Nepal Teaching #1: 2 Timothy 1:1-18
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Opening Greeting (1:1-2)
2 Timothy 1:1–2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This is the opening greeting of Paul’s letter, and it is specifically addressed to Timothy, his spiritual son.
But before he addresses Timothy, he first mentions that he is an apostle, or “sent one”.
This would have been someone who saw the resurrected Christ.
This title would’ve held a lot of authority which would make the whole letter serious and trustworthy.
Paul was not just someone that sent himself, but He was sent by Jesus Christ.
Paul was not sent out by human authority.
In Acts 9:15, we see the story of Paul’s conversion and the purpose that Jesus would use him: “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”
He was called and sent by the Lord Jesus Himself which was God’s divine will.
Paul’s authority is grounded in the purposes of God the Father, announced by the ministrations of Jesus, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Tim. 1:7, 14).
Trinitarian authority empowers Paul’s ministry.
App: How is our calling different from Paul’s calling? How are they similar?
It is different in that Paul saw the risen Lord Jesus and was personally sent out by Him. It is the same in that we are called out of sin by grace, but we are not an apostle like Paul was. We are sent out to proclaim the good news though. The roles are different, but the message we proclaim is the same.
v.1b: This is the object of Paul’s apostleship. The role of apostle is to proclaim that true life is found in Christ alone.
The promise of life is the promise to bring salvation and life through the Messiah, Jesus.
Because of Christ we have life—true life in Him now and eternal life when we go to be with Him.
Paul was called to be an authoritative proclaimer in the resurrection of Jesus.
The resurrection is the guarantee of that salvation
1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”
We have been brought from death to life. Read along with me from Eph. 2:1-10.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Paul was restating the hope that he had in the Gospel because he knew his death would be soon.
He reminds Timothy of hope of the Gospel to prepare for what he would write in this letter.
Paul writes in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
This is the same Gospel that gives you and me hope as well in the face of suffering and persecution.
Paul had faced a great amount of suffering up to this point in Asia (1:15), and he writes to Timothy to encourage and equip him for ministry in Ephesus.
Commentary: The gospel gives life because at the heart of our message is a person, Jesus Christ, who is Himself “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Ill: The Gospel is a lot like water. Humans did not think of or invent water, but we cannot live without it. So we take the living water of the Gospel to the lost people around us.
App: The Gospel message makes us bold witnesses of what Jesus has done in our lives.
v.2: Timothy was Paul’s “true son” in the faith, and they shared a deep brotherly affection for one another. They had done ministry together for a long time, so he desired to see Timothy again.
This is what Gospel relationships produce: a deep joy and love for one another in Christ.
He wrote to Timothy here with the intent to instruct.
He gives Timothy a warm greeting by listing “grace,” “mercy,” and “peace”.
Grace of God: undeserved favor and kindness (salvation; Eph. 2:8)
Mercy of God: not receiving what we deserve (wrath; Eph. 2:4)
Peace of God: Jesus has reconciled us to God the Father by putting our sin away on the cross (Eph. 2:5).
This is a very encouraging greeting because it reminds us of pieces of the Gospel.
App: A mentor is someone who trains and matures a young believer in the faith.
Are you a disciple-maker and mentor to someone younger in the faith than you? Young believers, are you seeking out relationships with more mature believers to teach how to follow Jesus better?
Actively seek out those relationships. We are called to make disciples.
A Pastor’s Thanksgiving (1:3-7)
2 Timothy 1:3–7 “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
The first thing to notice in verse 3 is that Paul was filled with thankfulness even though he was in prison.
“as did my ancestors”: Paul refers to the saints of old such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David.
The Gospel is the fulfillment of the promises that God made to Paul’s ancestors.
Christianity and Judaism are two different religions, but they are two stages of one revelation.
Ill: Think about a plant seed maturing into a flower one day. That is what Judaism is to Christianity; Christianity is the flowering seed.
Thanksgiving should characterize the heart of the Christian. In America, we have a holiday called Thanksgiving, and it is a good day to practice giving thanks to God for who He is and what He has done this past year.
He was not tempted to complain or grumble about his sufferings because he was following Jesus’ footsteps by serving.
Paul was faithfully serving the Lord, and being in prison did not cause him to turn away from Christ.
His relationship with Jesus deepened while he was there.
Paul focuses on his relationship with Timothy and his confidence in Timothy’s faith.
We see that Paul prayed for Timothy daily. Let us model our prayer lives after Jesus and Paul.
It is a great joy to pray for our brothers and sisters in the faith!
It is a great joy to love one another just as Paul did Timothy.
App: So before we continue, I want to pause here and take about 5 minutes to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. They may be here in this room, all over Nepal, and all over the world. Thank God for building His church and the relationships that you have made with other believers. Thank Him for the joy that they bring to you. Thank Him for raising up leaders to serve Jesus and the Church. Thank Him for giving us the Spirit.
As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
The reason he prays for Timothy is seen in v.4.
It shows the depth of love they have for one another in Christ.
Everyone else had deserted Paul, but Timothy did not want to part with his spiritual father.
Paul desires to see Timothy again.
Ill: Remember the times when you all go off to plant and lead churches that it may separate you from your family for a while. The goodbyes are difficult, but Jesus’s grace is sufficient to help you endure.
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
Timothy was discipled initially by his mother and grandmother.
Paul honored Lois and Eunice greatly because they were faithful to teach Timothy everything God’s Word commanded.
For my sisters in the room, I want to personally encourage you to continue discipling your kids.
Your role in your family is very important and brings honor and glory to Christ.
Your kids may be crazy and not able to sit still or listen, but endure teaching them the word of Christ!
It is not being done in vain, but the Lord is building His church through your hard labor.
They were teaching him the Old Testament, and Timothy believed that Jesus was the Messiah. God opened his eyes to see the beauty of Jesus and he followed after him. Now, he is serving Jesus in one of the biggest churches in Asia (Ephesus).
He was taught this type of faithfulness at a young age.
It prepared him to be faithful to Jesus’s commands.
App: Family discipleship is absolutely necessary to build the church!
Teach and train your kids through the Word of God because it will lead to fruit. Be faithful to train your kids by the Word so that they will one day by the Lord’s grace be faithful to Him.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
v6: Paul knew that Timothy had an authentic faith because it had been tested by suffering; Timothy persevered.
Now that Paul has commended his faith, he gives him a command: “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God.”
Paul was commanding Timothy to be more forceful with his spiritual gifts than he had been. It is a call to have more courage.
This command was grounded in Timothy’s faith in Jesus which he received through the faithful teaching from his family.
This laying on of the hands is Paul’s way of launching Timothy into his ministry.
It is a community-involved realization of a person’s gift for the work of ministry.
It is the church collectively that affirms the gifting of the spiritual leaders. We cannot give ourselves the role of a pastor, but it is a role that God calls us to through the church.
Ill: Many of you have fanned into flame this gift of leading in ministry.
Paul was a great encourager, and we must be as well. Encourage one another to take responsibility in leading God’s church.
He was reminding Timothy that God equips His servants to complete their ministry through spiritual power and gifts.
He was exhorting Timothy to grow in his gift stronger.
Two ways that we grow in this gift: 1) is by studying God’s Word often, 2) The other way is by getting a spiritually older mentor to help teach you the practical side of ministry.
This command does not give room for laziness. If we are lazy with our gifts of the Spirit, that will lead to unfaithfulness.
It emphasizes the importance of working hard for Jesus’ glory.
He gives us grace to work hard, but we also have the personal responsibility of actually doing it.
It is by using our spiritual gifts from the Lord that we can be bold witnesses of the Gospel.
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
v7: Paul tells Timothy to not have fear while fanning the flame of his gift.
Timothy was struggling with fear as a young leader in the church in Ephesus. Paul reminds his that Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit that gives power, love, and self-control.
We are given power to overcome timidness. This fear likely arose due to intimidation from the false teachers in Ephesus.
We are given love that overcomes the hate of the world.
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
We have perfected love if we walk by the Spirit on a daily basis. Love compels us to be bold.
We are given self-control that helps us control our natural fears when leading.
Because Jesus rose from the grave and continues to build His church, we must not fear or become cowards.
Cowards are those who fail to act against their fears in the face of opposition and danger.
God has not given his people a spirit who meets opposition and danger and then slinks away
We now have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, so we do not have to be afraid when life gets hard.
We fight fear by reminding ourselves of God’s promises through the Gospel!
App: We are called to use our gifts of the Spirit passionately. Are you using yours or are you struggling with fear? Are you intimidated because you are too young?
Do not let that discourage you because God calls whom He chooses, whether they are old or young. We are called to be faithful when God calls.
If you are fearful, Jesus has overcome the world!
Take refuge in Him who has defeated our greatest enemy and conquered our greatest disease—sin.
There is always the temptation to avoid conflict when our preaching meets opposition, but that does not define the Spirit that we have been given as believers.
Because the Word of God is true and Jesus rose from the dead we can have boldness and love to preach!
God will empower and equip us for the work of the ministry; we have to be willing to trust Him at all times.
Following Paul Without Shame (1:8-18)
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.
Since God has given Timothy a “spirit of power, love, and self-control,” he must not be ashamed of Jesus.
Paul is warning Timothy that shame can lead to unfaithfulness to Jesus.
The reason this is is because shame is a painful emotion caused by the belief that a person is unworthy of love due to circumstance, actions, or thoughts.
Jesus overcame and delivered us from our shame when he went to the cross.
Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The Spirit applies the work of Jesus abolishing sin and shame to us that we might have freedom from it.
Paul gives two reasons why Timothy may feel shame: the Gospel and Paul’s chains.
The world thinks that Christians are foolish for believing in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
We must be willing to suffer and despise the shame as Jesus did when He went to the cross.
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.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
When suffering comes to you brothers and sisters, it is proof that you belong to the Lord and assurance that you will be glorified.
When we face suffering and trials, may we along with the apostles go on rejoicing that we can suffer for the name of Jesus.
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
When we suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus it brings Him all the honor and praise.
App: Does this sort of confidence that Paul had in the Gospel characterize our lives?
Are we humble enough to let our names be less than the name that is above every other name?
who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
v.9: The power of God is sufficient to save sinners. God calls us by grace and gives us a new identity.
This is known as the doctrine of election or sovereign grace.
God chose to save sinners for His own purpose and will before the world was ever created.
This teaching points out that there was nothing special about us that compelled God to save us.
Before we were saved, we did not desire or run after God. He ran after us because He chose to love us.
The purpose of why He chooses to save sinners is that we might be made into the image of Jesus.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
We were dead in sin and rebelled against Him, but God being rich in mercy saved us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
He saves us so that we might praise His glorious grace (Eph. 1:6).
If God does not call or choose us, we would still living in sin like the world.
Whenever God calls us to Himself, we cannot reject it. God’s sovereign grace is way more powerful than the rejection of our sinful hearts.
This is great news because it is how God builds His church.
We are commanded to share the Gospel with everyone, and God calls His people to Him.
Sinners repent and trust in Jesus for salvation. Then they live a life of sanctification—becoming more and more like Jesus.
Without God’s sovereign grace, no one would ever be saved and the church would not be built.
Ill: A good illustration of what this looks like is you are dead at the bottom of the ocean. You cannot move or reach out for help, and then someone grabs you and brings you up from the bottom. That person breathes life into your lungs and you can now truly live.
This is what being dead in sin looks like. We cannot save ourselves or work hard enough to be saved. Jesus saves us by grace through the hearing of the Gospel message.
App: This is great news brothers and sisters because it is how God builds His church!
We are commanded to share the Gospel with everyone, and God calls His people to Him.
Through the sharing of the Gospel, Christ’s sheep hear His voice.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Sinners repent and trust in Jesus for salvation when they hear the Gospel. Then they live a life of sanctification—becoming more and more like Jesus.
Without God’s sovereign grace, no one would ever be saved and the church would not be built.
2 Timothy 1:10 “and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”
v.10: “appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ”: this refers to the doctrine of the incarnation.
God the Son put on flesh and came to dwell among us (John 1:1;14).
He is 100% God and 100% man.
In His humanity, He fully represents us as the Second Adam.
He is our true example of what it looks like to live perfectly devoted to God. Where Adam rebelled, Jesus obeyed perfectly.
If He was not both, then our salvation would be incomplete, and we would have no hope.
Ill: This is why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. If he had been born from Joseph, He would have a sin nature like us. But He was born of the Spirit meaning He was born perfect and then lived a sinless life. This assures us that Jesus can and will save His people.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Because He is fully God and fully man, He achieves victory over death and eternal life for us. He came to make known the Gospel through His perfect life.
Because Jesus won eternal life for us, we experience true life now and will have eternal life later.
This encourages us to persevere through persecution and suffering because Christ has accomplished our salvation.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Jesus Is Better! Through His resurrection, we will overcome our physical death. It is because of Him that we have hope.
Verses 9 and 10 were often thought of as an old confession or song that the early church would sing.
If that is true, then confessing and singing that Christ has saved us by grace and we have eternal life in His name should characterize who we are as Christians.
2 Timothy 1:11 “for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,”
v.11: Paul used to persecute Jesus and the Church, but Jesus called him out of sin to proclaim the Gospel to Gentiles.
Paul thought he was obeying God when he was killing and persecuting the church, but he was directly opposed to Jesus.
And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
In this moment, Jesus was saying that if you persecute the church, you persecute me. Jesus identifies with His peoples’ suffering!
Galatians 1:15–16 “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;”
Paul was saved so that he would be a preacher, apostle, and teacher and that Christ would get the glory.
As a “preacher,” Paul proclaimed the message of the Gospel.
As an “apostle,” he was appointed by Jesus himself to be an inspired and authoritative messenger of the Gospel.
As a “teacher,” Paul explained the meaning of God’s revelation in Christ.
Ill: Imagine that a terrorist organization who killed Christians suddenly stopped and then started living for Jesus. This is what it was like for Paul who was an enemy of the Gospel that became a recipient of grace. Now, he gets to share that wonderful message!
App: Most of us in this room have been called to proclaim and teach the good news of the Gospel to the world.
We have been called by grace to lead Jesus’s church. It is no small task, so we depend on Jesus daily.
2 Timothy 1:12 “which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”
v.12: Next, he says that he is suffering for preaching the Gospel.
This message of the Gospel had brought a lot of hardship for Paul’s life. It means that following after Jesus is costly, but not following Jesus is more costly.
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.”
Paul counted all as loss for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel.
He was in prison which would have been a shameful place, but he was not ashamed. Why?
His confidence and trust are in Christ. Paul did not look at his suffering as a reason for shame, but he used it to express confidence in Jesus.
Paul was convinced that God’s power would keep him from being ashamed. Even if Paul is going to die by the Romans, Christ will raise him up in resurrection life. He does not belong to Rome, but he belongs to Jesus!
App: My brothers and sisters, if you are suffering for preaching the Gospel, you are in good company!
You have the power of God in you, so do not be ashamed!
You are following the same path that Jesus walked, so take heart, He has overcome the world!
He will raise you up on the last day, and death will not have a hold on you because you belong to Jesus.
You do not belong to threat of the Nepali government or Hindu radicals, but you belong to Christ!
You are His, and He is yours!
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
v.13-14: Paul commands Timothy to walk in step with teaching healthy doctrine (Joe will talk about this more in next session).
Timothy is commanded to “follow” and “guard” the Gospel.
The word “follow” means to hold fast to something. It is like the anchor of a ship that hold the ship in one place.
Timothy would need to hold fast to the message of the Gospel in order to endure hardship.
Holding fast to the sound words indicates Timothy’s pastoral duty to preach and to live the authoritative standard before God’s people.
He is commanded to do this “in faith”. When we do not hold fast to the Gospel in faith, God is not pleased with how much we work for Him.
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Timothy must have faith in God and love toward others.
He would need to follow the true apostolic teaching.
He would also need to guard this teaching from false teachers.
Timothy would need to protect the standard teaching of the Gospel from the corruption of false teachers.
We as believers cannot do this along but with the help of the Holy Spirit.
He is the One that gives us courage to stand firm and guard against false teachers (Soldier metaphor in ch.2)
App: Guarding has a sense of confrontation, meaning we will have to face some conflict to defend the truth of the Gospel.
The Gospel is a gift that we have received by faith, and we are called to live it out by faith and protect it.
2 Timothy 1:15 “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.”
v.15-18: We see two bad examples of those who left Paul in 15, and they were likely leaders of a bigger group that deserted Paul.
They totally rejected Paul because they were not willing to suffer with him.
They were ashamed to associate with a prisoner.
Their faithfulness to Paul was only as strong as they were willing to suffer.
App: We must not reject our brothers and sisters when they are persecuted or suffering.
We must hold fast together in order to see God’s kingdom go forward.
To suffer faithfully is to identify with Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:16 “May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains,”
We see a good example of a brother who searched for and stayed with Paul in 16.
Onesiphorus was a faithful leader in the church at Ephesus.
He did not desert Paul when he was thrown in prison, so Paul asks for divine mercy on his behalf.
He and his family sacrificed to associate with Paul.
My brothers and sisters, you all are willing to make that sacrifice!
When sharing the truth of the Gospel we must stick together link arms!
We cannot do it alone! We need community!
