Grace Clarksville

As Paul concludes his letter to Timothy, he points to the thing that has helped him live a life of faithful service: relationships. Paul asks Timothy to bring to him the things that bring him comfort: his coat, his books, and his friends. As we unpack Paul’s final words, let’s look at what Christian friendship is meant to look like in our lives of faithful service and how they, too, can be a comfort to us.     Key Verses: 2 Timothy 4:9-22  

As Paul closes his letter to Timothy, he once again reflects on what his life has meant, what it should mean, and how he sees it. In this sermon, we look at how Paul viewed his life — as an offering, a fight, and a race.     Key Verses: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Hope lies central to the message of God and his work in the world. But what does it mean to hope in Him, especially when we face trials and troubles? In this sermon, we see that hope holds onto three important truths: God will judge what is wrong, He is in charge, and there is work to do while we wait.   Key Verses: 2 Timothy 4:1-5  

Paul calls Timothy to remain faithful to the teachings he has received, recognizing that the Scriptures he has been taught are trustworthy and the people who have taught them can be trusted too. In this sermon, we will explore themes of trust, faithfulness, wisdom, and correction as we seek to understand better the value of God’s Word in our lives. Key Verses: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

What is the purpose of our lives? Paul reminds Timothy of how he did not try to hold onto his life, but instead gave it away. In this sermon, we see what it means to give our lives away, and how we can do it.   Key Verses: 2 Timothy 3:10-13

Paul tells Timothy to expect “difficult times” — and that they will not go away anytime soon because they come from what’s inside of us, in our hearts. How can Paul say this? In this sermon, we explore what is so wrong with our hearts, why it matters, and how we can find a different way to live.   Key Verses: 2 Timothy 3:1-9  

Paul continues to speak wisdom into Timothy’s service and ministry by addressing to him how to deal with difficult people. He calls him on how to best win any argument is by not engaging in foolish, ignorant arguments and instead focusing on his posture of heart. As we look at Paul’s words and guidance to Timothy, let us look at internalizing these words for our life and seek a posture of heart ready to deal with the difficult people around us.   Key Verses: 2 Timothy 2:23-26

Paul continues to tell Timothy what life as a follower of Jesus will demand of him, bringing specific attention to his ethics and moral character. Timothy is encouraged to flee evil desires and pursue the essential virtues of a Christian; demonstrating that a genuine faith continually finds expression in visible and tangible ways.  Key Verses: 2 Timothy 2:15-22

As Paul continues his encouraging words to Timothy, he once again returns to the power of Jesus and his Good News. In this sermon, we see that Paul wants to Timothy to remember that Jesus is a the great king who used his power to defeat death, and the specific encouragements this great truth can give to us.   Key Verses: 2 Timothy 2:8-14  

How do we handle life when it becomes hard? Paul tells us that endurance is not only possible, but it is vital to following God through our hardships. In this sermon, we look at what endurance means and how we can discover the power to do it, again and again. Key Verses: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

Paul tells Timothy to hold on to the truth that he once heard from him, as a way of living. In this sermon, we see the the importance of centering our lives on the truth of Jesus and how to hold on to it through the power of the Spirit. Key Verses: 2 Timothy 1:13-18

While in prison and waiting for death, Paul again writes to one of his dearest followers, Timothy. Paul is primarily concerned with encouraging the young pastor to remain faithful to his calling, and to be useful, despite hardships. In this sermon, we will look at what made Paul’s life useful until the end, and what can make our lives useful, today.   Key Verses: 2 Timothy 1:1-12

Discipleship is something the church today deeply struggles with. The local modern church is dealing with a discipleship issue that is causing Christ-followers to lose sight of what the Christian life is meant to look like. Most of us miss the necessity of discipleship, dismiss the practice because we lack the time, or fear the practice of opening our spiritual lives to others. It’s time to open our hearts to the idea of participating in the work of kingdom-building through discipleship.  Key Verses: Matthew 4:18-20

We close out our study of the Faithful Lives within Hebrews 11 by looking closely at those that were both a part of major victories and significant disappointments. A hidden life of faith allows us to turn from the world's approval and seek only God's approval when confronted with loneliness and persecution. Those that have their stories told in Hebrews and those of us that live under the forgiveness of Jesus look forward to a better resurrection.  Key Verses: Hebrews 11:32-40

When Moses saw the injustices around him, he was moved to leave all that he knew and live in a foreign land, because of faith. In this sermon, we see that faith involves a seeing, a leaving, a turning, and a looking ahead.    Key Verses: Exodus 2:11-15, Hebrews 11:24-28  

After Abraham and Sarah, God works his promises through a long and often messy line of their descendants. But through their broken attempts, at faithfulness, God remains faithful. In this sermon, we see that when God’s work in our lives includes a reversal, a blessing, and a hiddenness.   Key Verses: Genesis 50:22-26, Hebrews 11:20-22

Sarah, barren and too old to have a child, is given the promise that she will be a mother to many nations — and it happens. In this sermon, we see how Sarah shows us what it means to have faith in God, in spite of our circumstances.   Key Verses: Hebrews 11:11-12, Genesis 18:1-14  

In Hebrews, we are re-introduced to Abraham and his legacy of faith, where God's Covenant Promise to Abraham becomes the Bible's central story of faith. He shows us a faith that is motivated to obey God despite the unknown, sustains him in a foreign land, and gives space for God's power. Abraham is our human example of a life lived out in faithful obedience. Key Verses: Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19

As we continue to look at Hebrews 11 and the question of what does it mean to have faith we look at the example of Noah. Noah walked in fellowship with God as he approached an unprecedented flood of the earth. Noah shows us what it looks like to have faithful obedience when we face the unknown.    Key Verses: Hebrews 11:7

In Hebrews 11, we look closely at the life of Enoch. The nature of his Faith was strongly relational and based on many years of walking closely with God. While we don't have many details about his life, we know that he pleased God with how he lived. We use Enoch's story to look at how we can please God with our Faith and use Enoch's example to help us find new life in Christ.  Key Verses: Genesis 5:21-24 + Hebrews 11:5-6