Intro to 1 Timothy

Intro

we are kicking off our summer book study, and for the next 7 weeks we will be looking at the book of 1 Timothy. We will take go a chapter a week, highlighting key themes and ideas that Paul is trying to communicate to this young pastor.

Over the course of the series, I am going to try to say less so that you have more time to say more. One of the things you will notice is that there are no sermon notes on the app. That is intentional. Instead, everyone in house will receive a discussion guide in paper form, and you will be given time to discuss the different questions and passages that are highlighted in the guide.

For those online, if you go to the link on the screen, you will be able redirected to our online campus. There you will find the questions in the announcements portion of the screen, and you are invited to participate in the discussion with everyone else that joins.

This morning, I want to introduce 1 Timothy by looking at the man Timothy, other passages that he is mentioned outside of the letters addressed to him, and introduce a major theme that we will be looking at, and I think most of us can relate to

The Man, Timothy

We are first introduced to TImothy in Acts 16 where we read

Acts 16:1–4 NLT

Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

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Just prior to this passage is the story of Paul and Barnabas going their separate ways. Barnabas accompanied Paul on the first missionary journey, but a disagreement over John Mark causes them to split. Paul takes Silas with him and in short order he meets Timothy

We learn that his mom is disciple of Christ, and later we find out that his grandmother is also a believer. So this is pretty special. The church is very young, yet we already have 3 generation believers emerging.

Very quickly, we discover that Timothy is very special to Paul. Look at the ways he describes Timothy in these passages:

2 Corinthians 1:1 NLT

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece.

Philippians 1:1 NLT

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.

Romans 16:21 NLT

Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

1 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.

1 Corinthians 16:10 NLT

When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.

1 Timothy 1:2 NLT

I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

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TImothy is very important to Paul, and it would be safe to assume that Timothy felt the same about Paul

Now it is important to note that Paul isn’t actually Timothy’s father, as we read early that TImothy’s dad was a Greek, and probably not a disciple.

I said on Father’s Day that our world, and our kids, need more fathers, more men willing to step into the life of our kids

Is there someone who had that kind of influence in your life?

maybe it was a coach, teacher, or mentor, but someone you think about and you know they encouraged you and made you a better person because of the invest they made.

take 5 minutes to discuss

Church in Ephesus

eventually, we discover that Timothy is sent to the church in Ephesus. He is sent as Paul’s representative to be their pastor

If you skim the book of Ephesians really quick, there are two major themes that begin to emerge. The first theme is unity. At one point, Paul tells the church in Ephesus to fight for unity, because they are united in Christ. In fact, Paul tells the church that their fight is not with flesh and blood, and against spiritual forces that are working to tear them apart.

The second thing that Paul talks about is living in the light, and holding onto the truth of the gospel. There was some false teaching going around, and Paul felt compelled to remind the Ephesians that the truth is found in Christ and the Gospel he taught them alone.

It is amazing how there is nothng new under the sun. Our society is encouraging a very individualistic approach to life. It is all about me, my opinion is all that matters and if you disagree with me, you hate me. There are a lot of things that can divide us, and it is easy to forget that in Christ, there is actually more that unites us, and we need to fight for that bond of peace and unity.

Not only that, we live in a day where truth is subjective, and you can’t tell me I’m wrong because this is how I feel, regardless of what cold hard fact says. We need to remember that truth is objective, it comes from God and God alone, and we need to pursue the source of all truth to protect our heart and mind from the schemes of the enemy.

How can we protect unity in our relationships?

How can we protect our minds and hearts from falling into deception?

Major Theme in Timothy

So this is TImothy, and this is the church that he is pastoring. You are going to see the themes of truth and unity pop up as we read through Paul’s letter, but there is another theme that I want to highlight this morning. It is found in one of the most quoted verses found in 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 4:12 NLT

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

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don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. See one of the things that you begin to realize as you read 1 Timothy is that Timothy is frustrated. You begin to to get the impression that he is ready to throw in the towel. The church has been challenging, he is young guy probably wrestling with some insecurities, and he just wants to throw in the towel. So his mentor, his spiritual dad reaches to love him, encourage him, and give him tips to press on.

I want point that out because I think a lot of us can relate to this mindset. Maybe it isn’t your youth that holds you back, but maybe it is your confidence, your self image or self worth. Maybe it is the lack of experience. Whatever the situation is, we get to these points where we just want to throw in the towel and call it a day. Maybe some of you are there right now. Maybe some of you throw in the towel years ago and gave up on a dream or passion.

1 Timothy is the book for you. Before you throw in the towel, read the words of a pastor, a mentor, and father to his son, reminding his to press on.

Do you have a dream you always wanted to pursue but didn’t?

What do you find holds you back in life?

Do you think a mentor or a spiritual parent could help you with that?

Everyone needs a Paul, and everyone needs a Timothy in their life.

Is there someone that you could take under your wing and mentor?