The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
2 timothy 1:7

Charles Dickens begins his famous book, A Tale of Two Cities, by stating, "It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times." It is no mistake that this depicts the time that we live in now. At our fingertips is the "Information Highway". Through the internet, we have vast amounts of knowledge like we've never had before. Yet there is a fear because many have been lured into the darkness of pornography. Children have been stalked by predators and pedophiles, which have discovered new ways of targeting them. These are the best of times, and yet the worst of times. There has been an abundance of homeowners through new incentive plans for first-time buyers. For those who were able to take advantage, it has been the best of times. But layoffs and just plain, excessive debt and poor planning have created a nightmare for some who have lost those same homes to foreclosure, making it also the worst of times. And for those of us who still have jobs, there is uncertainty about whether our jobs today will be available tomorrow as we hear of company downsizings, outsourcings, and closings. All of these things have made us fearful. It is no question that we are a wiser generation, but sin has made us a weaker generation.

This passage serves as a reminder, first, that we serve a true and living God Who, according to Ephesians 3:20, ". . . Is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”. This means that we have a God Who has the power to keep us, not only during the best of times, but Who can also work during the worst of times.

It is believed that young Timothy had concern about his responsibilities as a pastor over a tough group of people, a task which might have been intimidating. Paul’s letter to Timothy began by stating in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Like Timothy, we ought not to be fearful. Instead we need to be witnesses and examples for Christ.

There are rough groups in the church. They may have no other credit to their name except for the fact that they are old, they have been at the church a long time, and they feel that even though God has given them a pastor to lead them, He has given them age, which they believe is their call to lead the pastor.

So Paul reminds Timothy that despite his youth, despite the age of the congregation that he speaks to, he is to remember that since God called him, God qualified him, and so he must not be fearful.

We may not all have the responsibilities that Timothy had, but we all have God's calling upon our lives. Some of us are called for leadership positions, while others are called for support positions. That person who quietly ministers behind the scenes is just as important as that visible person who stands in front of you Sunday after Sunday ministering to you through teaching, preaching, or singing in the choir. So for all of you Timothy’s out there, Paul reminds you not to be fearful.

But fear is never limited to one area of our lives. You can be fearful of losing your job on one hand. On the other hand, you can be fearful of the dangers out there that can potentially harm your loved ones. You can be fearful of speaking up for Christ and the Gospel. Perhaps you struggle with the fears of ridicule, criticism, embarrassment, opposition, mockery, and maybe even verbal abuse. If we are honest, we all have experienced fears at one time or another. We know that the pastor has given us tracts to distribute. We know that we have been told to invite people to church, and we really have a desire to do it until we leave church and meet a person we don't know. We ask, “Will they be mad if I give them a tract? Will they turn me down if I invite them to church?” And while this debate is going on in our minds, we don't do anything because of fear. Fear will impede our progress. Fear will put things at a standstill in your life and prevent you from achieving goals in the future.

We are taught as children to have a good fear of disobeying our parents. As we grow older, we obey our parents out of love and respect for them. The fear of God works much the same way for His children. But the fear that Paul speaks about is one that dishonors the Lord rather than honoring Him. It is a fear which prevents us from doing what God has called us to do. God never calls us to do a job without providing us with the equipment. And nowhere in the equipment can fear be found. This is why Paul states it; God doesn't give it to us.

Now that begs the question, "If God doesn't give us fear, then where does it come from?" That's simple. It comes from our enemy, the devil. And God knows that, so here's what He does. He gives us the spirit of His love, power, and a sound mind. You see, the Holy Spirit, Who is the third Person of the Trinity, indwells, energizes, and empowers us. Now a lot of people never see this power being manifested in their lives. That's because it's like a new automobile. It looks great sitting in the showroom of the dealer. You can touch it, and that solid metal may feel great. You can kick the tires, and they may feel great; but the only way you will experience how well that car rides is to crank up the engine and drive it! I can tell all of you about the Holy Spirit and we can teach on the Holy Spirit, but we will not experience His full power until we do the things that God calls us to do. We crank it up every time we stand for Christ. We take a ride every time we are faithful witnesses for the Lord.

Look at Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Now notice Paul mentions that with the spirit of power, we also receive the spirit of love. This is agape, or God’s kind of love. It is effective because we must, of course, love God, but this love also extends to our fellow-man. In other words, we must love others enough to want to share with them the love of Christ. Here's what Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

Finally, Paul mentions that with this power, we are given a sound mind. The Greek word used is sophronismou, which means self-control. Now when we have placed our faith in Christ, we ought to walk in Him. This means to live the kind of life that would honor Him. And sometimes when we live this way, people are going to criticize us. They are going to ridicule us, and they may even mistreat us. The first thing that comes to mind is to reciprocate or to just stop. That’s not a sound mind. God doesn’t get glory when you strike back or stop. The devil knows this and that’s exactly what he wants you to do.

The sound mind:

1. Helps us to stay focused on our objective, which is to honor Christ.
2. It helps us to exercise self-control so that we don’t strike back when others criticize or ridicule us.
3. The sound mind that Paul talks about is the mind of Christ, which is able to discern that the real enemy is not our spouse, our children, our neighbor, or whoever. The real enemy is our adversary, the devil. When we can make the distinction, it doesn't mean that we will accept what that person does as being OK! What it means is that we will still love them with the love of Christ and speak to them about the love of Christ.

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