2 Timothy 1:7-13
We continue in our series of lessons from the pastoral epistles of Paul by beginning today a series of lessons from the second letter Paul wrote to Timothy.
I doubt that there is a long period of time between the first and the second letter that Paul wrote to Timothy. Perhaps he already had in mind what would be the focus of the second letter by the time he finished the first.
If you will recall the first letter ends abruptly. It’s almost as if Paul hadn’t had time to finish his thoughts before he was forced to leave off work on that letter, and wait for a fresh moment to begin a new one.
By way of introduction to the Second Epistle to Timothy I want to take you through a recurring theme in the Epistle.
We know that time was urgent for the Apostle. He knew his last days at hand and that his death was imminent.
Any day now the door to his cell would be opened and he would take his final walk on planet earth.
What’s more, Paul has every reason to believe:
- All the signs were there and
- I think the Holy Spirit had given him foreknowledge
that the same fate Paul was about to experience, would be Timothy’s as well.
Foxes Book of Martyrs places the death of Timothy in about 81AD during the second Roman persecution under Emperor Domitian.
Times were hard
Paul was about to give his life for Christ
And his good news to Timothy was that he was going to have to do the same before this whole thing was over.
He has a lot to say to Timothy
- Instructions
- Encouragements
- Memories
There is one theme that recurs in each and every chapter. That theme is the Word of God.
And it is no wonder.
God’s Word IS the one piece of heaven we can hold in our hands today.
- It is not a religious relic
- It is not a spiritual “rabbit’s foot”
The Bible, together with the local church, is the only thing in this world that can get you through this world.
What you and I do with the Bible will determine how successfully we make it through the “hard times” that very much appear to be approaching.
Paul told Timothy first
*I. HOLD FAST TO THE WORD
2 Timothy 1:13 (KJV)
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Timothy had been taught the Word of God by his mother and his Grandmother.
He had heard the Apostle preach the Word time and again over the years of ministry.
He had been duly commissioned himself as a man of God.
Paul’s challenge to Timothy right then was, “hold fast.”
The definition of “hold fast” is a progressive one
A. To have it in hand
B. To wear it as clothing
C. To possess it as one’s own
D. To be joined to
First we get hold of the Bible.
We learn it.
Then we practice the Bible
We begin to do what it teaches
Next we own the Bible
We believe it and become committed to it
Finally we become a part of it
We are no longer practicing the Bible. We obey the Bible because it is our nature to do so.
Timothy, times are going to get hard.
- You are going to have to take a stand for your faith.
- You are going to pay a price for your faith
If you are going to stand without fail, the world of God has to become part of you.
Religion won’t get you through
What your mom and grandma taught you won’t help you then
All those years working alongside me won’t hold you up
Hold fast the form of sound words…
Second Timothy,
*II. STUDY THE WORD
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Paul was in a Roman cell and knew that his final days were upon him.
He was going to be executed:
- Not for some terrible murder
- Not for treason against his country
- Not because he had led in a movement that had brutally killed men and women
He was going to die because he preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And he won’t be the last.
Every indication was that Timothy would face the very same end.
What do you tell a guy like that?
- Do you tell him it’s time to cut your losses and run?
- Do you tell him to arm his congregation and get ready to fight?
- Do you tell him to hoard away a mountain of food and go underground?
True believers have never done any of that.
“Timothy,” Paul said, “In light of the persecution I am facing and the persecution you are sure to face, grab your Bible and study.”
Here’s why:
A. The study of the Word of God is how it becomes your nature
It’s the practice of it too, but the study leads to the practice.
For about five years, I practiced Kenpo with the class here at the church.
One of the interesting things about it was that there was an “academic” side to it as well as a physical side.
You had to learn terms, and take a verbal test to graduate to the next level. When you get to the highest levels you are expected to write a term paper in order to get those levels of belts.
It’s because study leads to practice.
When I hurt my shoulder a couple of years ago I began to go to physical therapy and learned a number of exercises to help relieve the pain.
As long as I was going to physical therapy, I was interested in what was happening:
- I read up on the therapy exercises
- I learned new exercises
And because I was thinking about them all of the time, it didn't take much to get me to practice them all of the time.
But once the therapy was done, I slid back into old patterns and habits.
- Runners read magazines about running
- Bikers read magazines about biking
- Shooters read magazines about shooting
That’s because study begets practice.
B. The study of God’s Word grows our confidence in God’s promises
Paul is writing to a man who is surely going to experience trials and hardships.
When those difficult times come upon us,
- What we think the Bible promises and
- What we hope the Bible promises
don’t really offer any comfort.
In those tough times only what we KNOW the Bible promises are able to strengthen us and hold us up.
And the only way we can ever know is by personal study.
Paul told Timothy to expect the same that Paul had gotten and told him that, in order to survive the suffering successfully he would need to:
Hold fast to the Word
Study the Word and then
*III. CONTINUE IN THE WORD
2 Timothy 3:14-17 (KJV)
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Tough times are no time to turn away from the things of the Lord.
During the centuries of persecution of the Christians one of the first things that the persecutors tried to do is to get the Christian to recant.
Mind you – most of the time they were still going to execute them, just that they would do so mercifully if they recanted first.
The issue was a hot button enough that at one point in history church’s debated whether a person who recanted (and survived) could ever be saved.
Churches literally refused to allow someone who had recanted of their faith to ever unite back into the church.
Some churches refused to fellowship with other churches that did let them into their church.
Paul told Timothy, when the persecution comes, continue practicing, believing and proclaiming the Word.
Hold fast to the Word
Study the Word and then
Continue in the Word and then,
*IV. PREACH THE WORD
2 Timothy 4:2 (KJV)
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Notice two things
A. Preach in season and out of season
Paul, I believe, was implying that an “out of season” season was fast approaching.
- It’s one thing to preach when the preaching is popular to do.
- Its one thing to preach when you can assemble a group of believers
- It’s one thing to preach when you can get a Christian attorney to defend your preaching
- It’s one thing to preach when the weight of law is still favorable to preach
It’s a whole different thing to preach when:
- You haven’t got a friend in the world
- The legal system is opposed to preaching and
- The lawyers are telling you to quit
Timothy, when that day comes, Preach the Word.
B. The character of preaching
Reprove, rebuke, exhort
Did you notice that this formula for preaching is 2/3 negative and only 1/3 positive/supportive?
What that tells me is that Timothy was not to soften the message to make it more palatable in is difficult time.
He’s not supposed to be “wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove” like some people today claim.
He’s not supposed to “ratchet down the rhetoric” to make it easier for the lost world to swallow.
“Timothy, I am in prison, going to give my life for preaching. The time is going to come when they will do the same to you.
If you are going to survive it spiritually I advise you to:
- Hold fast to the Word
- Study the Word and then
- Continue in the Word and
- Preach the Word
with the same zeal and vigor you did the first time you came to the pulpit.
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