Overview of 1 & 2 Timothy • 09.04.22

Nick Lees   -   September 4, 2022

Overview of 1 + 2 Timothy

A survey of faithfulness in the church

1. What does a faithful church teach?
2. How do faithful Christians live?
3. Who should lead the church?
4. What if people oppose us?

Good morning church family! How sweet it was to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our singing this morning!

Jesus is the one who has set us free. He is the one who overcame sin and death at the Cross and empty tomb. It’s his blood that atones for our sin. He is the Lamb who was slain and our Lord who eternally reigns. And he is worthy of praise!

This very Gospel message is what we will hear proclaimed throughout our study of 1 + 2 Timothy in a series called Blueprint for the Church. The Gospel is the foundation of Paul’s life and ministry. It is the truth that Paul challenges Timothy to firmly uphold as he leads the church. It is the hope for all of Creation that the church is to preserve and protect from the onslaught of false teachers and false doctrine that is all around us.

Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Word of God alone, to the glory of God alone.

It is our calling, our entrustment, as the church to know, believe, and protect the truth of God’s Word. I’m thoroughly excited to dig into these letters with you over the next 13 weeks. This study will take us all the way up to December and our Christmas series.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve found incredible benefit in taking the first Sunday of a new series to do an overview of the entire book, or, in this case, books. This 50,000 ft flyover helps introduce us to the context of the book. When I say context, I mean things like the author, the recipient(s), the situation for each, the date it was written, and the main ideas found in the book. Knowing these details will help us accurately understand and interpret the text.

Though both letters are written by the Apostle Paul to his disciple Timothy, they were written at different times, under different circumstances, and with slightly different emphases. Nevertheless, we’re going to cover them both today as we survey faithfulness in the church.

A survey of faithfulness in the church

This is one of the central themes that ties these two distinct letters together.

1 Timothy – faithfulness in teaching, leadership, and conduct

2 Timothy – faithfulness in witness to the end, in suffering for Christ, and in teaching the word accurately

Both books emphasize faithfulness. Remaining loyal and steadfast to the Lord and to the truth He has given us. And each letter will unpack specific ways to remain faithful.

When the pastor team was planning the preaching calendar for this year, we saw specific benefits from studying these books for our church. I want to briefly share those with you. It is our hope that studying 1 + 2 Timothy will:

• Reinforce the biblical vision of godly leadership in the church
• Challenge both men and women, young and old, to rise up and conduct themselves in a godly manner
• Help everyone to value sound doctrine
• Prepare us to recognize and refute false doctrine
• Solidify the Gospel as central to our existence and purpose as a church
• Promote the importance of discipleship within the body

Would you please join me in prayer over the next 13 weeks that God would work through His Word in our church to produce these kinds of good fruit? I hope you would agree, that if these things are produced in us, that it will have been 13 weeks well spent! Why don’t we pray for our time now?

Pray

Ushers + Bibles (Page 1177 Black; Page 576 Blue)

As you turn there, I’ll introduce you to some more of the context of the book.

As I already mentioned, these letters were written by the Apostle Paul, both to one of the men he had discipled in pastoral ministry, Timothy. These letters were written between 60-67 AD with at least a year or two gap between them. This is roughly 30 years after the D/B/R of Christ.

Many of you are likely familiar with the Apostle Paul, a Jewish man who was radically converted after encountering the resurrected Jesus on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. He went from being a chief persecutor of the church to being one of the chief proponents of it. He was known for his ministry to the Gentiles (non-Jews) – starting and building up churches across large areas. (MAP)

However, you may be less familiar with Timothy, Paul’s protégé. We are first introduced to him in Acts 16 when Paul is on his second missionary journey. Timothy’s mother was a Jewish believer in Jesus and his father was a non-Jew (Greek). Timothy had a good reputation within the Christian community where he was from at Lystra and Iconium, so Paul called Timothy to join him in the ministry. What we find in the pages of Scripture is that Timothy became one of Paul’s closest and most trusted companions. Paul speaks highly of him…

Philippians 2:19–22 (ESV)

¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰ For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹ For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²² But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.

and trusts him enough to send him to minister to churches facing difficult situations…

1 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV)

¹⁷ 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 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (ESV)

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, ² and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,

Timothy often went to teach in churches where things were too dangerous for Paul. Paul also repeatedly sent him to churches facing great controversies of the faith. He is also mentioned in six different epistles in the greetings to the churches. Timothy was a godly man used mightily by the Lord in strengthening the early church and a valued co-laborer in Gospel ministry.

At the beginning of 1 Timothy, we hear the following about his current ministry calling:

1 Timothy 1:1–4 (ESV)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

² To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

Timothy is stationed at the church in Ephesus for the purpose of helping them stay on-mission for God by protecting them from false teachers who teach false doctrine. This was the very thing Paul had warned the Ephesian church elders about at the end of his second missionary journey years earlier. Let me remind you of that scene from Acts 20:

Acts 20:17–30 (ESV)

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, ²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵ And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, ²⁷ for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. ²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Paul knew and warned them of what was coming! False teachers from their own midst seeking to lead people astray. He had good reason to warn them…

Ephesus was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and full of pagan worship and mystical arts. Archeological finds suggest up to 50 different gods and goddesses were worshiped there. It also had a large shrine to the goddess Artemis, a goddess of fertility, magic, and astrology. You can read about some of these details in Acts 19 if you’d like. Needless to say, though the Christian church had been established in this exceedingly pagan city, there was a lot of pressure on it, from within and without. Timothy was Paul’s chosen representative to minister in this high-pressure situation. Timothy was to lead the church in Ephesus to be a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

With all that context in mind, let’s turn our attention to the 50,000 ft survey of faithfulness in the church, as taught in 1 + 2 Timothy. If you’ve got a bulletin, you’ll notice we’re asking four questions today:

1. What does a faithful church teach?
2. How do faithful Christians live?
3. Who should lead the church?
4. What if people oppose us?

These are broadly, some of the questions that these books help us answer. So, let’s take them in order.

1. What does a faithful church teach? Faithful churches teach sound doctrine. (belief)

You’ve already heard Paul’s charge to Timothy to keep people from teaching any different doctrine than the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Throughout these letters, Paul reiterates that there is a truth given by God – the Gospel.

We hear of this Gospel in Paul’s own testimony in…

1 Timothy 1:12–17 (ESV)

¹² I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, ¹³ though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 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. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Christ came to save sinners… Meaning people like us. People who have rebelled against a holy and perfect God by going their own way. That’s each and every one of us. No one enters this world with their heart set on obeying God. From the moment we are born, we are consumed with a desire for self. Kids give voice to it from an early age: “I want. I want. I want.” “Me. Me. Me.” Apart from God’s grace and mercy through his Son, Jesus Christ, we would all still be stuck in this mindset – dead in our sin and rebellion against God.

But God sent his son for the forgiveness of his people. Jesus died in our place and makes a way for us to be reconciled (at peace/reunited) to God through faith in him. We can be made new, have the hope of eternal life. That’s the Gospel message. And it is promoted repeatedly throughout these letters.

Paul repeatedly urges Timothy to be committed to this sound doctrine. For example…

1 Timothy 4:6 (ESV)

⁶ If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

2 Timothy 3:15–17 (ESV)

¹⁵ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Sound doctrine is truth. The truth is the Word of God. The Scriptures. The Bible. The true teaching of the Word of God is what Timothy is to uphold. In fact, all pastors ought to dedicate their lives and ministries to upholding this truth. Paul’s counsel for Timothy is true for pastors today:

1 Timothy 4:15–16 (ESV)

¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 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.

Pastors ought to watch their life and doctrine closely, not only for their own holiness, but also for the sake of their influence on others. They must be students under God’s Word themselves in order for others to observe and emulate. Paul charges Timothy with doing his best to rightly handle the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Again, this is the calling for all pastors, and frankly, all Christians. Do the hard work of understanding the Word so that you would teach it well to others and be able to give a good account before God one day.

Unfortunately, there is a reason these letters needed to be written. Not everyone teaches the truth. As you heard, false teachers were present, and the church needed protecting from them. As we will see throughout these letters, the fruit of false teaching is devastating:

1 Timothy 1:19 (ESV)

¹⁹ holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,

Some have turned away from the Gospel and had their faith shipwrecked… Others will devote themselves to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons:

1 Timothy 4:1 (ESV)

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

Still others will have a love of money and bear the fruit of greed and discontentment:

1 Timothy 6:9–10 (ESV)

⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Throughout these two letters, Paul will tell many sad and personal stories of friends who have deserted him and the faith, as they have fallen in love with the present world. These are the dangers that come from allowing false teaching in your church. Paul also warns that there are people who actually desire false teaching:

2 Timothy 4:3–4 (ESV)

³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

This has been happening since the day Paul penned it. We see it all around us. Men and women going to “churches” who teach something other than the truth because it’s watered down and easy to swallow. It’s a feel-good message that doesn’t challenge you to confess sin or to change. Rather than leading people to the truth of Jesus and the salvation he offers, it leads them away from it…and condemns them in the process. These are the dangers of false teachers and false doctrine.

For these reasons, a faithful church must teach sound doctrine. Churches are tasked to be the pillar and buttress (support) of the truth. Paul says as much:

1 Timothy 3:14–15 (ESV)

¹⁴ I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, ¹⁵ if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

Every church has the privilege of being the household of God, charged with protecting the truth of the Gospel from perversion. They are led by godly pastors who fight the good fight of the faith, yet it is the entire church’s responsibility to remove false teachers from their midst! The church, corporately, must protect the truth! This is our job. We’ll dive into this deeper in future weeks.

1. What does a faithful church teach? Faithful churches teach sound doctrine.
2. How do faithful Christians live? Faithful men and women practice godly conduct.

Throughout these letters, we will hear admonitions to the saints to live godly lives. The counsel they will receive includes:

1. Be prayerful, give thanks

Especially for those in high positions. Because praying this way helps us to live godly, peaceful lives. Paul will remind Timothy that the Gospel is for sinners and that God desires all to be saved. Church, we have a mission! To tell the world about the Good News of salvation from the consequences of our sin through faith in Jesus!

1. Men should pray and not be angry

Apparently anger and fighting is an age-old problem for men! Paul’s counsel is especially for the men to pray.

1. Women should dress modestly and do good works

Paul’s counsel for the women is to not draw attention to themselves for the wrong reasons, but rather to be known for their godly behavior. Paul also touches on a topic that is quite controversial in our day and age.

1. Women are not to be in authority/teaching roles over men

We’ll certainly touch on this as we study these letters. How does Paul’s command to the church in Ephesus apply to the modern church of our day and age?

Paul also gives extensive instructions on how to…

1. Care for widows

Faithful Christians and churches make sure to care for those who have no family. The church quite literally becomes your family! I love how I’ve seen this play out within our own church body. One of our widows stood up at the last family chat and thanked everyone for the care she had received over the past year. It was a powerful moment.

1. Men ought to provide for their own households

There was no excuse for a man to call himself a Christian and yet forsake his duty to provide for his family. Paul said that such a man has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Strong words!

1. What does a faithful church teach? Faithful churches teach sound doctrine.
2. How do faithful Christians live? Faithful men and women practice godly conduct.
3. Who should lead the church? Faithful men with proven character lead the church.

In 1 Timothy, Paul gives clear instructions on identifying godly men who are qualified to lead God’s church. Chapter 3, along with a similar chapter in Titus 1, are the clearest instructions in the New Testament about the leadership structure of the church.

Without stealing the thunder of future sermons, we see two offices outlined for the church: pastors and deacons. Both require established, godly character before a man can be considered for the office. And, fittingly, both must demonstrate leadership in their homes first. A man who does not lead well in his own home has no business leading God’s church.

Notice the recurring theme of faithfulness. In days when there will be many who are selfish and faithless, it will be necessary for godly men to rise up to lead God’s church. Men who are faithful in their homes and in the church. Men who have proven character, knowledge of the Scriptures, and the ability to teach them accurately. There is a real spiritual war going on around us and in us. A battle for truth. God requires faithful men to lead the way in protecting the Gospel and his Son’s bride, the church. They must be willing to count the cost and endure to the end.

Ironically, the Apostle James would write:

James 3:1 (ESV)

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

What a warning! The office of pastor/teacher is not for everyone, which is why the church must be careful to protect the pastorate. Do not allow ungodly, unqualified men to remain in the pastorate. Paul will make sure to point out that pastors are not above discipline. They are held to a higher standard. Be wise on who you call to this office and remove those who live in unrepentant sin or teach false doctrine.

1. What does a faithful church teach? Faithful churches teach sound doctrine.
2. How do faithful Christians live? Faithful men and women practice godly conduct.
3. Who should lead the church? Faithful men with proven character lead the church.
4. What if people oppose us? Faithful Christians endure to the end.

The majority of 2 Timothy is about faithfulness in the face of suffering. That Christians must hold fast to the Gospel until the end. Paul warns Timothy of what is coming:

2 Timothy 3:1–5 (ESV)

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

There will be a lot of opposition and godlessness in the time between Christ’s death/burial/resurrection and his return. Isn’t that the truth? Of course, it is, it’s in God’s Word! But it is also our present reality. We see this type of behavior all around us all the time. And, apart from Christ’s saving work in our lives, we all lived the exact same way. Christianity is not a faith where we look down on others, as if we were somehow better than them, but rather a faith where we must have incredible compassion because we were them! And even though they may hate God and us, we must learn how to suffer well and to preach the Gospel even in the face of persecution.

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy is for faithful Christians to endure suffering for the sake of the gospel and the elect. God WILL save some. Our mission will be successful so don’t lose heart in the face of opposition!

A clear takeaway from these letters is to not lose heart when suffering! Paul was a sufferer writing to a fellow sufferer to encourage him to persevere in suffering for the sake of the Gospel. So that some might hear and be saved. Christians suffer with purpose – to share the hope of redemption. The hope of eternal life. Of being forgiven by God and able to dwell with him… forever. *Pause*

I hope this high-level overview of 1 + 2 Timothy has been helpful for you this morning. We’ve only dipped our toes in the water today, and I’m looking forward to diving in deeper in the weeks ahead. Let’s pray again that God would do a work in us through His Word.

Let’s pray.