14 All in Verses for MenSample

Are you hesitating to take action because of private feelings of shame?

This is Vince Miller.

Our text today is from 2 Timothy 1:8. It reads:

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. — 2 Timothy 1:8

So at this moment, Paul is writing from prison to his young protege Timothy. He wants him to take some active steps to address internal feelings that could keep him from living out his mission and calling. Actions, if not taken, could affect him and the future of the church. And Paul knows everything hangs on one thing — his hesitation in his private feelings of shame.

So what is shame? Shame is a feeling. It is a feeling of distress. It alerts us in two moments. When have already taken a wrong action. Or right before we take the right action that may involve risk.

And for some men, shame on either side of these moments is debilitating. It can keep us stuck in the wrong action. Or it leads to hesitation that results in inaction.

Today I want to address the second side of the issue — the hesitation to take the right action that leads to inaction. And Paul, in this one sentence, will tell Timothy how to overcome this by telling him five certainties about shame.

1. People will shame you for your testimony about Jesus.
2. Shame sometimes results in hesitation that keeps you from taking the right action.
3. If you hesitate too long, you will choose inaction.
4. Inaction keeps you from living on mission.
5. Inaction keeps you from experiencing the power of God.

These are profound points that Paul is trying to communicate. And in the shame-based culture in which they lived, private and public shame was a potentially big deterrent for advancing the Gospel.

Yet, in our time, it's no different. Shame for being a believer is becoming a bigger issue every day. We feel pressured by corporate agendas, government mandates, and public pressure to keep silent about our faith for fear of persecution. But the wrong action of others combined with our hesitation and inaction doubles down on the non-advancement of the Gospel. It also keeps us from our calling, and it also keeps us from knowing the power of God.

Do you know what we need today? Godly men who will push through the hesitation. Men who will suffer for the name of Jesus so that others will see the glory of God.

So let's get personal. Where have you been hesitating because of shame? Is it in your career? Your marriage? Your family? Your friendships? Are you hesitating to take action because of some private issue with shame? It's time to identify it. State it. Confess it. Determine to overcome it. Stop hesitating. If you do, you will know the freeing power of Jesus over all sin and shame.

And by the way, you might need a brother to help. Someone who has overcome his shame in the same area as you. That's what Paul was doing here. He was helping a brother out. He, too, had to work through the same issues, but he wanted his younger brother Timothy to know the freeing power of the Gospel and the power of God.

And that's what I want for you.