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Qualities Of A Christian For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound

mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) Introduction: n this letter we !an see the !ontrast between "aul and his !onstant !ompanion Timothy# The aging "aul was in prison and soon to be e$e!uted while Timothy was young and somehow was set free# %onsidering the said situation of the two men, you would naturally thin& that Timothy should be the one en!ouraging and !onsoling "aul# 'ut what had happened is the other way around and this letter of the dying man is a!tually to en!ourage Timothy who is down(hearted, wea& and timid# The apostle reminded his young helper to remember what God has given him and to be!ome the &ind of man God wants him to be# )ur te$t for today will somehow help us remember or reali*e that God has given us great blessing that no one !an e$plain but !an be e$perien!e by a !hild of God# n other words, God !reates in us the +ualities enumerated by ,is indwelling presen!e# A. Fearless (For God has not given us a spirit of fear###) Fear is a matter of feeling that torments us and ma&es our lives miserable# Fear is two(fold# )ne is !alled gra!ious or godly fear, and the other one is the tormenting or !arnal fear# )f gra!ious fear, we read: - will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me.- (/er# 02:12) and it is also -the beginning of wisdom#- ("rov# 3:12) n fa!t, it !ontains all other gra!es# 'ut there is a fear that does not !ome from God and yet is in the heart of those who fear ,im# 4nd the real !ause of this &ind of fear is guilt# a# Unbelief# 5ou have no interest in this pre!ious blood of /esus# Though you may see the righteousness of /esus revealed in the word of truth, yet you !annot get under it. though you may see the atoning blood of /esus, yet you !annot get it into your !ons!ien!e. though you behold mer!y and gra!e in the person of %hrist, yet you !annot bring its power into your own soul. and while you !annot obtain pardon and pea!e, still your mind is full of unbelief# b# Backsliding. 6eparting from the right ways of the 7ord# 8e may not noti!e it but more or less everyone of us is doing this# 8e ba!&slide with our hearts, with our minds, with our lips, and with the way we live# n fa!t, one step we do not ta&e forward, is one step we ta&e ba!&ward# )ne moment that is not in the presen!e of God, is a moment we are living to sin and self# !# Worldliness of mind# 'eing too mu!h o!!upied in material things, 1

profession, !areer, sports, business, and other a!tivities# These things !ause us to forget God, not to see& the 7ord9s fa!e and not !alling upon ,is name# The very purpose of the gospel is to mend this feeling, to en!ourage and to stimulate us, so that this defe!t may be!ome whole# 4nd it is meant to deal with the most deeply rooted defe!ts in our !hara!ter, to ma&e the !roo&ed things straight, and the rough pla!es plain# 4ny man who reali*es the truths whi!h the gospel reveals, and use the gifts it offers, will be transformed into a fearless man. ,e is no longer li&e a tall grass sha&en by the wind, but li&e a pillar, or an iron wall, in the midst of all dangers and enemies# )ur :aviour has given us the good news of ,imself, wherein ,is name be!omes our dearest hope and ta&es away all our doubts# ,e has given us the assuran!e of forgiveness, a!!eptan!e and righteousness and the things whi!h ma&e us !owards are re!tified and some of them are totally gone# ,e has given us truths whi!h we need to embra!e with our hearts and minds to ma&e us brave# ,e has assured us that all things wor& together for good and that ,e ,imself will never leave us# )ur the ;aster spea&s to us from the heavens saying, -Fear not<- am the first and the last=# Therefore, there9s no reason for us to fear for we are now related to /esus %hrist from whom all !hanges originate, by whom all events are dire!ted, unto whom all things hold# B. Strong (For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power###) n many respe!t we are different from ea!h other# :ome of us are naturally easy to get along, some are sensitive, some are even easy to yield, and some of us have strong will while others don9t# These differen!es will remain but as we move forward in faith, the wea& shall be made strong and the strong shall be made stronger# )ur present !ondition is the result of the !ultivation or e$er!ise of strength of will and of moral nature# 5ou may believe it or not but to be wea& is to be wi!&ed# 4nd most of the times that we go wrong is be!ause of la!& of strength and in!apable of resistan!e# 4nyone who !annot say >?o<= is doomed to say >5es<= to all bad things that may en!ounter him# ,ow then !an we get strength@ ,ow !an we have power that will enable us to stand to every wind that blows@ 2

The only answer is by faith in /esus %hrist# Therefore, open your hearts and let the strong :on of God enter your soul# ,e sends ,is mighty :pirit into every spirit that will a!!ept it# 'e always in the presen!e of the 7ord, listen to every word ,e spea&s in our hearts for they ma&e us strong in ,is servi!e, against all temptation, and in the midst of all suffering# ,e who is strong in the 7ord, he only is truly strong# C. Loving (For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love###) f power gets into our mind it tends to ma&e us arrogant and sometimes oppressive# 'eing very !ons!ious of our strength !orrupts us into be!oming offensive, !ruel, and without respe!t to people who are wea&# 4nd that9s the reason why "aul wonderfully and beautifully put love side by side with power# ,e is li&e a s&illful painter who &nows by instin!t what tint will best bring up the one that is laid beside it# Tea!hings of great tea!hers of this generation and of the past are morally !orrupt be!ause they lost sight of the fa!t that the strongest thing in the universe is love# "aul says, %hrist ma&es strong men, but ,e ma&es loving men too# There is only one thing that ma&es men loving, and that is that they should be loved# The &ind of love that is the !hild of faith and the parent of all virtue# 'e reminded that God wins men not by power alone but also with love# 7et all your deeds be done in !harity and do not promote strength that doesn9t show !ompassion and tenderness# 4nd /esus %hrist, the in!arnate 7ove, and 7over of all our souls, !omes to us and shows us and says,= God so loved the world= # That is why %hrist ma&es us love ,im be!ause ,e assures us that we are loved by ,im# D. Self governing (For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound !ind.) don9t &now if you will agree with me, but someone having a sound mind is e+uivalent in many respe!t to someone who has self(!ontrol# n other words, he is someone who demonstrated firm and determined self( government#

:atisfying our legitimate desire is perfe!tly alright, but satisfying it without limit and without restraint is perfe!tly dangerous# :atisfying a thing without limit is li&e pursuing a passion with your eyes !losed# 3

'lind passions are not !apable of seeing reason. but reason, li&e the eye, is meant to guide the blind# 8e need to set a strong will above us that !annot be bribed, a reason that will not be de!eived, and a !ons!ien!e that will be true to God# Govern yourselves, or you will !ome all to pie!es# 'rethren, there is only one thing that will give !omplete self(!ommand# f you9re in a trial, it is guaranteed that it will not fail# Trust /esus %hrist, as& ,im to govern you, and ,e will help you !ontrol yourselves# They said: -Avery man is a &ing-, and !on+uering yourself is the greatest !on+uest that any man !an ma&e# 8herever you are master, be master inside your own soul# 4nd that you may be the servant of ,im who alone will ma&e you master of yourself# Conclusion: For those who are willing to submit to the will of God, ,e will !reate a fearless, strong, loving, and a men with a sound mind in us# 8e may not start our %hristian life with these +ualities, but God is willing to give them to us# n %hrist the most timid will grow bold in fight, the wea&est will be made strong, the most self(!entred heart will be opened for love and the wildest rebellion within us will be subdued# f we will only go to ,im, and trust ,im with ourselves, and live in true !ommunion with ,im, and in patient e$er!ise of the gifts that ,e bestows, then ,e will say to us: -Fear not< ;y strength is made perfe!t in wea&ness#-

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