Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

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Anger
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Tone of specific sentences

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
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Jonathan Bolin
Extension # 006
Project #1
*DO NOT BE ASHAMED*
 
*[Introductory Scripture]* Rom.
1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”
*[Introduction] *
*            [Illustration] *My story about being ashamed.
There is a man in the Bible who was also ashamed.
The year is around A.D. 64.
The Neronian
persecution is now in full swing.
Nero, the 5th Roman Emperor, has blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome.
Christians were being dipped in pitch and set on fire for lighting around the city.
They are being thrown into the arena to be torn apart by wild dogs.
Paul is back from his 1st imprisonment in Rome.
Though there is no way of finding out, Timothy may have been with Paul at the time of the second arrest.
Second Tim.
1:4 states that Paul remembered Timothy’s tears.
If he was with Paul at the time, we can picture in our minds a dispatch of Roman soldiers marching up to Paul and taking him.
We can also see Timothy standing there weeping, overwhelmed by felling of helplessness as the one who called him his true son (I Cor.
4:17), mentored him, led him to Christ, befriended him is carried away.
Paul does not struggle with them.
His face radiates with utmost confidence in his God.
As he sees him being taken away, we know exactly what is going to happen to him (he won’t get out of this imprisonment).
What would Timothy be feeling at that time?
Was he feeling fear, that he was next?
Or was it uncontrollable sorrow for Paul’s sake?
If Paul would write to Timothy upon arriving at prison, what would his words be?  Would they be words of comfort?
Of fear?
Of disparity?
God has given us a chance to look into what Paul said to Timothy after this experience.
*[Announce and read text*] II Timothy 1:7-12
*[Prayer for illumination*]
*[Contextualization]*
Paul was in his 2nd imprisonment in Rome.
It was not a comfortable imprisonment like before (house arrest).
It was probably a dismal, underground dungeon.
Tradition says that it was the Mamertine Prison.
When full of prisoners, the flood gates of the sewer from the city were opened to drown the inmates, making room for others.
In chains, Paul was waiting the final trial, not expecting an acquittal.
His death was drawing near.
The shadow of the executioner was on him.
Timothy, on the other hand, was thrust into the position of responsible Christian leadership-far beyond his natural capacity.
According to I Tim., Paul had sent him to Ephesus to combat heretics, order church’s worship, ordain elders, regulate the relief and ministry of the widows, and command and teach apostolic faith
Now, with Paul leaving the scene, the mantel of leadership was being passed on to Timothy.
He was the one who Paul had invested time into.
He was the closest to Paul.
He may have been the one everyone was looking to take the brunt of Paul’s leadership.
If so, this would have thrust him into the public light, and something very much like what happened to Paul could happen to him.
“Humanly speaking, Timothy was hopelessly unfit to assume these weighty responsibilities of leadership in the church” He was young, prone to illness, and timid by temperament.
As with Moses and Jeremiah greatness was thrust upon him.
Nero was determined to destroy the church.
Heretics appeared to increase.
Paul speaks of a total Asian apostasy.
“Christianity…trembled, humanly speaking, on the verge of annihilation.”
“The situation of the church was bad-comparable to the Spanish Reformation in the middle of the 16th century-it had won numerous adherents, not least among the upper classes.
Yet it was relatively a small thing amidst the great mass of Spaniards.
Then the dominant power, armed with the tremendous Inquisition, took its suppression in hand—and it was suppressed.
In the mystery of God’s permission, the dread adverse force ‘made war upon the saints, and overcame them’ (Rev.
13:7).
The weak succumbed absolutely to the strong, and for many long generations the Gospel light in its purity was practically quenched in Spain.”
Is it any wonder that Paul had to remind Timothy to not be ashamed and to share in the sufferings of the Gospel?
Let us read the key verse of this passage (:8) where Paul tells Timothy,  “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.”
*(1.) *He was not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of Paul.
*(a.)
*Paul led by example (Rom.
1:16).
*(b.)*
It was Christ’s command (Mk.
8:38).
*(2.) *He was to share in the suffering for the gospel.
“Suffering rather than shame was to characterize Timothy’s ministry.”
Timothy was to bear evil treatment (the same word is used in  II Tim.
2:3).
Also see II Tim.
3:12.
“Christians should not suffer for doing wrong, ultimately they should suffer from doing right.”
*(3.) *He was to accomplish it by God’s power, not his own.
*[Fallen Creature Focus]  *When we are honest with ourselves we note that we, like Timothy, have a tendency of being ashamed of the gospel (being coward-like) because we are afraid to suffer.
* [Theme]*  Though we will suffer, we can stand for the gospel through the power of God by means of the nature of the God’s Spirit, the nature of God’s work, and the nature of God’s Son.
*I.*          *We do not need to be ashamed of the Gospel because of the nature of God’s Spirit (:7).*
Some have taken the meaning of “spirit” as a special spirit given to ministers (a special anointing).
I prefer the view that “spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit who reinforces our spirit.
*A*.
*His Spirit is not of fear.*
We can infer that Timothy struggled with timidity and cowardice.
If anybody he had the right to struggle with this it was Timothy.
Paul is about to die, persecution is arising, the many concerns of the church are weighing on his mind.
But, Paul says that this emotion does not characterize the saved person.
A lot of us still struggle with fear.
It is common to all men and women (Deut.
31:6, 8).
But, as one commentator stated, “cowardice has nothing to do with Christianity.”
Another man said, “timidity deteriorates into fear.
The Christian has not been given a Spirit of fear
*B*.
*His Spirit is of power*.
In contrast to fear, God has given us a spirit of power.
God’s Spirit is powerful.
The Holy Spirit formed creation (Gen.
1:2, Psalm 33:6, Job 26:13, 33:4).
He is omnipotent (Rom.
15:19), omniscient (Isa.. 40:13-14), and omnipotent (Psalm 139:7-10).
Lets go to Acts 1:8.
*[Illustration] *Peter, with Christ, could do anything.
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