy, don't be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then he adds, and don't be ashamed of me. Yes, I am in prison. Yes, I very well could die very soon. But in this very personal letter, he tells him to not be ashamed of the gospel. Now, as I looked at this text, these just a few verses there, I came upon, I'm sorry to say this, six reasons why Paul wanted Timothy to not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dr. Freeman taught me in preaching class, never, ever, ever try to preach a six point sermon. But I never did listen well. And I am going to attempt it today, so I'll maybe moving a little bit fast today, but I believe we can get through this and and I believe God has some very important things to say to us as we read our text today. I want you to look for these six reasons. We should not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, first of all, because God justified us. We shouldn't be ashamed because he is sanctifying us. We shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel because he chose us before the foundation of the world. We shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel because in the fullness of time, he sent Christ to come and to take on human flesh and to purchase our salvation. We should not be ashamed of the gospel because God will one day glorify us. And then last of all, we should not be ashamed of the gospel because God is going to finish the work that he has started in us. And I promise it is all in there. So let's read our text for today. Second, Timothy, chapter one, starting in verse eight. Here now, the written word of the living God. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord nor of me as prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus. who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our Lord will stand forever. Paul writes to Timothy, says, Timothy, don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed of me. Don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. And when we look in verse eight and verse nine, very quickly, we see the first reason why Paul says to him, don't be ashamed of the gospel. He speaks about, he makes that command, don't be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel. And then it says we do it by the power of God who saved us. Now, I realize that word for save is the common word for salvation, and it's used in a lot of different ways in scripture. This word per se can be used to describe everything from deliverance from demons to physical healing. Christ heals someone and it says he saved. them, it touched their physical body. It can mean all of his salvation, you know, from our choosing to our glorification. It can mean all of that as a big picture. But here it seems to be speaking of our justification when we are declared righteous through what Christ has done for us. You know, don't be ashamed of him by the power of God who saved us. Now, in our day and age, we want to ask saved from what? And if you ask people today, what do we need to be saved from? And they'll say, I don't need to be saved from anything. I'm doing just fine. Thank you. Why do I need to be saved? And finally, people come to this point where they feel like, well, I just need to be saved from an ineffectual life. I just need a little bit of help. I need God to help me be a better dad or I need God to help me be a better husband or I need God to help me be a better citizen or better employer or employer or a better employee. In other words, to many people today, God came so that we could have our best life now, so to speak, as one famous TV preacher always speaks about. But but when you look at Scripture. Scripture does not talk about God helping us over the rough places of life, necessarily. It talks about saving us from our sin and the wrath of God that is upon us because of our sin. I love R.C. Sproul's ability to take the complex and make it simple. And and he quoted a seminary professor once in speaking of this. And this is how he described what he's talking about here. He wrote on the board. You are very, very bad and God is very, very mad. You talk about making the complex simple, that is what he has done. You know, because of our sin, we are born into this world dead in trespasses and sins. We are by nature children of wrath. We deserve all of the wrath that God can send our way as a children's catechism says, what does every sin deserve? And probably all the kids out here could say the wrath and curse of God, because we are sinners, we deserve God's wrath. But this text tells us that God, through Christ, made it possible for sin to be punished, sin had to be punished. but also so that sinners could be made right with God. He sent his son and Christ came. He took on human flesh. He kept God's law. He went to the cross. He dives the sacrifice for sinners. He experienced the wrath of God upon him himself so that we wouldn't have to experience it. Yes, God saved us. And because we have been justified, we have been declared righteous in him. We can know that we have a living relationship with the living God. We have been adopted into his family. And because of that, we should not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is through that gospel that we have been justified. But he doesn't stop there. He just doesn't say this God who saved us. But he goes on there in verse nine to speak of something else. He speaks of the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling. Now, granted, if you have the new King James out there, it says that he called us with a holy call. And that is a valid way to translate this from the Greek into the English, and if it's talking about that, that he called us with a holy calling, it simply means that his calling is holy because he is God. He is this holy God, and now he has chosen to call us, even though we are in our sins, and to call us to salvation. But if you look at the way that ESV translates this, it says he calls us not with a holy calling, but he calls us to a holy calling. And I tend to lean that way just simply because he seems to be building, talking about all the different ways that God saves us. So here it begins, really, by talking about our call to salvation. So it starts out in a sense, talking about our justification, who saved us and called us. God calls us and theologians talk. They talk about two different ways that God calls. God calls us with a general call to the preaching of the word. As Paul said, I call all men everywhere to repent. Everyone needs to turn to Christ. That is a general call. And many people reject that Paul made such a call on Morris Hill. And they said, oh, that's nice, Paul. Maybe you come up with something else and you would like to come back and speak to us sometime. We would love to hear you. They weren't interested in that. They rejected that outward call. But if you are the elect of God, there comes a time in your life when that outward call comes to you. But it doesn't just come alone, but it also comes with an inward. call and God's spirit moves on that heart that is dead and trespasses and sin and it brings it to life and it helps that heart to see its need for salvation, for the fact that it is under the wrath of God and and and it quickens our hearts and our hearts come to life and we're granted repentance and we are given faith and we trust in him. And we are regime. We are adopted into the family of God by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. But we have to look. It says he saved us and called us both the general and an effectual call. But it also says called us to a holy call. In other words, he didn't just justify us to get us to heaven one day. But he is also interested in making us holy. We are called to a holy calling. We all know what Romans 828 says, right? I mean, everybody knows Romans 828, but sometimes we forget about Romans 829. It goes hand in hand. So let's read the two together. And then we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image. Of his son. See, that is what we are predestined to do. We are predestined, yes, to be justified, to be declared righteous through Christ. But we're also predestined to be conformed in the image of his son. God is working in us to make us more like his son so that we look at people the way Christ looked at people, that we love them the way he loved them, that he builds his holiness into our life. Now, while our justification is a point in time experience, our sanctification is a process. Over our lifetime, as we live here on this earth, as we battle remaining sin, we come to church, we hear the gospel preached, we hear God's law preached, we worship God together, we pray, we read his word, we do all those things. And God uses all of those things to sanctify us in his truth and to grow us into grace and to make us more like Jesus Christ, to actually make us holy. And then one day that job is finally done. When either we die or Christ returns, but he begins to justify us and then he says, oh, yes, and all I justify, I'm going to sanctify as he begins to grow us in grace. Now, to be honest, if you are anything like me, sometimes right, it's three steps forward, two steps back, three steps forward, two steps back. But God is at work in us. to grow us in his grace into the image of Jesus Christ. So we shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel because what Christ did on the cross, he sanctifies. So he justifies, he sanctifies us. And as we continue on in verse nine, we see something else. We should not be ashamed of the gospel because God chose us before the foundation of the world. who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, it was all by grace, but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. Now, this makes some people feel very uncomfortable whenever we start talking about God choosing and predestination and people begin to shuffle their feet and get a little nervous and uncomfortable. But that is just part of the world in which we live. That's how we are. But when you look at the text of Scripture, you see it everywhere. And I guess the most the place that jumps out at us most is is found in Ephesians chapter one. And I'm not going to read the entire chapter. But it begins by saying, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ himself. And it goes on from there before the foundation of the world. God chose us. He chose us to be justified. He chose us to be sanctified. It is a part of his word, and we shouldn't run from it, even though it makes us feel a little uncomfortable. It is a very comforting doctrine. I always get tickled at Ligon Duncan, and I know Pastor Marcus shared this story before. When Ligon Duncan and R.C. Sproul came to Conroe here several years ago, he was preaching, and I don't remember what Ligon Duncan was preaching on, but he told this story. Isn't that the way it normally is? You don't remember the text, but you remember the story the pastor told. But he had gone to his grandmother's house, who happened to be a Baptist. I was Baptist a long time, OK, so don't be mean to Baptists. But she was a Baptist, and they were gathered around the breakfast table. And that's just we always had something called open windows and an open windows. You had to read through the Bible plan and they were reading. It was their time to read Ephesians one and his grandmother read Ephesians one to them. Now, at this time, Ligon Duncan was a teenager, a smart aleck teenager, as he said. And I said to my grandmother, Grandma, see, he's prestige. You believe. in predestination, she said, No, I don't. I'm a Baptist. Baptist don't believe in predestination. And Ligon said, Well, no, Grandma, you may not believe in predestination the way that we believe in predestination, but you surely believe in predestination because you just read it from Scripture. And she said, No, we're Baptist. We don't believe in predestination. Now, she was a godly Christian lady. She loved the Lord and all that. But it was just something that she could not get past. But Paul writes to Timothy, and if he tells him not to be ashamed of the gospel, he says, because Christ Jesus chose you before the foundation of the world. And when we were chosen, our salvation was set. It hadn't taken place yet, but it was set in stone. It was something that was going to happen, but it did not truly happen until we get to this next point. when Christ came and purchased our salvation in verse 10. He says, in which now has been manifested to the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Yes, we were chosen before the foundation of the world, but we weren't saved or justified yet. Someone first had to come and purchase our salvation, and that is what Christ did. The second person of the Trinity, the second person of the Godhead, as we talked today, he took on human flesh and he came to earth. He was, it says, manifested through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus. We get our English word epiphany from this word appearing, you know, when we go, wow, he appeared. He took on human flesh. He lived here on this earth. He kept God's law. He did what we could never do. He went to the cross. He died. He was raised. He ascended upon. He ascended on high. And when we trust in him and when we trust in what he did. That is when we are converted, we are justified, we we are brought in to the kingdom of God. Paul spells out what the gospel is, this this appearing of Jesus in first Corinthians 15. He says now remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preach to you, which you received in which you stand and by which you are being saved if you hold fast to the word I preach to you, unless you believed in vain. And here's the gospel for I deliver to you as a first importance what I also receive. that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James and to all the apostles. And last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. Our salvation was purchased in time and space by the second person, the Trinity, as he kept God's law. And he went and experienced God's wrath on himself so that we would not have to experience it. And it is all about the gospel. And the gospel is when Jesus Christ was made clear to us. This is what we call the gospel. And this is what we should not be ashamed of. Now, I hear people all the time talking about we need to live the gospel. I think I know what they're saying when they say that, but but technically that is not what we do. We don't live the gospel. We believe the gospel and we preach the gospel. The gospel is that truth about Jesus Christ and who he is and what he has done for us. And that is to be proclaimed and that is to be shouted to the ends of the earth. And then we are to believe in it because believing in that gospel is where we are made right with God. So we should not be ashamed of the gospel because we are justified and we should not be ashamed of the gospel because he is sanctifying us and he chose us and he manifested himself to us. But we see something else here. We should not be ashamed of the gospel because one day God will glorify us again. Look at verse 10. He is the one who abolished death and brought life and immortality to lie through the gospel. Now, yes, we have been redeemed. Those of us who are Christians, we have been redeemed by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We have been made one with him. But every one of us who are redeemed, if Christ does not return. In the relatively near future for all of us in this room, we're going to die. That is going to happen to us, the Bible says it is appointed unto man to die once and after that comes the judgment. Every one of us is going to die unless Christ returns soon. But Jesus to Martha out at the edge of the cemetery, when he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, said this, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? You see, for Christians, God is not just he doesn't just justify us and he doesn't just sanctify us. But one day he will glorify us when we die immediately. Our souls go to be with the Lord. They are made perfect in holiness. And and we go and we're in the presence of the Lord to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And and we are there with him awaiting the resurrection. When we will be rejoined with our body to serve and worship our Lord forever and forever and forever, we should not be ashamed of the gospel, because it is through the gospel that we have life, though we die yet shall we live. I don't remember who said it. If I did, I would give him credit. But someone once said death is not a period in the life of the Christian. It is simply a comma. As we move from this life in this fallen age, in this present age. To be with the Lord, to make be made perfect in holiness, to become just men made perfect the way the book of Hebrews says that is our lot because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But there's one last reason why I told you we make it getting itchy, huh? The last reason why we should not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because our salvation is secure and God will finish the work that he has started in all of us. Now, as we look at verse 12, it says simply in the ESV, but I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. And that is one way this verse can be translated. Literally, I say that if I told you literally what it said, I would have to read it to you in Greek. But word for word, what that verse says is this. I am convinced that he, talking about God, is able to guard my deposit with a view to that day. Now, it's according to how you take the phrase my deposit that determines how this is going to be translated. In the ESV, my deposit, it's his deposit because it's something that's been given to him. So if that is true, as we see it in the ESV, it is saying that I am convinced that God is is able to guard until that day the gospel that he has given to me to the very end. I will preach the gospel. I will proclaim the gospel. I will not be ashamed of the gospel to the very end. That is how I will be. That gospel has been entrusted to me and I will be faithful to it. But that's just one option, and that is why I put the New King James Bible on the front of your worship bulletin, so I wish you'd take it out. We cannot look at the front of our bulletin till near till we're nearing the end, so feel good about that. But look down in verse 12, and this is the way the New King James translates that. For this reason, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him. Until that day. And in this case, the deposit is not something that was given to Paul, but it's his deposit because it's something that he has given to God. And Paul is talking about his life and his salvation and all of those things that he has put in the hands of God. And if that is how this should be translated and either one of them is valid. Either one of them is valid, but if that is the way this is to be translated, what it is saying is that God will keep our salvation. He will keep us safe. Our salvation is in his hands and we know that he is going to finish that work. We do not have to worry about falling away because we cannot. The old term, the perseverance of the Saints, is what is speaking of their our life and our salvation. is in his hands, all because of the gospel. I talked about how this fit hand in glove, what Pastor Mark has been preaching over in First Peter, chapter one, verse three through five, we read this and then we'll close. It says, Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, it is all by his mercy and grace. Remember, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It's all about the gospel to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. And listen, kept in heaven for you who, by God's power, are being guarded through faith for a salvation. yield in the last time. See, our lives, our salvation, it's in the hands of God. We know that he will finish the work. As we look at all this, what does this mean to us? Well, whenever you look at a text of scripture, there are questions you want to ask yourself. Is there a command for me to do something or a command for me not to do something or a warning to heed or a promise to cling to? All of these are good questions to ask. And as we look at this, there's only one command. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. But when we look at all the reasons why we shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel, it gives us something to believe. And that is what I want to leave you with today, to believe, to rest, to trust in his gospel, because he is justifying you, because he is sanctifying you, because he chose to save you. You are not an afterthought, but from the very beginning of time, you were chosen to be one of his children. In the fullness of time, he sent his son. One day he is going to glorify us and we know this is going to happen. Because our lives and our salvation are in his hands and it is secure because of who God is. So Christian, believe, rest in what God has done for you. And if you happen to be here today and you're not a Christian and there are probably people in a crowd this size who are not. I would say, look to this Christ, look to this gospel. Rest in him, trust in him. I will say to you what, Paul? To all men everywhere, I say repent and believe the gospel, because he is the only mediator between God and man. Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's pray together, please. Our Father, we thank you for the gospel. If all we had was your law, we would be of all men most miserable because we sure cannot keep it. Lord, I thank you, though, that Christ came and kept your law. And went to the cross, not for his sins, for he had no sin, but for our sins. And Lord, even as we are reminded of our sin, Lord, may we always be reminded of your grace and of your gospel. That blessing that is ours through Christ and what he did for us. Lord, I pray for Christians that we can rest in these beautiful words promised to us. But I pray for those who are not Christians today and Lord, I realize your Your will is above all in this, but Lord, I would pray that you would call your people to yourself. They might repent, believe the gospel, quicken hearts today. Lord, be glorified through all that is done in our lives as we leave this place, Lord, we would ask you, as Jesus prayed his high priestly prayer, sanctify all of us in your truth. For your word is truth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.