2nd Timothy Chapter 1 -- John Karmelich
1.
Paul’s
1st Letter to Timothy was business.
Paul’s 2nd Letter to Timothy is personal.
a)
The
1st Letter did have some personal encouragements, but the primary
purpose of that letter was for Paul to instruct Timothy on how to organize the
church.
i)
The
underlying theme of 1st Timothy was Christian conduct. We are God’s representatives to the world,
and our conduct is supposed to reflect God.
a)
“You
are what you worship.” There is no
exception to this rule. Whatever you
worship, you become. Therefore, if we
expect the world to see the benefit of Christianity, we need to draw upon God’s
grace and God’s strength for our own conduct as a witness to the world.
b)
Paul’s
second letter is personal. The
overriding theme is about encouragement.
i)
Let’s
face it, we all get down at times. The
world can be a rotten place. All of us
suffer the hardships of sickness and death of loved ones let alone personal
tragedies. It is easy to be
discouraged.
ii)
For
many Christians throughout the world, just being a Christian is a death
sentence. Statistically, more
Christians have died for their faith in the 20th Century than any
previous century. I suspect the 21st
Century won’t be much better.
a)
To
give an example, a few months prior to this writing, there was a news story of
grenades thrown at people as they were leaving a Presbyterian church in
Pakistan. It was organized by an
Islamic militant group.
b)
Need
something new to pray for? Go on the
internet and read about places around the world where one is persecuted just
for being a Christian.
(1)
Among
my favorite ministries is “Voice of the Martyrs” at http://www.persecution.com/
c)
Paul
wrote this 2nd letter from a jail cell. At this time, it was a crime and death sentence to be a
Christian. Emperor Nero, who went
insane, burned all of Rome so he could rebuild it. He started a campaign to blame the Christians for his actions.
i)
Among
Nero’s most infamous acts was driving his chariot through his garden, which was
“lighted” by burning Christians.
a)
And
you thought you had worries!
b)
Imagine
standing up for Christ in that era of time.
ii)
For
those of you who know the Book of Acts, Paul’s 2nd Letter to Timothy
takes place years after the events of that Book.
a)
At
the end of Acts, Paul is in house-arrest in Rome waiting for trial in front of
Nero.
b)
“Church
tradition” says that Paul had his trial, and was set free.
c)
It
is the speculation of many Christians that after Nero had personally rejected
the Gospel, that his madness began.
d)
There
are clues throughout Paul’s letters that Paul went on to travel in additional
missionary journey(s) after the events of the Book of Acts.
e)
Now
Paul was re-arrested during Nero’s persecution.
f)
Paul’s
death was now immanent. Church
tradition stated that Paul was taken out one day from this jail cell and
beheaded.
g)
Yet,
the interesting thing is if you read this letter, it is hard to tell that Paul
was suffering!
(1)
The
amazing thing to note from this letter is that Paul is encouraging
Timothy as opposed to the other way around!
(a)
I’ve
nicknamed 2nd Timothy “who’s encouraging who?”
2.
With that frightening introduction, one should study 2nd
Timothy is to get encouragement ourselves.
a)
We all suffer through times of discouragement.
i)
Going back to one of my themes from 1st
Timothy is that Christianity is not designed to be a solo act.
ii)
Notice as you read this letter how Paul remembers event
from Timothy’s life encouraged Paul at the end of his life.
a)
Sometimes, when things are at their worse, is when we
have to draw upon our memories.
b)
Let’s face it:
It is tough to have faith in a God we can’t see or touch.
c)
All we can do is see how He has, and He is, working in
our lives.
d)
During the times when all seems lost, one has to go back
to our memories to see how God has worked in our lives past to help keep our
faith strong.
3.
One last thing before we start. Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy is
called by many commentator’s “Paul’s last will and testament.”
a)
Suppose you knew your life was going to end any
day. Let’s say a doctor said it was
only a matter of days or weeks left in your life.
i)
What information would you want to pass on to
those you love?
ii)
This is why I say 1st Timothy is “business”
and 2nd Timothy is “personal”.
iii)
Paul knew his life was almost over.
a)
Reading Acts, Paul went through amazing death defying
trials, but somehow, still lived another day to preach the Gospel.
b)
You get the sense in this letter that Paul knew “this is
it”. Somehow this trial was different.
c)
Yet the focus of this letter is on encouraging Timothy.
(1)
Several times in the letter Paul either states or
implies how Timothy is timid or fearful.
(a)
With a death sentence on believers, who wouldn’t be?
(b)
With people walking away from Jesus to save their own
life, who wouldn’t be?
(c)
With your mentor in jail about to be killed, who
wouldn’t have doubts?
(d)
That is why this letter is so necessary. It is the reminder to us to stick to what
God has called us to do, no matter what the consequences.
d)
If I had to pick the one great trait that most people
lack, it is having the boldness to stand up for what is right.
(1)
Everyone wants to be popular. There is a human need to want to be loved and admired by people.
(2)
The Gospel is an unpopular and insulting message. It is telling people “you are not good
enough for God.” It is saying “the way
you are living right now, is not good enough to get into heaven.”
(a)
It’s tough enough to preach that message without a death
sentence let alone having people trying to kill you!
(b)
That is why encouragement is necessary.
(c)
That is why drawing upon God’s strength to stand up for
Him is so necessary.
(d)
That is why Paul, on his deathbed, wrote a letter to
tell us how to have joy during the worse of times. It is about standing up for
what is right when nobody else will. It
is about sticking to what God called us to do.
4.
Chapter 1, Verse 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by
the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
a)
I mentioned in 1st Timothy Chapter 1 that
letters in biblical times start off with who is writing those letters. Then comes who the letter is to, then the
text of the letter.
i)
When we write letters, the signature is at the
bottom. In those times, the “signature”
and the person’s titles start the letters.
b)
Paul starts by stating he is an apostle of Christ Jesus.
i)
Remember this is a personal letter.
ii)
Timothy spent years being a missionary assistant to
Paul.
a)
Paul eventually left Timothy to oversee the church in
the City of Ephesus.
iii)
Yet Paul is reminding Timothy that Paul is an
apostle.
a)
I think this is done for a number of reasons.
b)
First Timothy is not an apostle. The word “apostle” refers to one is directly
sent by someone with a message.
(1)
It is a classic Christian debate whether Paul is one of
the “12” or simply another person classified as an “apostle”. You can argue it either way from studying
the Bible.
c)
The point is Paul states his apostleship as his
authority.
(1)
Timothy is now grown up and running a church. Paul is addressing Timothy as a commanding
officer with a message from headquarters.
It is a reminder to Timothy that Paul is still “over him” with direct
revelations from God.
iv)
One has to remember that people were going to question
“who gave Paul this authority to tell us what to believe? After all, he’s not Jesus, nor is he one of
the original 12 apostles. Who give Paul
all this authority?
a)
That is why Paul needed to state his authority in his
letters for that reminder to Timothy and to us.
b)
That is also why the Book of Acts, written by Luke,
states the miraculous events that happened in Paul’s life to validate his
authority.
c)
Second, Paul states it is by the “will of God (the
Father)”.
i)
If you study the Book of Acts, you almost get the
impression Paul was “drafted” into Christian service.
a)
Paul didn’t just say, “you know, I think Judaism is
wrong about Jesus.
I’ll just change my philosophical outlook and follow Jesus. J
(1)
Paul was literally called by God to be His servant. He was blinded directly by Jesus on his way
to persecute Christian believers.
(See Acts, Chapter 9 for the full story.)
(a)
Paul, in his free will could have chosen to remain
blind. Instead, he begged forgiveness
and spent the rest of his life doing “the will of God”.
b)
There are many Christians, looking back on when they
first got saved, including myself, now feel “God drafted me as well.”
ii)
Remember the theme of this letter is encouragement. Paul is reminding Timothy that he was called
to serve Jesus just as Timothy was.
d)
Third, Paul states, “according to the promise of life
that is in Christ Jesus,”
i)
This is a term to describe the Christian life that is
found only here in 2nd Timothy.
ii)
You want motivation to go through all of this
suffering? There it is in this phrase.
a)
Jesus brings us life. I am convinced one does not truly experience
life until they have asked Jesus to come live inside of them and “take
over”.
(1)
Yes there are hardships. Yes there is suffering.
What is all of that in comparison to eternity? What is all of that in comparison to this life? Living for Jesus brings a far deeper,
richer and greater life than one can ever get from all the materialistic and
emotional benefits that this world has to offer.
5.
Verse 2: To
Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ
Jesus our Lord.
a)
I don’t believe Paul ever had children of his own. There is speculation he may have been
married at one time. Paul may have been
a member of the ruling council of Jews
(The Sanhedrin), prior to his conversion.
Marriage was a requirement for membership. Further speculation is his wife may have left him when he
converted to Christianity.
i)
With all that said, I don’t think Paul ever had children.
ii)
The closest thing to his own children that Paul had were
those young missionaries Paul mentored.
The closest of those was Timothy.
a)
That is why Paul starts with the express of “my dear
son”. It is written even prior to the
standard greeting of “grace, mercy and peace”.
iii)
Paul saw his life work as to preach (i.e., proclaim) and
teach Christ. Part of that work is to
raise up the next generation of preachers and teachers after him.
iv)
A classic quote is, “Every Paul needs a Timothy and
every Timothy needs a Paul.
b)
The rest of the verse is identical similar to the
introduction in 1st Timothy:
i)
Since I’ve already discussed those terms in 1st
Timothy, Chapter 1, I’ll move on. J
ii)
The only new thing to add is to reread those verses from
the perspective of a worried Timothy and a about-to-face-death Paul!
iii)
Seeing that phrase over and over again in Paul’s letters
reminds us that we draw upon God’s grace, mercy and peace in order to live out
the Christian life.
a)
The constant danger is to rely on our own ability to serve
God as opposed to drawing upon God’s strength.
6.
Verse 3: I thank
God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and
day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
a)
Notice what Paul does not say to open his
letters:
i)
He does not say, “Woe is me stuck in this stinky
disgusting prison hole”.
ii)
He does not say, “Timothy bribe who you can to get me
out of here”.
iii)
He does not say, “Timothy forget this Jesus stuff and
run for your life”.
b)
Paul, verbally stands up and says I serve God just as my
forefathers did and what is more I do it with a clear conscience! Paul is proud of his life and what he has
done for God.
c)
What did Paul mean as he served God, “as his
forefather’s did?
i)
Remember Paul was trained as raised as a Pharisee. This is a very conservative view of Judaism
that became the origin of the Orthodox Jewish denomination.
ii)
Yet, here is what Paul thinks of his past life after his
conversion:
a)
Paul’s old life:
“a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal,
persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Philippians 3:5b-6, NIV)
b)
Paul’s new life:
“…I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain
Christ. (Phil. 3:8, NIV)
iii)
Given that, who is Paul referring to here as his
“forefathers?”
a)
Most suspect, it was not a direct reference to Paul’s
parents, but to the Old Testament prophets who have been persecuted prior to
Paul.
b)
Here is what the Book of Hebrews says about the Old
Testament Prophets:
(1)
Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that
they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while
still others were chained and put in prison. (Hebrews 11:35b-36, NIV)
(2)
The unnamed writer of Hebrews, who I believe was Paul,
ends this chapter with this line:
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received
what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only
together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39-40, NIV)
c)
Paul knew his suffering was for a greater good. He knew, like the old Testament saints
before him, (i.e., "my forefathers”) that suffering was nothing in
comparison to our eternal rewards.
d)
The last part of Verse 3 says that Paul remembered
Timothy in his prayers “night & day”.
i)
The question is, “who should be praying for who?”
ii)
Paul is the one about to die. Yet Paul is one stating he is praying for Timothy night and
day.
a)
“Night and day” could be an expression or a literal
term. Either way, the point is that
Paul got through the pain of his jail suffering by praying for those who will
continue the Gospel message into the next generation.
b)
If you are in a jail cell, there is not a lot of activities
for one to do. J Therefore, there is
more time to pray. To me, Christians
should never have the excuse of boredom or lack of activity. If there is no other way you could minister
to people at any given moment, you can always pray.
iii)
As we will learn in the next few verses, Paul was
concerned that Timothy stand up boldly for the Gospel. Paul was concerned that Timothy was too
timid in his faith.
a)
Before Paul encouraged Timothy, he started with prayer for
Timothy.
b)
That is a message for all of us.
c)
Our ability to accomplish anything for God comes from
God working through us. It
always begins with prayer.
d)
This verse is a good reminder to pray for your pastor
and bible teachers that influence your life (hint hint! J). God
expects you to encourage and strengthen them through prayer as God uses them to
encourage and strengthen you through their God given gifts.
7.
Verse 4: Recalling your tears, I long
to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
a)
It is interesting to think about the things you remember
most about a person you haven’t seen in a long time. Often it is not the years you spent together, but it may be the
last thing you remember.
i)
There is “logical” speculation that this refers to Paul
and Timothy’s last meeting. Timothy may have cried realizing he may never see
his mentor again.
a)
Some speculate that Timothy was present when Paul was
arrested.
b)
That show of love burned in Paul’s heart, and Paul
responded by how much it meant to him.
ii)
There is nothing a parent wants more in life to watch
their children grow up and succeed in life.
That is the feeling I get from reading this verse.
a)
This is Paul, as a guardian-parent-teacher to Timothy,
wanting to see him progress and grow as a pastor.
b)
Life has its pleasurable moments for the saved and
unsaved alike. One of them is to watch
your children bloom and prosper.
(1)
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
(Psalm 127:3, NKJV)
8.
Verse 5: I have been reminded of your
sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother
Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
a)
From
the Book of Acts and this letter, we know a few facts about Timothy’s
background.
i)
His
mother and grandmother are from a Jewish culture and background.
ii)
His
father was from a Greek culture background (Source for both: Acts 16:1).
iii)
His
mother and grandmother converted to Christianity.
iv)
Timothy
grew up in a household that believed in Jesus, thanks to his mother and
grandmother.
b)
Let’s
read ahead to Chapter 3 of this letter:
i)
“and how from infancy you (Timothy) have known the holy
Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus.
(2nd Timothy 3:15, NIV)
ii)
What does this mean?
It means that Timothy’s mother and probably his grandmother raised
Timothy on Scripture from childhood.
a)
They may have had some copies of New Testament scrolls
as well as scrolls from the Old Testament.
b)
More importantly, it speaks highly of grandma Lois and
mom-Eunice.
iii)
This next sub-paragraph is dedicated especially to
mothers raising young children and grandmothers of young children:
a)
You want a great prayer? Pray: “Dear Lord, make my life like that of Lois and Eunice. Help me to raise my child or grandchild in
the Scriptures so that when he or she grows up, that child will be used
mightily for you!”
b)
For what it is worth, my wife and I pray over my two
year old daughter nightly with a similar type of prayer. We pray that God may teach us and lead us on
how to raise our daughter to be a wonderful servant of God. With all the joy I have working on this
ministry, nothing would make me prouder than to watch my child grow up and
serve the Lord. I can’t think of a greater
joy. I can’t think of a greater prayer
as a parent.
c)
God bless the memory of Lois and Eunice, and may it
continue to be a great example to millions and millions of Godly parents!
c)
To finish Verse 5, Paul is stating the faith that was in
Timothy ‘s mom and grandmother , Paul now says he is persuaded also lives in
Timothy.
i)
This isn’t about salvation. Timothy was saved at an early age and worked with Paul in the
mission fields.
ii)
This is about growing in faith in God. This is about Christian maturity.
iii)
One of my mentors, Chuck Missler used to say “I think
God stays up at night thinking of new ways of asking me, “Do you trust me?”
a)
It is through the trials of life, during the difficult
times, when we don’t “sense” God’s presence, is when we are asked to trust God
more, and grow in our faith. That is
what walking by faith is all about.
b)
That is what Paul hoped is happening to Timothy in
Paul’s absence.
That Timothy is growing and maturing in his trust in God.
9.
Verse 6: For
this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you
through the laying on of my hands.
a)
“Fan the flame” is a word-picture of stirring up the
“fire” that it within you. Anyone who
has ever worked a fireplace or a charcoal barbeque understands that the wood or
coals need to be poked/stirred to keep the fire hot.
b)
Faith in God is often described as a muscle. It must be strengthen and exercised in order
for it to be of any use. That is the
same idea being taught here.
c)
The “gift of God” refers to the spiritual gifts given to
Timothy by God.
i)
I take the view that all Christians have some
sort of spiritual gift.
ii)
For those of you who know biblical Greek, the word
“gift” has the same root word as the word for “grace”. It is the idea of an unmerited reward given
by God.
iii)
That gift is intended to be used to help other
Christians.
a)
Like a muscle, there is a “use it or lose it” concept to
it.
d)
The gift was given “by the laying on of my hands”.
i)
I differ from some Pentecostal groups who believe that
magical power is transferred by the actual touching of one believer to the
other.
ii)
The Biblical concept of the “laying of hands” both in
the Old and New Testament refers to identification. When the elder(s) or pastor(s) lay hands on
someone, it means they are identifying with that person. It is a visual word picture of the receiving
person being “one” with the person who is laying on the hands.
10.
Verse 7: For God
did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of
self-discipline.
a)
Paul is saying a “spirit of timidity” is not a
spiritual gift.
i)
Timid means nervousness. It is the idea that one is afraid to publicly proclaim one’s
faith in God out of fear of persecution or fear of not being popular.
ii)
Here is what Jesus said on this topic: “But whoever denies Me before men, him I
will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33, NKJV).
a)
This is not about temporary lapses in faith. Peter denied Jesus three times and he was
not condemned to hell.
b)
This is about a continual, habitual denial of
one’s faith in Jesus either by your public proclamation or your lifestyle.
b)
Let’s move on to the spiritual gifts that God does
give us. The first is “power”.
i)
The Greek word is the same word from which we get the
word “dynamite”.
ii)
It is the idea that God has tremendous power to
give to us to accomplish what His goals are for our life.
a)
A God who created the heaven and the earth can, and
does, give us the power not only to stand up boldly for God, but to accomplish anything
that God desires for our life.
(1)
Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13,
NJKV)
c)
Second is the “Spirit of Love”.
i)
The concept behind “love” as it is used here, is not an
emotional feeling. It is the idea of
totally giving of oneself for someone or something else.
a)
We so often forget that God is not this impersonal,
indifferent creature who created the world and then ignores us. He is one who
loves us unconditionally. A perfect God
is perfect in Love. He created man for
the purpose of showing us for eternity how much he loves us.
b)
One can’t think of a greater example of the expression
of love than to die for you. This whole
grand-scheme of God to create us, die for us and spend eternity with us was all
planned out before time began. That is
the core message of the Bible.
d)
Finally, comes self-discipline. It is also translated “sound mind”.
i)
The key here is the priority. Self-discipline comes last on the list.
ii)
Even self-discipline is a gift from God. It is a gift to be used for His
glory.
iii)
Again we come to the concept of “using the muscles or
losing the muscles”.
iv)
Self-discipline is simply the idea of developing regular
habits to keep us in shape spiritually, much in the same way physical exercise
requires some self discipline to keep us in physical shape. It is always easier to stay in shape
than to get in shape. That
applies to our spiritual life as well as our physical life.
11.
Verse 8: So do not be ashamed to
testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in
suffering for the gospel,
a)
Well,
that sounds inviting, doesn’t it? J
i)
“Hey
Timothy, I know its illegal to believe in Jesus, I know it may cost you your
life, so why don’t you be like me here in jail, about to be killed? Come join me in the suffering for the
gospel.” J
ii)
You
have to admit, this verse, read out of context, lacks appeal.
b)
Why
do we have to suffer for the Gospel sake?
i)
Reading
ahead to Chapter 3: “In fact, everyone
who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2nd Timothy Chapter 3, Verse 12,
NIV).
ii)
I used to think it meant that everyone who believes in
Jesus will have death threats, and physical pain through persecution.
a)
While that is true for a very large percentage of
Christians throughout history (a sobering thought!) it is also true it does not
apply to all.
b)
What it does refer to is the fact that when you take a
stand for God, it makes others feel guilty.
They look at the immortality of their own life and the fact they
don’t want to change. The last
thing immoral people want is to be around someone telling them or
showing-by-example that what they are doing is wrong in God’s eyes.
(1)
This is one of the historic reasons for Anti-Semitism as
well as those who practice their faith in Jesus.
(2)
The persecution comes from those who don’t want you to
witness to them.
c)
The second reason is demonic. Satan’s time on earth is limited, and is determined by a fixed
(specific) number of people becoming Christians. This is the idea being taught in Romans 11:25. Only God alone knows that final number. Because Satan knows his time is limited, he
is doing everything in his power to slow down and stop the spread of
Christianity.
(1)
Persecuting Christians to a point of timidity means
those Christians are not being a witness for Jesus and is helping
Satan’s cause!
(2)
One of my favorite expressions is, “If you don’t think
Satan is real, try opposing him for awhile.”
c)
Let’s end the “negative” and move on to the “positive”.
i)
We endure this suffering because there is no better
choice.
a)
Knowing that we have an eternity of rewards and
happiness is far better than any and all suffering we can endure here in earth.
ii)
In summary, all the happiness the world can possibly
offer you is nothing compared to the joy of eternity. Having to choose one or the other, it is
much better to deal with the hardships of life now than to spend
eternity in hell.
a)
The writer of Hebrews described Moses with the same
idea: “By faith Moses, when he had
grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to
be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ
as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking
ahead to his reward.” (Heb.
11:24-26, NIV)
12.
End of Verse 8 and 9:
But join
with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called
us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace.
a)
This
one sentence goes on for 3 verses, so I’m taking it phrase by phrase.
i)
We suffer through this life and can endure it by
the power of God.
b)
Notice the first phrase of Verse 9: “who has saved us
and called us to a holy life”.
i)
Being a Christian does not mean to turn your life over
to Jesus, and then to go on living the life as you did before.
a)
The mistake too many people make is that they accept
Jesus, and that’s it.
b)
The Christian cliché for that type of believer is a
“baby Christian”.
(1)
It is not a reference to physical age, but spiritual
maturity.
(2)
I’ve met many baby Christians who are seniors (and vice
versa!).
ii)
The Christian life is designed for us to grow in
our faith by learning to trust God more and more. This is where the “spiritual habits” discussed earlier come in.
iii)
We grow as Christians by trusting more and more on God’s
grace as opposed to our own discipline and abilities.
iv)
That is what is meant by the last
phrase of Verse 9 that says, “not because of anything we have done but because
of His own purpose and grace.”
a)
That is what the “holy life” is all about. It is not a “better than you” idea that the
world believes, but our primary focus is we separate ourselves to do what God
has called us to do versus doing our own desires.
b)
Remember I talked about Godly “love” as being “giving of
oneself to others?” That is the idea of
our maturity as believers. As God
bestows that type of love on us, we in turn, through God’s power, bestow that
love on others as a witness for God. That
is the holy life as described here.
13.
Verse 10 but it
has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who
has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel.
a)
We are still in the middle of a long sentence that ends
with Verse 11.
i)
Someone needs to talk to Paul about his long, run-on
sentences. J
ii)
If you think we are the only ones having trouble
understanding Paul, look what Peter says,
“just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God
gave him. …His letters contain some things that are hard to understand,” (2nd Peter 3:15-3:16, NIV) (Gee, no kidding Peter! J)
b)
The whole redemptive plan of God is a little “fuzzy” to
understand if one just reads the Old Testament. The secret of understanding the Bible is to realize it is 66
separate books written over a thousand plus year time span but designed to
be a single message.
i)
When you only have “part” of that message, being the Old
Testament, only part of that picture is clear to see.
c)
Which leads us back to Verse 10: “Now been revealed through…Christ Jesus”.
i)
It wasn’t until Jesus came in the world and died for our
sins that the purpose of the Nation Israel, the purpose of the 10 commandments,
the purpose of the Garden of Eden, and the purpose of the entire Old Testament
now makes sense.
a)
Ok, John, you’ve now confused me. J
b)
The main purpose of the Old Testament is to show that
God is perfect. A perfect God can stand
no sin whatsoever.
c)
The 10 commandments and the surrounding commentary (“the
law”) show us what God expects of us to be perfect.
d)
The history of Israel in the Old Testament is a history
of failure. It shows that a “chosen
people”, who was revealed through dramatic miracles the existence of God, and
what God expects of us, can’t be perfect through our efforts.
e)
Think of all the great events of the Old Testament as a
question to God:
(1)
Gee, God, if only you could rid the world of all sin,
leave one perfect family, then I know I could be perfect in your eyes.
(a)
OK, I’ll flood the world and save one family (Noah).
(b)
That didn’t work.
(2)
Gee God, if only we could have a great king ruling over
us.
(a)
OK, I’ll give you King David. He conquered all the surrounding nations. He’s not perfect, but he seeks me with all
his heart.
(b)
That didn’t work.
Israel eventually went back into idolatry.
(3)
Gee God, if only you could bless us with tremendous
prosperity, then we wouldn’t be tempted to sin and follow your laws.
(a)
OK, I’ll give you King Solomon. Israel had every blessing you could possibly
imagine. Still didn’t work.
(4)
I’m trying to get you to see all the events of the Old
Testament in perspective of man giving excuses to God why they fail to
obey his commandments.
d)
Which leads us back to Jesus. The only way a perfect God, who is perfect in His judgment
as well as perfect in His love reconcile that perfection is to pay the
price Himself for our sins. We can’t do
it on our own.
e)
Which leads us, back to Verse 10: “Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and
has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”.
i)
How had Jesus “destroyed death”? Death still exists.
ii)
What Jesus destroyed was the power of death. It is now meaningless to a Christian. By
accepting Jesus payment for our sins, death has no meaning to us.
a)
“When this happens, then at last this Scripture will
come true—“Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where then your victory?
Where then your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone;
and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge.”
(1st Corinthians 15:54-56, The Living Bible)
14.
Verse 11: And of
this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
a)
A “herald” is a proclaimer. Think of a man yelling out “Here ye! Here ye!”
b)
The word is translated “preaching” in many
translations. It is the one proclaiming
the good news of Christ.
c)
Paul is simply listing the 3 things he was appointed by
God.
i)
The first is to proclaim the word of God, to be an
evangelist (i.e. preacher/herald).
ii)
The second is that he was given special revelations by
God to us. That is what is meant by an
apostle in this context.
iii)
The third is a teacher.
This is where he was given the gift to expound and explain God’s word
for us to grow as mature as believers.
15.
Verse 12: That
is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have
believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to
him for that day.
a)
I’ve already discussed suffering enough, so I’m not
going to make you suffer anymore on a discussion of suffering. J
b)
Remember that one of the purposes of this letter is that
Timothy himself was timid.
i)
It was illegal to teach Christianity and Timothy was
nervous about this.
ii)
This whole chapter and letter was designed to encourage
Timothy during the difficult times and to remind us of the importance to stand
up for Jesus, even if that makes us unpopular.
iii)
Here was Paul, in jail, about to die. During times like that, one could have
doubts and say “am I really doing the right thing?”
a)
Yet he states “I know whom I have believed”. He is reassuring himself and Timothy and us
that Christianity is real and to keep the eternal perspective.
c)
What does Paul mean by “he (Jesus) is able to guard what
I have entrusted to him”?
i)
In a short sentence, Paul meant “his life’s work!”
ii)
Do you know the expression “You can’t take it with
you?” Well, it is Biblically
wrong. You can take it with you. The secret is you send it up ahead of
you!
iii)
There are rewards for those who are faithful to God.
a)
Jesus said, ““Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with
me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”
iv)
We have rewards in heaven based on our faithfulness of
what God calls us to do.
v)
I believe Paul is mentioning this as an incentive to
Timothy during this trial.
16.
Verse 13: What
you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love
in Christ Jesus.
a)
Do we depend upon God for our guidance? Of course.
b)
Do we study the Bible to teach us how to live out our
lives? Of course!
c)
Do we need other sources? Yes. Paul is arguing that
here.
i)
Paul is reminding Timothy to do what Paul has taught
him:
a)
“What you heard from me”
b)
“Keep as a pattern of (my) sound teaching.
ii)
This verse is a support for bible college, seminary and
the fact that outside education and good teachers are also important in
life.
17.
Verse 14: Guard
the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy
Spirit who lives in us.
a)
The “Good deposit” is the spiritual gifts given to us by
God through the Holy Spirit.
i)
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I
will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Holy Spirit) to be
with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it
neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will
be in you.” (John 14:15-17, NIV)
b)
The help of the Holy Spirit is what we have already
talked about in “exercising” the gifts God has given us.
i)
If you’re not sure what your gifts are, half the fun of
our faith is finding out what they are.
A counseling session with a good Christian pastor or teacher will help
reveal them to you. Sometimes your
Christian friends may know what they are just by observing your life. Often, they are more obvious than you think.
18.
Verse 15: You know that everyone in
the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
a)
We
don’t know anything about these two men other than what is written in this
verse.
b)
What
a way to be remembered in history!
c)
One
of the parables told in 3 of the Gospels is the story of the “4 types of soil”.
i)
This
is told in Matthew Chapter 13, Mark Chapter 4 and Luke Chapter 8.
ii)
Jesus
describes the Word of God as being like seed.
(Ref: Matthew 13:18, et.al.)
iii)
There
are 4 different types of “soil” on which this seed can land.
iv)
Each
soil represents a different type of person.
a)
One
type doesn’t’ get it at all. (Again,
see Matthew 13:18)
b)
One
type gets it and grows deeply in their relationship with God.
c)
The
other two are the interesting ones:
(1)
One
becomes “unfruitful” because it (he/she) cares more about the things of this
world. (See Matthew 13:22)
(2)
The
other becomes “unfruitful due to persecution.
d)
My point is these two characters Phygelus and Hermogenes
fit the type of “soil” who become “unfruitful” due to persecution.
(1)
Jesus said of that type: “But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When
trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”
(Matthew 13:21, NIV).
v)
A classical debate is whether or not this type of person
is “saved”. You can’t tell from the
text. Neither can you tell if Phygelus and Hermogenes are
saved.
vi)
What
we do know is that they’re lives are “unfruitful” for Jesus because 1)
they were not “rooted” in Jesus and got scared when the persecution came.
a)
We
become “rooted” by keeping up our spiritual exercises, which is prayer, time in
the Word and being obedient to what God called you to do.
19.
Now,
a positive example: Verse 16: 16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of
Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he
was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he
will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways
he helped me in Ephesus.
a)
Paul mentions three names that Timothy was probably
familiar with: Onesiphorus
in Verse 16 and Phygelus and Hermogenes in Verse 15.
i)
With
names like that how could you forget them? J
ii)
The
point is to show Timothy the contrast between Onesiphorus and the other
two guys who got scared when the going got rough.
b)
Remember
that Christianity was a death-sentence.
i)
This
guy Onesiphorus is recorded for all history who had the bravery to go to Rome
to search out Paul among all the jail cells.
Imagine having to explain to all those guards why you were visiting this
criminal.
c)
Some
commentators point out that Paul says to show mercy to the household of
Onesiphorus. They speculate that
Onesiphorus may have died in these travels to see Paul. Verse 19 may imply that he died from this
effort. (Again, this is just
speculation.)
i)
The
reference to “that day” in Verse 19” is the day of judgment for believers. The day are rewards are determined for our
faithfulness.
20.
OK,
its time to wrap this up.
a)
Timothy
was “timid” in his pastoral duties, probably out of fear of persecution.
b)
Paul,
on “death-row” in prison is encouraging Timothy!
c)
The
main point to all of this is to root ourselves in God to have the eternal
perspective during the difficult times of our lives.
i)
God
can bring peace to our lives, even during the worse of times.
a)
The
pain is real, and is still there.
b)
What
we have, is the eternal perspective of knowing that death is meaningless to
us. “Life” is living for God, no matter
what the circumstances, and God, through his grace, will provide us with the
sustenance to get us through any and all situations.
c)
To
paraphrase Chuck Missler again, “God is staying up nights thinking of new ways
to ask us, “Do you trust me? Do you
really trust me?”
(1)
That
is what Paul is encouraging Timothy to do, and reminding Timothy to exercise
“spiritually” to strengthen his faith.
(2)
The
same thing is what Paul is asking us to do in this letter.
21.
Let’s pray: Father we ask forgiveness of the sin of
worrying. We focus on our problems and
our worries, and we forget that you are in charge. Help us stir-up the Holy Spirit that is within us, so we may walk
worthy of you, to do that special work that you called for our lives. For those of us who are not aware what are
spiritual gifts are, help us (them) to be aware of them, and to find out what
special ministry(s) you want us to fulfill in our lives. For we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
Bonus Material – Below is the class handouts. It is a “summary” version of this lesson.
Notes for 2nd Timothy – Introduction and Chapter 1
(Page 1 of 6)
Discouragement and Encouragement
Introduction: Overview of 2nd Timothy
i.
You get the sense in this letter that Paul knew “this is
it”;
ii.
Yet the focus of this letter is Paul encouraging
Timothy, not the other way around.
2nd Timothy,
Chapter 1, Verse 1: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the
promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,”
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 1 (Page 2 of 6)
Verse 1 (cont.)
Verse 2: “To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Verse 3: I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear
conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
a)
He does not say, “Woe is me stuck in this stinky
disgusting prison hole”.
b)
He does not say, “Timothy bribe who you can to get me
out of here”.
c)
He does not say, “Timothy forget this Jesus stuff and
run for your life”.
a)
Paul is proud of his life and what he has done for God.
a)
Remember Paul was trained as raised as a Pharisee, a
devout religious Jew.
a)
Paul’s old life:
“A Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal,
persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Phil. 3:5b-6, NIV)
b)
Paul’s new life:
“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all
things.
I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8, NIV)
a)
Most suspect, it was not a direct reference to Paul’s
parents, but to the Old Testament prophets who have been persecuted prior to
Paul.
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 1 (Page 3 of 6)
Verse 3 (cont.)
a)
“Others were tortured and refused to be released, so
that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging,
while still others were chained and put in prison.” (Hebrews 11:35b-36, NIV)
b)
The unnamed writer of Hebrews, who I believe was Paul,
ends this chapter with this line:
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received
what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only
together with us would they be made perfect.”
(Hebrews 11:39-40, NIV)
c)
Paul knew his suffering was for a greater good. He knew, like the Old Testament saints
before him, (i.e., "my forefathers”) that suffering was nothing in
comparison to our eternal rewards.
a)
The question is, “Who should be praying for who?”
b)
Paul is the one about to die. Yet Paul is stating he is praying for Timothy night & day.
Verse 4: Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with
joy.
Verse 5: I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your
grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in
you also.
a)
His
mother & grandmother are from a Jewish culture and background. (Ref. Acts
16:1)
b)
His
father was from a Greek culture background (Ref. Acts 16:1).
c)
Verse
5 here states that Timothy’s mother and grandmother converted to Christianity.
d)
Timothy
grew up in a household that believed in Jesus, thanks to his mother and
grandmother.
a)
These two women are great examples on the importance of
raising Godly children.
Verse 5 Part 2: Paul is stating the faith that was in Timothy ‘s mom and grandmother,
Paul now says he is persuaded also lives in Timothy.
1.
Timothy was saved at an early age and worked with Paul
in the mission fields.
a.
This is about growing in faith in God. This is about Christian maturity.
b.
That is what Paul hoped is happening to Timothy in
Paul’s absence.
That Timothy is growing and maturing in his trust in God.
Verse 6: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is
in you through the laying on of my hands.
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 1 (Page 4 of 6)
Verse 6 (cont.)
Verse 7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of
love and of self-discipline.
i.
I
pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power
through his Spirit in your inner being,
(Ephesians 3:16, NIV)
Verse 8a: So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his
prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel,
a.
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a
godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
(2nd Timothy Chapter 3, Verse 12, NIV).
a.
While that is true for a very large percentage of
Christians throughout history (a sobering thought!) it is also true it does not
apply to all Christians.
b.
What
it does refer to is the idea that when you take a stand for God, it makes
others feel guilty. They look at the
immortality of their own life and the fact they don’t want to change. The last thing immoral people want is to be
around someone telling them or showing-by-example that what they are doing is
wrong in God’s eyes.
Notes for 2nd Timothy - Chapter 1 (Page 5 of 6)
Verse 8a (cont.)
a.
Persecuting Christians to a point of timidity means
those Christians are not being a witness for Jesus and is helping Satan’s
cause!
a.
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be
known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with
the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the
treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews: 11:24-26, NIV)
Verse 8b-9: “But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called
us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own
purpose and grace.”
1.
(Remember
that Verse 8-11 is all one sentence.
I’m taking it phrase by phrase.)
2.
Notice
the first phrase of Verse 9: “who has saved us and called us to a holy life”.
a.
Being a Christian does not mean to turn your life over
to Jesus, and then to go on living the life as you did before.
b.
The
Christian life is designed for us to grow in our faith by learning to trust God
more and more. This is where the
“spiritual habits” discussed earlier come in.
c.
We grow as Christians by trusting more and more on God’s
grace as opposed to our own discipline and abilities.
d.
That is what is meant by the last phrase of Verse 9 that says, “not because
of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace”.
Verse 10: “But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ
Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel.”
a.
Someone needs to talk to Paul about his long, run-on
sentences. J
a.
Which leads us back to Verse 10: “Now been revealed through…Christ Jesus”.
b.
The
Old Testament makes more sense in the light of the New Testament.
a.
How had Jesus “destroyed death”? Death still exists.
b.
What Jesus destroyed was the power of death. It is now meaningless to a Christian.
By accepting Jesus payment for our sins, death has no meaning to believers.
c.
“When this happens, then at last this Scripture will
come true—“Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where then your victory?
Where then your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone;
and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge.” (1st Corinthians 15:54-56, The
Living Bible)
Notes for 2nd Timothy -
Chapter 1 (Page 6 of 6)
Verse 11: “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a
teacher.”
Verse
12: “That is
why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have
believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to
him for that day.”
Verse
13-14: “What
you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love
in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard
the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy
Spirit who lives in us.”
Verse
15: “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has
deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.”
Verses
16-18: “May the Lord show mercy to the household of
Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he
was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he
will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways
he helped me in Ephesus.”