Prayer for All Members Based on Pastor Jared’s Message, March 5, 2023 2 Timothy 1:1-7
Encouragement to Persevere

Introduction: Even as Paul sits alone in prison, he is writing to encourage Timothy to persevere. The main theme is that the things we need most in this life come from God, not from ourselves or from our circumstances.

1. The Source of Our Confidence: Our confidence comes from God, not from our circumstances.

   Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus...

   Paul does not start by talking about his own difficult circumstances; he begins with a strong word of confidence. Paul is confident in his calling by the will of God and he is also confident in God’s promise.

   Father, please help us draw our strength from confidence in Your will and in Your faithfulness.

2. The Source of Our Perseverance: Our perseverance comes from God, not from ourselves.

   To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

   In order for us to persevere, God supplies us with these gifts:

   • Grace – God’s unmerited pardoning of us; His favor upon our life.

   • Mercy – God’s warm and tender affection to us when we need it in times of affliction.

   • Peace – The fullness of God’s presence and blessing in His people.

     We all need the grace, mercy, and peace that come from God and Jesus, who accomplished our salvation and made all these available to us.

     Father, thank You for Your vast resources You made available to us through Christ! As Paul prayed for Timothy, we too pray, asking for You to pour out to us Your grace, mercy, and peace!

3. The Source of Our Joy: Our joy comes from God’s providence, not from our circumstances.

   I thank God whom I serve... with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers... I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

   Paul has a clear conscience because he finds joy in resting in God and in His providence. He can thank God because he gets to serve Him and be a part of what He is doing in the lives of others. Paul also reminds Timothy that God has sovereignly worked through his family members to bring Timothy to faith.

   Father, please help us root our joy in Your providence in our lives!

4. The Outcome of Relying on Our Source: The result of our confidence, perseverance, and joy coming from God is that we then labor for the gospel so that others may experience the same thing.

   For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God... for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

   All of us who have believed in Jesus are called and gifted for ministry, and by relying on His Spirit we are empowered and emboldened to do the work of the ministry.

   Father, please help us to fan into flame the gifts You have given us, with power, love, and self-control.