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ToBeLikeHim.com Return
to Timothy Series 1 Timothy
Series Lesson two John Baugh August, 2008 1st Timothy - Chapter 1 Verse
1-2 (NIV)
1Paul, an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus
our hope, 2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and
peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul He was not the old man, Saul, but the new man, Paul An Apostle of Christ
Jesus An = Not the only one = there are others Apostolos (Greek) - the word indicates one who is
sent out - Was used to refer to an ambassador or an envoy An envoy or ambassador was one who was sent out
to represent both country and monarch. In Paul's case and as he wrote, he
considered himself to be an ambassador of Christ Jesus The 1st duty of an ambassador is to
form a liaison between the country he represents and the country to which
they are sent. At that point the ambassador is to serve as the connecting
link between the one who sent him out and the nation to whom he is posted. The duty of all Christians is to serve as the
connecting link (ambassador, envoy, apostle) between Christ Jesus and other
people. We are appointed to represent the by the command of God Command = epiage
(Greek) - This word indicates Royal orders which an absolutely binding law
gives a person. Paul considered himself a man with a royal commission and a
specific task to perform to the known world of that time. As Christians, we need to remember that however
humble our service may be, (Sunday school teachers, witness at grocery store,
Christian friend at work, Parent, social acquaintance) we are commissioned to
be in a royal service. Throughout and in all portions of our lives, we are on
the business of the King. our Savior Paul's reference to God as the savior comes from
an Old Testament Background. - In Deuteronomy 32:15 Moses spoke of God as the
rock of his salvation. - From Psalm 24:5 The psalmist writes of those
who receive righteousness from the God of their salvation. Greek = soter
= Savoir To the Romans, their General Scipio was known as
'our hope and salvation' Paul called God, Savior - the designation given
to a loving, caring being. We need to remember that Jesus did not go to the
cross to satisfy and attempt to pacify an angry God. God had no wrath that
Jesus satisfied through the cross. Nowhere in the New Testament is this idea
presented. Instead: …from John 3:16: 'For God so Loved the
world' Everything begins from God's Love. And of Christ Jesus our
Hope Christ Jesus 'our hope' is one of the Great
titles of Jesus. - From Colossians 1:27 'Christ in you, the hope
of Glory'. -
From 1 John 3:3 'All you who have this hope in him purify yourselves,
just as he is pure.' -
Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, wrote the following to the church in 'Be of good cheer in God the Father and in Jesus
Christ our common hope.' Hope: 1 - In Christ Jesus, people found the hope of
moral victory and self-conquest. From Paul's time: - We have 'Weakness in the necessary things' (Epictetus,
the Greek philosopher) - 'We hate our vices and love them at the same
time' (Seneca, the Roman philosopher) Paul knew that Christ came not only to tell women
and men what was right and how to live, but he came, giving them the power to
do it. Christ gave to all of
mankind the hope of moral victory instead of defeat. 2 - Gave hope of victory over circumstances Christianity came during
a time of terrible personal insecurity. Tacitus - Roman historian writing about that time
"I am entering upon the history of a period
rich in disaster, gloomy in wars, rent with seditions, nay savage in its very
hours of peace." In those times, Christ gave people the strength
to live and the courage, if need be, to die. In the certainty that nothing on
earth could separate them from the love of God in Christ. Paul, in Romans 8:38-39 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 - People found in Christ the hope of Victory
over death. In Christ, they found the strength of moral
things and the hope of eternal things. To Timothy, my true son
in the faith Paul never spoke of Timothy without expressing
love and affection in his voice. Some of what we know about Timothy: - He was a native of Lystra (Acts 14:8-21) a
small town visited by Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. - His Jewish mother was Eunice and his
Grandmother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). There is no mention of his father, except
that he was a Greek. -
Paul may (or may not) have met Timothy during his first visit to Lystra, but
we do know that during his second missionary journey, Paul went to Lystra
(this time with Silas), and encountered Timothy. At that point a discipling
relationship began (Acts 16:1-3).There was something in Timothy that Paul saw
and evidently believed worthy of a personal investment. "everyone spoke well
of him" - When Paul and Silas left Lystra, Timothy left
with them as a part of the missionary team and evidently under the
discipleship of Paul. - Timothy was left behind at - He was sent as Paul's messenger to - Timothy was with Paul in - He was Paul's messenger to - He was with Paul when he wrote 2nd Corinthians
(2 Corinthians 1:1 1:19) - Timothy was sent by Paul to see how things were
going with the church in Thessalonica and was with Paul when he wrote his
first letter to that church (1 Thessalonians 1:1 3:2 3:6) - He was with Paul in prison when he wrote to
Philippi and Paul was planning on sending him to - He was with Paul when he wrote to the church at
Paul wrote to the church in "I sent you Timothy who is my beloved and
faithful child in the Lord." (1Corinthians 4:17) When planning to send him to "I have no one like him…Like a son with a
father he has served with me in the work of the Gospel." (Philippians 2:20
2:22) Paul calls Timothy 'His true child' Gnesios (Greek) = true =
legitimate = genuine Timothy was one Paul could trust and could send
anywhere on any task, knowing that he would go and serve the cause. Timothy is our example of how we should serve in
the faith Grace, Mercy, Peace In all of Paul's letters to the churches, he
wishes them Grace and Peace Only to Timothy does he wish Mercy - not even to
Titus (Titus 1:4) Grace 1 - In Greek = grace = outward favor, beauty,
attractiveness, sweetness - Grace is a lovely and attractive thing. 2 - In the New Testament, grace expresses the
idea of sheer generosity, something unearned and undeserved. It is the
opposite of debt. It stands on opposition to works. From Romans 11:6 6But if it is
by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer
grace. From
Ephesians 2:8-10 8For by grace you have been saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not
as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 3 - Grace carries the idea of universality - The grace given to the Corinthians in Jesus
Christ (1 Corinthians 1:4) - The grace of God bestowed on the churches of - Galatians being called
by the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:6) - Hope which came to the Thessalonians through
grace (2 Thessalonians 2:16) - God's grace making Paul an Apostle to the
Gentiles (2 Corinthians 15:10) Grace is a Lovely thing. Grace is a Free thing. Grace is a Universal
thing. From scholar/writer F.J.A. Hort "Grace is a comprehensive word, gathering up
all that may be supposed to be expressed in the smile of a heavenly King,
looking down on his people." Peace It is the standard Jewish word of Greeting
(Shalom) -
Not indicating simply the absence of trouble -
It wishes the most comprehensive form of wellbeing -
It evokes everything which makes for our highest good Mercy Greek = eleos
= "May God be good to you" but more than that Hebrew = chesedh
= loving kindness Chesedh
is used 127 times in Psalms It indicates help in time of need, specifically
God's active intervention to help F.J.A. Hort, on Mercy "The coming down of
the Most High to help the helpless" Peter (1 Peter 1:3) "It is by God's abundant mercy that he has
given us the living hope of the resurrection." Maybe Paul added mercy to his greeting to Timothy
because he knew that Timothy had his back to the wall and he wanted to remind
him that God is the help of the helpless. From God the Father Father God indicates a familial
relationship. From the head of the Family to you. The Father Is the source Is the authority Is the one who cares for,
provides for, always there. and Christ Jesus our Lord Paul used the title (position)
before the name then the relationship Christ = Messiah Paul had found the one
that the Jews were looking for Jesus = The man Came to save his people Lord = Ruler - In the Old Testament Hebrew Adanoi (My Lord) was used (read) when YHWH was used in scripture. - Christ Jesus is ruler
to whom? - He is ruler to those
who call on his name - He is ruler to us Copyright
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