Destination: 1 and 2 Timothy | Skip Heitzig

[Music] this is the Metropolitan Tabernacle the Church in London where Charles Spurgeon preached in building a powerful ministry Spurgeon modeled the principles that Paul taught Timothy was told all Scripture is sufficient for all things so preach the word our study of the pastoral letters from Paul to Timothy make up our flight plan in this segment of the Bible from 30,000 feet there's no better place than at the Church of the prints of preachers to introduce these studies so now let's get these final instructions our journey over scripture takes a new turn as pastoral epistles will now completely and our flight over the Bible from 30,000 feet and open your Bibles tonight to first and second Timothy those are the two books we will cover tonight 1st and 2nd Timothy now we're almost done with the Bible from 30,000 feet next week we'll look at the book of Titus and Philemon the following week we'll look at the book of Hebrews after that we'll be in James and then 1st and 2nd Peter and then John 1st John 2nd John 3rd John Jude some of those are short we'll just do in one fell swoop and then the book of Revelation and we have landed the plane by that time so we're coming to an end it's been for me very fruitful I've really enjoyed it and here's why I've taught through the Bible here at this church twice and last time I went through verse by verse every verse of every book it took me like 11 or 12 years so to go through it even though it's been a flyover in just a little over a year this is like week 56 it's pretty satisfying to see it all come together and and I've especially appreciated the hunger and the thirst that I see in with all of you guys you know I come in the foyer sometimes early and I see you hovering over the note table that's like what notes that I missed from the past I gotta get those notes and it just shows hungry hearts and can I just say as a pastor how wonderful and even rare it is to be able to preach and teach to a group of people who are as hungry for truth as you are it's an absolute pleasure so let's pray tonight Heavenly Father we thank you for your word we thank you that this time of our service tonight is part of our worship we are demonstrating by our attention to the Word of God that what you say is worth listening to that it's not worth being distracted from you have our full attention we want to understand the message that you gave through your servant Paul dovid was addressed to young Timothy it really speaks to anyone in leadership in the church today so help us to understand it we ask in Jesus name Amen first Timothy second Timothy and Titus are in a little special section all their own called the pastoral epistles because Paul writes personal letters to these two young pastors that he leaves to their ministry now Paul was at Ephesus for about three years when he left he put Timothy there so Timothy whom Paul says is my own son in the faith he left in Ephesus and he leaves Titus in Crete to take over the church there and raise up leadership now 1st and 2nd Timothy are two books that every pastor loves or I should say every pastor should love because it's the first detailed description of how the church operates in the New Testament if we want to know what it's to be like this tells you in detail what it is to be like it talks about the call to the ministry the qualifications for the ministry and the care of the minister toward those who need that care in the congregation's now the first book 1st Timothy has a theme that is readily seen it stated we don't have to guess the purpose of this book he writes in chapter 3 verse 15 I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God which is the Church of the Living God the pillar and the ground of the truth so he states in one verse the purpose for writing this first letter a little bit about Timothy Timothy was important to Paul 24 times in Paul's writings he will refer to Timothy Timothy was a son in the faith as I said because he led him to Christ he was also a protege of the Apostle now this is how it worked when Paul was on his first mission a journey and he went through lystra and derbe and Iconium in a little section where he got stoned I mean didn't get stoned they threw rocks at him and got kicked out of the city when he was in that first city Lystra that's where Timothy lived with his mother and grandmother and his father now Timothy's mother was a believer she was Jewish and she believed that Yeshua was the Messiah Jesus was Christ his father was a Greek and seems that he was an unbeliever so he was born of mixed parentage he heard the gospel on Paul's first trip through his hometown and probably through hearing Paul and the influence of his mother and grandmother he came to Christ so that years later on Paul's second missionary journey Timothy joined Paul the Apostle evangelistic association and he went on that tour with Paul and he became so important to the apostle that Paul designates him with a very unique term in the book of Philippians if you remember this he said concerning Timothy for I have no one like-minded who will naturally care for your state remember that little text like-minded ESOP tsukasa is a one greek word equal sold equal sold we are like bread and butter we track our minds our hearts are in sync we are equal sold and it's a very unique term used only once in the New Testament and that's the only time Paul uses it is to refer to Timothy so Timothy goes with Paul on the first missionary journey later on Timothy will accompany Paul with a collection of money that they bring back to the church in Jerusalem and then much later on he will go to Ephesus and take over pastoral duties in Ephesus dealing with false teachers and appointing spiritual leader so when we read first Timothy were reading a letter from the Apostle to the pastor of the Church of Ephesus that's where he was located at this time so this talks to us tonight about the church and its leadership first and second Timothy now today people have lots of options for churches and people go let's call it Church shopping they have a little sort of list in their mind of ingredients that they want to fulfill I want this in the church and that in a church and this into church and that in a church and we have that option today it's wonderful back then you were lucky if you had an assembly in a town within miles of anywhere and that was it but today people look for ingredients that they want and the trouble is we ought to be consulting the founder and the director of the church himself Jesus Christ he said I will build my church so in finding a church one should certainly be looking for one that Jesus is the founder of and is following the principles as outlined in these pastoral epistles so let me just pose a question to you personally before we jump in here's the question I always like to ask it from time to time especially when people are looking around for churches or well this church isn't very this or very that if everyone in your church were just like you what kind of church would it be so that's just cogitate on that I'm all over that for a lifetime and it's very helpful I find there's six chapters in first Timothy four chapters in second Timothy I'm gonna give you the outline not of second Timothy right yet but just first Timothy six chapters four main divisions first of all chapter one the message of the church the message of the church the truth the gospel the core message of the church chapters two and three the members of the church different kinds of people that make up an assembly chapter for the minister or ministers of the church and chapters five and six the ministry of the church that forms the division let's consider a few verses in Chapter 1 the message of the church verse 1 Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ our hope 2 Timothy a true son in the faith see that little phrase the faith there is only one true faith and when Paul uses the term the faith as Jude will later use the term of the faith it means the body of revealed truth that the church believes and holds to the gospel truth grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord as I urged you when I was in Macedonia remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine now one of the words you're gonna notice Paul liked a lot especially in these two letters is the word doctrine and when he uses the two words other doctrine though it's two words in English it's one word in the original language it's hetero did oscalus a different teaching a different gospel something that people hold to other than the faith the truth that we have revealed that's what he writes about here nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in the faith so what people were doing we can piece together and we've seen this in other letters so we're used to it by now there were Gnostics and there were mystics and they added stories and myths to biblical stories so pretty soon it was hard to tell what is an actual historical Old Testament narrative versus some myth plus remember the Gnostics believed in the doctrine of emanations that God is too pure and holy and righteous to touch anything in the physical world so that God the God never created the earth never created anything physical because he's spiritual and that which is spiritual would never defile himself with anything physical so an emanation went out from God and another emanation and another emanation and another emanation from that emanation and eventually there was an emanation that went out from God that was so far removed from God that that emanation created the earth that was their wacky doctrine it was all made up all made up that's what Paul is writing against here verse 18 this charge I commit to you son Timothy according to the prophecies previously made concerning you by them you may wage the good warfare a lot of Christians today do not know that we are in a war for the truth a battle for the truth wage the good warfare what was it that Jude said in his little epistle verse 3 contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the Saints Jer that contend you know that means contentious put up a good fight for the faith somebody says something false you can just well you know it's what you believe that's your truth or you can say excuse me but that's not the truth and of course he's writing in the context of the Church of all places we need to guard the truth it would be here the faith the truth what is revealed now look at chapter 2 we get to the second section the members of the church men women pastors deacons several groups are listed verse 1 therefore I exhort first of all that supplications that would be strong entreaties prayers a general word intercessions praying on behalf of someone else and giving of thanks be made for all men notice for kings and all who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth he didn't say pray for people who agree with your political position pray for leaders who are sympathetic toward Christian ideologies but pray for all men and all who are in authority you know as Christians we are we have a dual citizenship Paul said in Philippians our citizenship is in heaven we ought to be looking toward that and thinking about that and dwelling on that he said at the same time we must be responsible citizens of the earth and we ought to be obeying the laws of the land and praying for those who govern when Jesus looked into the future and saw his people on the earth if you remember he prayed father I do not pray that you would take them out of the world but that you would deliver them from the evil one so it's clear that he wants us in the world but not of the world don't I pray take them out of the world now when we pray our prayer is take me out of this world get me out of this place give me a group of people that are I can surround myself with it all love Jesus and and and that will be nice it's called heaven by the way when you get there you'll know the difference but until then we were meant to be salt and light here now when Paul wrote this the guy in charge was Caesar Nero doesn't get much worse than that he hated Christians and write about a little bit after this time around 64 AD he kind of amped up the persecution so that they often dealt with leaders who were hostile toward the faith and Paul says don't write them off God desires all men to be saved course in context he's including those hostile leaders prayed that God would save Nero pray that God would save those people that you didn't vote for or you disagree with or to pray for all men verse eight I desired therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting the idea here is men are to lead in the public worship of the church a common posture for prayer is to raise the hands I remember the first time I walked into a Christian assembly and I saw people raising their hands I wasn't raised in a church that in any kind of open public display of worship you know you go to church he just sort of sit there and you just kind of look around you don't say anything and then you leave but there's just kind of that's it but I saw people during times of worship with their hands raised and I thought that's weird that's spooky I'll never do that it's such a wonderful posture of surrender because it's like if somebody holds you up they might point a gun at you and say put your hands up and your hands are up you can't do anything with them you're helpless to do anything you can't text when your hands are up you can't work on another project while your hands are up its I surrender now it's not like you have to raise your hands when you worship certainly can and is certainly appropriate in the Bible I've often thought it's actually weirder not to raise your hands when you sing I lift my hands up to you Lord I I raise my hands and a lot of times I'll look around we sing that and you're singing it but you're not doing it so I'd say either do it or don't say that you're doing it when you're not doing it it just sort of makes sense at least kind of take your cues from the song in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing but which is proper for women professing godliness with good works now this is the church he's speaking about he's not saying that it's wrong to wear jewelry or it's wrong to do your hair up or it's wrong to wear makeup what's wrong to wear certain fashions nothing wrong with that but church isn't to be a fashion show that's why I love the fact that we can come in our jeans if we want to if you want to dress up great but it's not about what you wear or how you look and may I just please at this point use this text to give a plea to young women to dress modestly for the sake of your Christian brothers who are around you now I know I know that Jesus said to men whoever looks upon another woman to lust for her in his heart has committed adultery and that is true that is a problem but there's another side to that problem see if there wasn't Bathsheba bathing on the roof of her house it'd be blood help more helpful for David when he walks outside there's two sides of that coin and women can dress in such a way as to invite male attention and incite their lustful gratification so don't do it don't give the opportunity Arthur W pink writes this if lustful looking is so Grievous a sin than those who dress and expose themselves with the desire to be looked at and lusted after are not less but perhaps more guilty in this matter it is not only too often the case that men sin but women tempt them to do so how great then must be the guilt of a great majority of modern mrs. who deliberately seek to arouse the sexual passions of young men so it's not about you it's not about how you look it's about God and about worshipping him and so that's the focus and that's the emphasis Paul is giving now in Chapter three and four of first Timothy brings us to the third section of this epistle this letter the ministers of the church are addressed verse 1 this is a faithful saying if a man desires the position of a bishop bishop means an overseer or an elder or a pastor those terms are often used interchangeably in the New Testament to speak of the same office he desires a good work now the bishop the overseer the elder of the pastor this was the principal office in the New Testament church he had help we'll read about the Deacons in a minute but now he lists 16 qualifications for the pastor and look it down at verse 8 likewise deacons they're part of the same ministry group deacons must be reverent not double-tongued not given to much wine not greedy for money by the way it's there to be reverent not Reverend okay so I just wanna make a little point here the Bible never uses the term Reverend so-and-so and speaking of a minister I know we do that and it's just it's part of our culture is not going to change but if you look up the word Reverend the only time I found that it applies to anyone in the Bible is to God and holy is the Lord he used to be revered so I just when people call me Reverend I just sort of I don't I kind of like want to move away or something or no I mean it doesn't even sound right does it Reverend skip those two words don't match if I had maybe a cooler name that was more reverent it would work but we are to be reverent we are to live in such a way both elders and deacons that are reverent in behavior so likewise deacons must be reverent not double-tongued not given to much wine not greedy for money and a list of qualifications is given now to the Deacons now let me tell you what a deacon is the word the idea of this appears first in the book of Acts in chapter 2 where the Apostles say we're not going to leave the Word of God and serve tables dia Konya is the word for serve or servant dia Konya Deacon sometimes the word refers to a specific office oftentimes the word simply refers to anybody who serves in the local Assembly of the church a servant of God is Deacon one who serves when it's used in the official sense it's those who help the elders fulfill their spiritual ministry now chapter 4 continues to the ministers of the church theme and he's gonna warn of those who will fall away from the truth and the need to warn them and the need to teach the truth look at verse 6 if you instruct the Brethren in these things you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine there's that word again which who have carefully followed now let me just tell you what he's getting at he's speaking of the need to continually feed and be nourished with the everlasting truth of the word of God and the need is especially needful for those in the ministry sometimes people can be ministering to other people and writing sermons and preparing Bible studies and every time they read the Bible they're thinking about their audience rather than what God's trying to personally show me and it has to be applied first of all to oneself that's the idea of that verse that we just read verse 13 till i come give attention to reading while we're doing that exhortation and we're doing that and a doctrine we're doing that verse 16 take heed to yourself Timothy and to the doctrine continue in them for in doing this you will say both yourself and those who hear you now I mentioned that doctrine is used quite a bit 20 times Paul himself uses the term in his writings 20 times doctrine 37 times it's used in the Bible doctrine doctrine doctrine doctrine but Paul uses it 20 times did da Scalia it means teaching truth instruction now if I ever felt sorry for a word in a language I feel sorry for the little word doctrine I feel sorry because of the way I hear Christians talk about doctrine conversations like this well dude I don't want to talk about doctrine man I just want to talk about Jesus ooh that sounds so cool and so hip and so spiritual it's just flat-out wrong well you know doctrine that's just like technical stuff I'm just into God listen doctrine just means healthy good solid teaching so listen how it sounds I'm not into good solid healthy teaching man you're not shame on you you should be because you wouldn't know anything and I would know anything about Jesus and God and what to do were not for the teaching the doctrine the instruction that comes from the Bible now when I buy a gadget I hate the manual because sometimes the manual is like four times bigger than the gadget it's like a dictionary it's like this huge volume it's like under no way I'm gonna read this I'm just gonna win to vit I'm gonna figure this thing out and if I get stuck I'll call somebody who has one of these little gadget I'm not gonna look at this book and that's my concern my concern is that as Christians as Christian churches in this modern age we're neglecting the owner's manual and churches now the trend now is to say well preaching is too authoritarian and we should just have discussions and we shouldn't say thus says the Lord or anything is absolutely true and there's a movement away from the truth and so today it's more important about what you feel rather than what you know to be true honestly well how does it make you feel oh that's good but objective truth has been cast out so people today are are long on zeal and short on facts and yet what did the Prophet Hosea say what did God say through the Prophet Hosea my people perish for lack of feeling oh my people perish for lack of inner warmth no my people perish for lack of knowledge for times I've counted at least maybe more Jesus said to the leaders of his day have you not read have you not read you should know this it's there in the book it's right there this is what God said we can apply it to our lives James Montgomery boys he's now in heaven one of my favorite authors wrote we do not have a strong church today nor do we have many strong Christians we can trace this cause to an acute lack of sound spiritual knowledge ask the average Christian to talk about God and after getting past the expected answer you'll find that his God is a little god of vacillating sentiments now as a pastor here's my goal I would love and my aim weekly that's what I live for is to make sure you are the best fed and best loved congregation on the planet I want you to know the Bible I want you to know spiritual truth I want you to know the will of God and the more you're exposed to the truth and the more I'm exposed to the truth we're gonna grow in the knowledge of the will of God and if I'm gonna leave any legacy it's that of a biblically literate I pray congregation who loves the truth and I already see it in you and I thank God for that now let's look at finally chapter 5 and 6 the Ministry of the church the ministry and this is a little section on how to handle all the different kinds of people they gather together old people young people truth seekers false teachers well it sounds like a Dylan song I forget it I'm thinking about I'm thinking of something I'm thinking of a song actually that he wrote that has a little rhyme in it but you don't want to go there I don't want to go there verse 1 do not rebuke an older man but exhort him as a father younger men as brothers older women as mothers younger women etc verse 3 honor widows who are really widows now chapter 5 verse 3 through 16 are a list of what qualifies a widow to receive help physical monetary help from the church they wouldn't give money to anybody if they were a widow who had no family no other means to support husband died no children no relatives then under certain circumstances the church at large would take care of them and those are spelled out here verse 17 let the elders who rule we'll be counted of worthy of double honor especially those who labor in the word and from verse 19 do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses those who are sinning rebuked in the presence of all that the rest may also fear so all these different kinds of people and how they're to be dealt with in the church and a little verse that last verse verse 20 you don't see that done very often those who are sinning rebuked in the presence of all and it's very rarely done I think we've done it maybe twice here in the whole history of the church where we've had to bring something I bring somebody up but say what happened because the sin was a public sin and had to be dealt with in that kind of a fashion the early church who was done quite regularly and I'll tell you what this did it brought the fear of God upon people because if sinning in such a way as to damage the church would be dealt with publicly in front of that congregation you'd have people go okay I'm not gonna go they're not going to do that now today what people say will you do that I'm just gonna go to another church back then they didn't have another church you were kicked out of the church you were out of the church today now people would circumvent this let's go to chapter 6 verse 1 continuing about the ministry of the church to various people let us many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blaspheme and those who have believing masters let them not despise them because they are brethren but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved teach and exhort these things now this to me is very enlightening very interesting this is one of the six times that the New Testament speaks about master slavery relationships which were very common 2,000 years ago it's written about in first Corinthians Ephesians Colossians Titus 10 and Philemon and we get to Philemon next week will expand more on that but 2,000 years ago slavery was an established legal institution in the Roman government in fact it is believed that 60 million people were slaves 2,000 years ago in the Roman Empire that's half the population of the Roman Empire now when I talk about those kind of slaves let me tell you what they were like some was menial labor but many of them were well-to-do very educated given a lot of responsibility hired or brought into the employ of some kind mastership of a very wealthy family they would be teachers there would be private tutors they would sometimes be doctors it is believed that Luke who is a physician was a slave owned by Theophilus that's why he wrote to Theophilus I was his job to gather the facts so they had very reputable positions and what's interesting to me about all of these different situations is that Paul John Peter none of them ever spoke out against slavery in that interesting there's never an attempt to overturn it or abolish it but simply understanding that culture back then and I'm sure Paul didn't think he's gonna rid the Roman Empire of 60 million slaves so he wanted to mitigate against the problems and the church does that I'll explain why in a minute so what he basically tells slaves to do is be the best slave in the batch be such a good slave such a godly slave such an obedient slave that the master would even be one to Christ by his servitude it's a very very interesting approach now the church was common ground if you went to a assembly 2,000 years ago you'd have slaves and masters sitting next to each other in fact a colossi Philemon and his slave Onesimus who was a runaway slave and next week we'll see what that meant it for him to come were together this created some tension because Christianity taught 2,000 years ago whether you're a master or a slave with Christ you're exactly the same you're all equal no one's greater no one's less and that was true and they all came together in the assembly in fact 2,000 years ago in a New Testament assembly there might be a slave who was an elder and a master who was not so the roles are reversed in terms of who has esteemed etc very interesting it did create some problems because Galatians 3:28 teaches there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free there is neither male nor female you are all one in Christ so you come together as a church all the barriers are loose they're gone but I'm not going to overturn this thing in the Roman Empire so if you are in that situation slaves you'd be the best slave possible masters you trade your slaves with respect like any employee in verse 20 Oh Timothy guard what was committed to your trust that is the truth the Word of God avoiding the profane and idle babblings and the contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge by professing it some of straigh concerning the faith grace be with you amen now it says grace be with you it's plural it's grace be with you all so while this is a letter to Timothy the very end he's kind of saying tell everybody at the church so that I ministered at for three years in Ephesus my greetings so Timothy like every minister was to guard like a sacred trust truth and stand up for the truth and fight for the truth and warned with the truth and exhort with the truth and teach the truth that's the theme of first Timothy now let's look at 2nd Timothy and we'll close 2nd Timothy is the last letter Paul ever wrote after 2nd Timothy he died that's the belief it is his swan song I think he knew he was coming toward an end because he says that toward the end of his letter now there's quite a difference in tone from first and second Timothy in first Timothy there's an anticipation Timothy feels I'm gonna get real all feels I'm gonna get released from prison soon and Timothy I'm gonna I'm gonna join you we'll be together again not in second Timothy second Timothy he's resigned to the fact that he's not getting out of jail he's gonna die he says the time of my departure is at hand he knows he's going to die and that tone is pervasive throughout the letter so this would happen Paul was in prison in Rome he got released he was under house arrest right he writes a letter to Timothy after he writes first Timothy Titus he gets released by Caesar Nero from prison he's out of prison for about a year we don't exactly know what happened to him but we can piece some of the things together he may have gone as far west as Spain in that year that was his heart's desire he wrote to the Romans remember I want to visit you when I go to Spain so he might have said I'm going to Spain I want to bring the message of Jesus Christ as far west as I can I'm convinced if we would have existed as the United States 2,000 years ago Paul would have want to come here but he went perhaps to Spain we know at least he went to colossi we know that he went to Ephesus hung out with Timothy he probably went to Crete to visit Titus he helped Timothy a little bit while he was at Ephesus but later on he was re-arrested at Troas brought back to Rome put back in jail this time a very different jail than the first time first time house arrest first time freedom for people to come in come out second time when he wrote second Timothy he was in the ma'am routine prison lockdown solitary confinement a hole in the ground I visited the ma'am routine prison twice now and I've read through some of these sections in that pit just to get what it was like these were the final days for Paul they were dark days for Paul because and many people don't realize this about the Apostle when he writes second Timothy most of Paul's best friends deserted him you know this wasn't going right this whole Christianity thing wasn't going like they anticipated everybody's getting killed or hurt or arrested even Paul the Apostle was arrested then reah Rus t'sit and looks like he's gonna die and his friends deserted him it's in a very very dark place when he writes this letter so there's four chapters here's the outline chapter one the present calling the president calling Timothy given what's going down here's the calling in your life that's chapter one chapter two pastoral character this is how you are to conduct yourself as a minister of God chapter three practical concern and guess what that was false doctrine false teachers people falling away from the truth and chapter four a personal charge let's look at chapter one a few verses the present calling to Timothy a beloved son grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord I thank God whom I serve with a pure conscience as my forefathers did as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day greatly desiring to see you being mindful of your tears that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice some of your going oh I got it wrong others going yeah I got it right because I cheated no huh and I'm persuaded is also in you so let's put the question up here it is who was the mother of Timothy was it okay so yeah how many said Eunice well let's see what it is do we have the results oh look at that 46% said Eunice 5% Meir 31% said Lydia that's interesting and 18% said Louis Louis was a grandmother but hey you guys are track and way to go thank you very much for that poll pollsters we appreciate that very much therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God verse 6 which is in you through the laying out of my hands let me just fill in some gaps it seems as I read through 1st and 2nd Timothy it seems that Timothy got discouraged easily or waned easily the times got tough that he wasn't kind of up to the performance as a minister should be in difficult times that Paul thought and he needed frequent encouragement and in a exhortation to be faithful to keep the fire alive that's what stir up means keep the fire burning keep the stole the coal stoked verse a therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner but share with me and the sufferings for the Gospel according to the power of God what we notice here in this letter is that Paul recognizes Timothy had a great spiritual upbringing a mom and a grandmother who were believers Jewish believed in Yeshua they probably got saved and Paul's first missionary journey they were the instruments that led Timothy and exemplified the Christian faith to Timothy for him to make a decision and that's a great blessing many of us are the spiritual victims of praying grandmothers and praying mothers I keep those prayers coming I love to see when women say we're gonna pray it's like yes things are gonna happen I think of these women who prayed for Timothy and Timothy was so valuable to Paul you know sometimes today when couples get together and they're gonna have children oftentimes up to the point where they have kids there's no thought about God or reading their Bible or going to church or a spiritual focus until they have children okay now they have a child and suddenly it's like an epiphany it's like we got to go to church we got to have a spiritual emphasis now listen I'm not knocking that or mocking that I'm glad for that at any time any spiritual awakening is good but what they're saying is oh goodness my child's going to need spiritual guidance and moorings and a worldview that's worth something because I haven't been living that but they need one so though that's good at any time let me suggest young couples who don't have children do it before you have a child dedicate yourself to the Lord long before you have children because if it's just all about I take my kids to church they're gonna see through that like in about two years when they have enough sense to talk and understand language and articulate they're gonna say Oh hypocrisy they take me to church but they never live for God a lot of times people will quote proverbs 20 to train up a child in the way that he should go when he is old he will not depart from it I love with Abraham Lincoln said he said for a parent to train up a child in the way that he should go he should go that way himself first there was a a group of scholars four of them four biblical translators and they were all discussing what they thought was the best translation of the Bible so the first guy said oh the old King James that's so majestic it's the best can't beat that another scholar said I like the NIV it's a little more contemporary it has some flavor and color to it that the King James misses the third guy said I love the NASB it's accurate the fourth guy said you know my favorite and best translation of the New Testament is my parents translation and they looked at him and they laugh and they said what do you mean and he said they translated every page of the Bible into their own life and it was the most convincing Bible translation I have ever seen or heard they lived it they walked it and so Timothy had this legacy of believing mother and grandmother down to verse 15 chapter 1 this you know but all those in Asia have turned away from me among whom are Fidelis and her Majin 'yes now we don't know who they were they probably were leaders who showed some promise as leaders but they deserted their posts they ran away they left and so can you imagine being named by Paul because it's kind of like everybody's gonna read it for like 2000 more years your name's like doing that there for good what a drag it's something else we find it's not the only time he names names Paul actually names people's names publicly if somebody was false or an error you know they never kind of just soft step and go well you know there are those who believe it goes I'll tell you who they are who believe here's their names stay away from them and if you see them rebuke them and we're very very cautious to even get near any of that today that Paul saw that poison must be labeled poison and he did chapter 2 is the pastoral character now we're just going to kind of quickly go through this because this is Paul being mr. metaphor you're gonna see all these mixed metaphors that a leader is the steward a soldier an athlete a farmer and a workman and you get it all in a few verses watch verse three you must therefore endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ no one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who enlisted him as this soldier that's one metaphor there's an the one and if anyone competes in athletics he's not crowned unless he competes according to the rules in verse six the hard-working farmer must be purse first to partake of his crops now why does he do this he's pulling out all these analogies to say sometimes serving God requires hard work hard work all of these that are mentioned are hardworking people doing some hard working tasks so it takes daily determination and commitment than anything worthwhile in life requires that so verse 15 be diligent or be persistent to present yourself approved to God a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth be persistent be diligent work hard hard-working farmer athlete soldier see all of that is intimacy you got to get back into the game buddy you can't wane now you got to work hard especially if you're a pastor Timothy work hard be diligent be persistent several years ago when he was alive I had the privilege of having dr. Jay Vernon McGee speak here at a midweek Bible study at our church and it was precious I've always loved listening to him I grew up listening to him and I interviewed him that day on local radio and Jay Burnham McGee is known for taking his people through the whole Bible verse by verse every day that's what his broadcast he goes through a book of the Bible and we were talking about how rare that is and I said dr. McGee I need to ask you a question why is it this is your legacy you've taught through the whole Bible I'm in my 20s when I'm interviewing him and I'm just getting started in the ministry I said why is it that most churches and most pastors don't take their congregations from Genesis to Revelation like you have done through the whole Bible and he said this on the radio is it because the lazy I tend to believe friends that we have a many lazy preachers that's what he said I'll never forget that and that's exactly how he said it Lisey preaches so when he said that and he looked at me I thought I don't want to be a lazy preacher I would it be diligent I want to understand the text I want to understand the context I want to know the language I want to know the history and be as accurate and notice rightly dividing it means to cut a straight line that's what it means cutting a straight line now what was Paul by occupation it was a tentmaker and they made tents in those days not with cloth but skins of animals and it required exactness in cutting the skin straight to bring the ends together that's the analogy he's using also it was used when roads were put in and you had to cut a straight line through a valley or a straight path through a field and what Paul is saying here given that language and this analogy is this Timothy build a straight road through the field of truth and don't get sidetracked that's the idea of this verse build a straight road through the field of truth and don't get sidetracked preach the word so that takes us to Chapter three and for chapter three is the practical concern and you know what I've discovered that Paul's concern should be our concern it's the same issues today people deviate from truth and call themselves Christian churches verse one but know this in the last days perilous times will come men will be lovers of themselves lovers of money boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy unloving unforgiving slanderers without self-control brutal despisers of good traitors headstrong haughty lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god having a form of godliness and denying its from such people turn away well you think he just read the local newspaper coming up with this list it's amazing that only 30 years after the Gospel through Christ in the original Apostles exploded in Jerusalem a mere 30 years later there was already at that time a falling away from the truth falling away from what is right a falling away from Christ it's always been the case Satan has always wanted to question truth from the very beginning what did he say to Adam and Eve half God said came the question to challenge to God's truth even Jesus said something that every time I read I get a lump in my throat said when the Son of Man returns will he find the faith on the earth a very haunting question well that's what it means if indeed the church is the pillar and the ground of the truth which said so in first Timothy it is this is where truth real truth is disseminated it makes sense that the church will become the battleground that just makes sense and simple strategy and that's true that's why liberalism and the church doesn't surprise us that's why attacks from the cults don't surprise us that's why church splits and church attacks don't surprise us because the church according to the Bible is ground zero it's ground zero Satan is always on the prowl seeking whom he may devour and my big concern is people in the church because I'm a pastor every time I read anything at all by this group the World Council of Churches I shudder I wish they changed their name to world eclectic false doctrine something because they never say anything worthwhile at all now the World Council of Churches has comprised of 350 churches in 120 different countries that would effectively touch the possibility of 550 million people recently world council of churches 25 theologians got together in switzerland put out the statement quote all religious traditions are ambiguous in other words that are a combination of good and bad and quote listen to this we need to move beyond a theology which confined salvation to the explicit personal commitment of Jesus Christ so you heard that I recommend that you do what Paul just said from such turn away turn away have nothing to do turn away takes us to chapter 4 and we'll close with this the personal charge first to preach the word be ready and season and out of season convinced rebuke exhort with all longsuffering and teaching for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers and will turn their ears away from the truth be turned aside to fables sound doctrine cougie ah no means literally hygienic doctrine clean healthy teaching why would anyone ever turn away from good solid healthy Bible teaching I can tell you exactly why because it rebukes their ungodliness and Jesus said men love darkness rather than what light because their deeds were evil that's exactly why it happens you can couch it under well my belief system is but it's just simply an accommodation to their own behavior verse 5 but you Timothy but you in contrast to that but you be watchful in all things endure afflictions do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry ok here it is this is his parting words verse 6 for I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my depart sure the word departures speaks of a ship setting sail from the harbor is it hand I have fought the good fight I have finished the race I have kept the faith finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearing Timothy finish well because Timothy look at me is what polishing look at me Timothy I'm finishing well time of my departure is at hand but I've run the race Timothy I finished the course Timothy stay at it it's so I can't think of a word it's that bad of whatever word you want to use to see a life that has lived and lived and lived and then at the end finishes poor one of the great things I've always admired and still do especially as dr. Billy Graham is nearing his own the end of his life he won't be with us much longer he's very frail I was invited to be at George Beverly Shea 'he's 100th birthday party next week and when were a couple weeks I won't be able to make that but here's dr. Billy Graham and boo George Beverly Shea and they're finishing well they're going to heaven the right way they're finishing their course so these were among the last words of Paul verse 22 the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit grace be with you amen his last words his last words I've often wondered what will my last words be I hope they're good words I hope it's not like you'd say something really lame to your wife and then you get in the car accident and that's the last words these are Paul's last words he preached to the very end the last sound I ever want to here is the sound of my chin hitting the pulpit as I go down that's how I want to finish now this is the end of Paul's life after he finished writing this not very long afterwards he was taken to a place called the Basilica Julia big building in Rome that was built by Julius Caesar and there Paul the Apostle stood before some representative of the Roman government and he heard the death sentence against him and after that Paul marched out to his death I'm borrowing now in closing with this from 80 Robertson the crowds flowed into town some were going out Paul was only a criminal going to be beheaded few if any of the crowds knew about or cared anything about him at a good place on the road some miles out the executioner stopped the block was laid down the executioner stood ready axe in hand the men stripped Paul tied him kneeling upright to a low pillar which exposed his back in his neck the Lecter's beat him with rods for the last time he groaned and bled from his nose and his mouth and then without a hint of hesitation the executioner frowned as he swung the blade down swiftly hitting its mark with a dull thud and the head of the greatest preacher of the ages rolled upon the ground in that brutal moment Paul the Apostle went from the imperial city of Rome to the celestial city of heaven and he was crowned and he received the reward that he wrote about in these last words I'm so impressed with the life of Paul the I've studied them I've been on places and travel places and taking people where he's been loved is I'm convicted by Paul I thank God for him Heavenly Father as we have heard the last will and testament of a great man of faith one who never flinched did get discouraged but got back up a threat whip shipwreck prison hardship of the journey did not stay him but he moved forward always in your will always believing there was somebody else who needed to hear in another church that needed to be encouraged edified instructed and he left us with quite a legacy of a man who ran the race finished the course and father we just think of our own life and do pray that by your spirit by your grace you'd keep us we have that wonderful promise that he who has begun a good work will continue to perform it until the day of Christ thank you for a faithful flock keep us all serving following in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Skip Heitzig

Views: 5,788

Rating: 4.7460318 out of 5

Keywords: How to study the Bible, How to read the Bible, Jesus, Skip, Skip Heitzig, How to know God, Timothy, young pastor, Ephesus, Paul, love, brother, Christ, encourage, Word, false teachings, preach the word

Id: gnlWbAXMAAU

Length: 63min 27sec (3807 seconds)

Published: Mon May 13 2019