Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Have you received a letter recently? If you , then you probably wondered some things before opening the letter.
-Who is this from?
-Where is this from?
-Return address?
-Familiar handwriting?
-What is this about?
If it is a certain time of the year and recognize the handwriting, you might conclude it was from a friend sending a birthday card.
If it was a certain time of the month and typewritten, consequently you would conclude it was someone sending you a bill.
Well, here is a letter
-Who is this from? -Paul the Apostle
-Where is this from? -Written shortly after his release from Roman imprisonment (about A.D. 62-64)
-Who is sent to? - Timothy, The Ephesian congregation and us.
-What is this all about? - The local church of Christian believers and the pastor/elder in charge.
Better said - gospel living in the local church.
It's about Grace, Mercy and Peace
The Context
Acts 20:29-32
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
The Local Church was struggling
-Some were teaching man-made ideas and not the Scriptures
-Some unqualified men wanted to be teachers and elders
-The poor spiritual lives of some people had greatly stunted prayers
-Some women were more concerned with their appearance than developing a godly character
-Some women were trying to usurp man's God-given authority
-False teachers had infiltrated the ranks of believers
-Not all of the older believers respected the younger pastor/elder
-There were some women who were living for sensual pleasure
-Idle women went from house to house, sharing gossip and spreading dissension
-Some elders were living in sin
-Materialism had lured some people away from their faith.
A young pastor was struggling
-The church at Ephesus faced a number of difficulties which disheartened Timothy.
-Not only was this a huge burden for him, but He might have been having tough struggles in his spiritual walk.
1 Timothy 1:18-20
This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
1Timothy 4:16
Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1Timothy 6:11-14
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ
1 Timothy 6:12
O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”
-Do you see any similarities with our struggles?
The Author
"Paul,..."
The Total Depravity of Saul
Saul, in the New Testament
Acts 8:1-3
"And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison."
-Born in Tarsus into a Jewish family in the first years of the Christian era
-Roman citizen
-Hebrew name was Saul, named after King Saul
-Had a traditional orthodox upbringing
-Fanatically committed, zealous devotee of Judaism
-A Pharisee
-Education based almost entirely on the Old Testament
-His letters include some 200 O.T. quotations
-Studied under Gamaliel -member of the Sanhedrin
Gal. 1:13-14 -
For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
Philippians 3:4b-6 -
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
-His fiery zeal is seen in his willing participation in Stephen's murder.
Acts 22:20-
And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.
-He faithfully believed in a works-based religion
-Hated Christ
-Hated Christians
-Hated the Church
The Transformation from Saul to Paul
John 1:12-13 -
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
-Christ met Saul on the road to Damascus as he was going to persecute more Christians
-It was Christ who came to him
-Saul was not seeking Him, nor did he want anything to do with Him.
-Saul's named changed to Paul on the island of Cyprus
-The name "Saul" denoted prominence, while the meaning of the name "Paul" meant "small" or "little"
-He was made a new creature
-He loved Christ, Christians, and the Church when he once hated them.
-He would later die for Christ
-Paul began to repent and trust Christ for salvation instead of the works of the law.
-He could now say, "For by grace you are saved" -Eph. 2:8, and "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" - Titus 3:5
-The way of Salvation has not changed.
-The Gospel that saved Paul still saves today!!
-We don't need all the "new ways", self-help or church growth methods.
-Lets stick with the old stuff!!!
Romans 1:16 -
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
-Warren Wiersbe said this about Paul's conversion -
"The Hebrew of Hebrews would become the apostle to the Gentiles ; the persecutor would become the preacher ; and the legalistic Pharisee would become the great proclaimer of the grace of God."
1 Timothy 1:16 -
"But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life."
"An apostle of Christ Jesus....."
What can be learned about Paul in this verse?
-When he was writing to the Galatians, trying to persuade them that the gospel he preached to them is God's gospel and not man's gospel, and that he received it from the revelation of the Holy Spirit, he wrote, "Paul, an apostle"
-When he was writing to the Corinthians, in which members of that church were disputing his apostleship, he wrote, "Paul, an apostle"
-When he was writing to the Philippians, in which that church was divided by selfish leaders pursuing their own agenda, and the people were divided due to their own views and interests, he wrote, "Paul, a servant"
-When he is writing to Philemon, trying to persuade him to receive back Onesimus after he stole from Philemon, he wrote, "Paul, a prisoner"
-Here Paul is dealing with almost the same troubles he had in Corinth
-People were questioning his apostleship
-So he wrote, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus"
-"Apostle" means "one who is sent with orders"
-Paul was once a Pharisee, but now was an apostle of Christ
-Being sent out to preach Christ
The Authority of Paul
"...by command of God our Savior...."
A. He got his authority from God our Savior
1. God sends Paul by a commandment in His name
-Paul is saying to the young, troubled Timothy and to the Ephesian church, "I get my authority from the God who saves. He gave me a commandment to the preach the gospel of Christ to the gentiles. I do not come on my own will, as some of the false teachers have said, but I come by the will of the most high God."
-Nothing could give a man more courage than belief in such a divine call.
It strengthened General Gordon, who while facing difficulties and perils which made his life an epic poem "General Gordon, the Hero of Khartoum".
In all ages the men who have had that belief have dared and did the mightiest deeds. Look through history and you will find the invincible Ironsides, the dauntless pilgrim founders of the New World, and the greatest evangelists and early church fathers. They were all victorious because each one said to himself, "I am here by the commandment of God our Savior".
Going back farther still in church history, we see Jeremiah standing in the midst of his persecutors like a stone wall and defensed city; Daniel defying the wrath of the king without a sign of bragging; Elijah opposing the court, the hierarchy, and the fanatical people, and did so without a tremor because he looked beyond the opposition and spoke of "The Lord God of Israel, before whom I stand".
-What about us?
-Can we say,
life can never be so dull again
when once we've thrown our windows wide
and seen the mighty world that lies outside,
and whispered to ourselves this wonderful thing
"We're wanted for the business of the King!!
-We, as Christians, are sent out by Christ, by command
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20
-Where is our courage?
-Where is our confidence?
2. God sits on the throne and stands alone as King
-The term "Savior" was a Jewish term of worship from the Old Testament.
Luke 1:46-47- And Mary said, “ My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
-The term "Savior" was also used in the cult of emperor worship, and thus being applied at that time to the infamous Nero.
-Kings, Popes, Presidents, Politicians, Emperors, Prime Ministers, Dictators, Preachers, and Religious Leaders die and cannot save themselves, but the God of Scripture lives on and is the only one who can save.
-They are often corrupt and evil, but God is perfect, pure and righteous and is to holy to look on evil.
-They often change, but God is immutable.
-Their knowledge is limited, but God is omniscient.
-Their power is limited, but God is omnipotent.
-They can only help so many people at one time, but God is omnipresent and our ever present help in time of need.
-The often judge with partiality, But God being the good, perfect and only Judge, judges with impartiality.
-No one can compare with our Savior GOD.
B. Paul gets his authority from "Christ our hope"
"...of Christ Jesus our hope,..."
-This phrase reveals Paul's view of the deity of Christ, putting Christ on the same level as God.
-The Greek term "hope" in this passage, conveys an element of absolute certainty, absolute assurance, not just a flimsy "well, I hope so" type of hope.
1. Our present hope
-We can have absolute hope of victory over sin, satan, and the world.
Hebrews 4:14-16
-"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
- Christ earned our sanctification for us, therefore Paul could say the God made Christ to be "our wisdom, our righteousness, and sanctification and redemption." (1 Cor. 1:30)
-Christ will perfect us , He will give us the strength to overcome sin that we battle. He will protect us and help us stay away from sin.
-There is no doubt about it, He will
2. Our future hope
-We can have absolute hope and assurance that our salvation is secure in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
John 10:27-30
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
-If you believe you can lose your salvation, not only do you not understand Scripture, but you must be a miserable person, because you would lose your salvation everyday!
Paul is reassuring his apostleship and encouraging young Timothy by showing him what a high calling he has by command from The Triune God.
We can find much rest here. Even in the midst of our struggles, burdens, and our daily fight against sin and satan. We can put our trust in the Savior God, and Christ our hope.
If you trust and hope in something other than the triune God , you will fall.
If you trust in your own strength and hope you will overcome , you will fall.
Our trust and hope must come only and completely from our Father!!
If Timothy trusts in his own strength and hopes he can rightly lead this Ephesian congregation, and live a life that's pleasing to the Lord, he will fall!!
The greatest harm done in your Christian walk is when you take your eyes off the God-head.
The Affirmation
"To Timothy...."
1. His upbringing
-Born in Lystra
-Was in his late teens or early twenties when he first showed up in the New Testament (Acts17)
-Name means "One who honors God"
-His mother was a Jewish Christian
-His father was a Greek
-His mother and grandmother taught him the Scriptures from his childhood which lead to his salvation (2 Tim. 3:15).
a. Teach you children the Scriptures
-Today, more often than not, in Christian homes, children know more about what's going on in Hollywood than they do in God's Word!
-Children do not need friends as parents.
-They need godly parents who lovingly teach them the principles, commands and the gospel from God's Word.
-But not to only teach them, but to live it out in front of them by example.
-The Scriptures do not permit any type of parenting which uses the sinful "do as I say, not as I do"
type of parenting.
-We need more parents like Timothy's mother and grandmother!
b. There is hope and rest for the believer who comes from a broken home
-There is not much said in the Bible regarding Timothy's father, other than the fact that he was a Greek (Acts 6:1).
-There are three logical conclusions about Timothy's father
a.He was dead
b.He was an uninvolved pagan
c. He and his mother were divorced
-Anyway you slice it, Timothy came from a broken home.
-look at this contrast, Paul came a prominent life, and Timothy came from a lowly beginning.
-But Both were used mightily of God.
-God saves the Prominent, and God saves the Lowly!
-There is no distinction, God saves and uses for His glory
-So therein is rest, do not think for one second that God will not use you because of your upbringing.
-God is not partial, for He says "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." - Isaiah 66:2b
2. His Conversion
"...my true child in the faith..."
-Timothy's conversion is not recorded in Scripture, but His conversion is probably connected to the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra, which was Timothy's hometown (Acts 14:6-23).
a. Inward conversion of the soul > Outward emotional experience
-The Spirit causing repentance and belief in the perfect work of Christ, is what saves
-Having a very emotional experience, is not what saves
-Knowing the date, time, and place, is not what saves, and does not matter.
"Whether sincere conversion began now, or before, or after, I was never able to this day to know....God breaketh not all men's hearts alike." -Richard Baxter
Timothy's conversion is not recorded in Scripture like Paul's.
-Does this mean Timothy is inferior to Paul? By no means!
-Both were used of God!
-If you are saved today, it is because you are saved by Christ atoning work on the cross.
-Paul here affirms his confidence in Timothy's conversion by calling him his "true child in the faith"
Out of Paul's many companions and friends, He calls Timothy and Titus his true children in the faith.
-But he goes further with Timothy
"I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel." - Philippians 2:19-22
"That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church." -1 Corinthians 4:17
-Timothy was Paul's disciple and dear friend.
-By this time, Timothy had been with Paul for about 15 years as Paul's close companion.
-He was probably around the age of 30
-He stayed behind in Berea with Silas after Paul had to leave due to persecution, He then joined back up with Paul there.
-He was with Paul in Corinth, was sent by Paul to Macedonia, and accompanied him on his return trip to Jerusalem.
- He was with Paul when he wrote Romans, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians and Philemon.
-He was Paul's trouble shooter, being sent by him to the churches at Corinth, Thessalonica, and Philippi, and now here in Ephesus.
-His conversion is evidenced even more by his martyrdom in Ephesus about thirty years later for opposing the worship of the goddess Diana.
b. We need modern-day Timothy's in the pulpit.
-Today, the average southern Baptist pastor stays at one church for about two years and then leaves
That is usually due to:
1. Money issues- "I'm under paid"
2. Church issues- "I'm being treated badly
3. Congregational issues - "It's just not growing"
-We have cowards in the pulpit, who, when any kind of problem arises, their foot is already out the door.
-Oh, but Timothy , stayed amidst many problems with this congregation, and stood on the Word of God.
-We need pastors who will stay the long haul and lovingly lead, teach, rebuke, exhort, and cherish the congregation God has given him. To the end that they might grow in the knowledge of the Lord, and not just in number.
-We need pastors who will stand up for righteousness and truth, even if it means their life.
3. His encouragement
"..Grace, mercy, and peace..."
a. Grace to the guilty
-Grace is God's unmerited favor, love and forgiveness to wicked sinners
-Freeing them from the consequence of sin
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."- Ephesians 2:8-9
"You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted. "
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
-Isaiah 12
"We who feel ourselves alienated from the fellowship of God can now raise our discouraged heads and look up. Through the virtues of Christ atoning death, the cause of our banishment has been removed. We may return as the Prodigal returned, and be welcome. As we approach the Garden, our home before the Fall, the flaming sword withdrawn. The keepers of the tree of life stand aside when they see a son of grace approaching." - A.W. Tozer
Grace, Grace
God's Grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, Grace
God's Grace
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
b. Mercy to the miserable
-Mercy is God's compassionate, tender, pardoning, relieving, and supporting love to the weak and helpless.
-Freeing them from the misery of sin
"he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" -Titus 3:5
-Grace will not give peace to man, unless mercy accompanies it; man needs pardon for the past no less than strength for the future.
-Most of Paul's salutations leave out "mercy", but when directed to Timothy, he adds it here.
-He warmly encourages Timothy as a father would a son.
-If pastors know what they really are, and what they should be, they would ever be throwing themselves on God's mercy.
Matthew Henry said "Ministers need more grace than others, to discharge their duty faithfully, and they need more mercy than others, to pardon what is amiss in them ; and if Timothy, so eminent a minister, must be indebted to the mercy of God, and needed the increase and continuance of it, how much more do we as ministers, in these times, who have so little of his excellent spirit."
Thomas Hooker said "Thy sorrows outbid thy heart, thy fears outbid thy sorrows, and thy thoughts go beyond thy fears; and yet here is the comfort of a poor soul: in all his misery and wretchedness, the mercy of the Lord outbids all these, whatsoever may, can, or shall befall thee."
-Paul is reminding Timothy of the sustaining mercy of God he needs in the face of intense opposition and difficulty.
"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning : great is thy faithfulness" - Lam. 3:22-23
c. Peace to the privileged
-Peace is the result of Grace and Mercy.
- Peace is harmony with God, calm of the conscience, the tranquility of the soul, which results from the assurance that God has saved us through the Son, and our freedom from sin by the sanctification of the Spirit.
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Phil. 4:7
-God is called the "God of peace" (Heb. 13:20). God the Son, the "Prince of peace" (Isaiah 9:6). God the Holy Spirit, the "The Spirit....of peace" (Eph. 4:3).
-How encouraging this is!!!
- when, in my struggles, God gives grace, but not just grace, mercy, but not just mercy, peace!!!!!!
-Amen!!!!
4. His "Bestower"
".....from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
"God is not waisted by bestowing" - Thomas Manton
-The Father and Son are bracketed in verse 1 as the single author of divine commands but here the Father and the Son are bracketed as the single author of divine blessings.
-God is our Father in that He adopted us in Christ, and through Christ, He bestows grace, mercy, and peace. (Rom. 8:15-39)
-Christ is our Lord in that He has supreme power over us, not just by creation, but ion regard to salvation. (Phil. 2:13-14)
Paul encourages Timothy by telling him that the triune God will provide grace, mercy and peace in these hard times. He will also provide grace, mercy and peace to you in your fight against sin, satan, and the world. Run to Him!!!! Humble yourselves before the God of Glory!!!
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