1 Timothy 2:1-7

40 minutes 1 Tim 2:1-7 We continue today in Chapter 2 of the epistle or letter from Paul to Timothy. Timothy is the younger disciple of Paul. Timothy is likely around 30-35 years old and is Pastoring and overseeing all the house churches in the influential Roman city of Ephesus...a tough assignment for Timothy as this is a pagan epicenter to the goddess Diana. Paul instructs Timothy to remain in Ephesus, and writes this letter so Timothy, and church leaders throughout all generations will 'know how to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God...' (3:15) Paul continues in his letter to Timothy now addressing topics that pertain to conduct in the church. Paul will address several topics about conduct in the church through Chapters 2 and 3. * And, today we will look at 1 Tim Chapter 2:1-7. Please open your Bibles to 1 Tim 2:1-7. Holy Spirit guide us as Paul will Instruct on Prayer. Let's pray. Read 1 Tim Chapter 2: 1-7 Chapter 2 Verse 1 Paul begins here with practical instructions on prayer in the church. Notice he starts with "therefore..." * When you see "therefore" ask "what's it there for?" * Therefore typically looks back on an idea that was just finalized and looks forward to an application. * Paul states in verse 1 that he encourages that prayer be made for all men and in the previous verse he spoke about some men, Hymanaeus and Alexander who blasphemed and shipwrecked their lives...men who undoubtedly needed prayer. * And, Paul had charged Timothy to charge some other men to only teach sound doctrine because they preferred story telling over healthy teaching. Men like this certainly needed prayer. * And, Paul gave his own testimony of being against God, and against the people of God, and violent because he was blind to the truth of God. Paul was a man who needed prayer. * Therefore, Paul exhorts in verse 1 of Chapter 2 that prayers be made for all men. Notice Paul exhorts first of all... * First, prayer. Prayer needs to be a priority, not an afterthought. Our communication to God needs to be one of the first things we do as a church body. * First is referring to first in matter of importance, not first in order of operations or time. * In Paul's instructions to Timothy, and to us today, in regards to conduct in the church, prayer is at the top of the list in importance. * There are various kinds of prayer, but more important than the kinds of prayer is the reality of prayer. We must be a praying church... * There are at least seven different Greek nouns for "prayer," and four of them are used here, so let's take a moment to talk about them... * Supplications- entreaty, petition- these are prayers you present to God for yourself, for your needs, for your insufficiencies... God cares about our needs and wants to hear. * Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Mth 7:7 * And because of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews would say, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Heb 4:16 * And Paul would write, "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." Eph 2:18 * Isn't it great to know that you can pray, and you have access to the Father, you can come boldly to the Father, and He wants you to come to Him? Isn't that amazing...we have amazing heavenly privileges even though we are earth bound. * A caution: As you ask, make sure the prayer is not motivated for selfish desires. * James spoke truth when he said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." Jas 4:2-3. * A prayer grounded in the word of God and in accordance to God's will is a prayer that will be answered. * A noteworthy observation is as I read the definitions of these various prayers, I saw the phrase "with a child-like confidence." We are also to present our prayers to God with the confident faith of a child. * Prayers- This is a general idea of prayer; an idea of being devoted to God. Prayer is an act of worship and reverence, not just asking for the things we want and need. * Intercessions- or "Petitions." This is when we pray for others. Prayer is one of the best ways we can live out "Loving God and Loving others." * Finally, Giving of Thanks- This is grateful language (to God, also as an act of worship). * Often in prayer groups we will ask, "Do you have any praise reports or prayer requests?" That is a great question and in alignment with scripture. * We have much to be grateful for, most of all Jesus...who has paid the price for our sins, and through faith brought us into right relationship with God and granted us everlasting life. Prayers are to be made for all men. * That is, for all people, male and females. * The Greek word used here is anthrōpos which can be defined as human, mankind. * Later in this chapter, Paul will specifically refer to the genders of male and female using the Greek words * anēr; a man or husband and * gunē; a woman:-bride or wife * But, in this verse Paul instructs Timothy to universally pray for all people in Ephesus, just as we are to pray for all people. * Don't go overboard with this and grab a phone book to pray for everyone in it, but don't go the opposite extreme either and neglect prayer. * Pray for people in your life: family, friends, colleagues, and even enemies * In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught... * "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven..." Matt 5:44-45 * So, First of all, first...in matter of importance...pray! continue to verse 2 Verse 2 Specific people we are to pray for... * kings * and all who are in authority * with the hoped result: "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." Pray for the king... * Well, is he or she a democrat or a republican? * It doesn't matter. * In Paul's day, the king was neither, and he was a murderous, insane, tyrant who claimed he was divine, and made others proclaim "Caesar is lord." * He was Caesar Nero, who took power in 54 A.D., and ultimately would order the beheading of Paul in 67 A.D. * Paul wrote this epistle to Timothy somewhere around A.D. 64-66 * He had already been under house arrest in Rome for 2 years, so he was close to the scene firsthand to hear about Nero's evil ways. * For Christians, this was a very tumultuous time beginning with the Great Fire of Rome which burned for six days from Jul 18, 64 to Jul 23, 64. * Again, Paul wrote this epistle somewhere between 64-67, so very likely after the Great Fire of Rome. * There were several credible rumors that Nero started the fire... * One rumor was he sent men acting drunk to start the fire; * another rumor was he openly sent men to set the fire and Nero watched from a safe place and sang while the city burned; * also rumored was he had a motive to destroy the city and rebuild it in his own image. A fire could bypass senate approval. And, Nero was quick to rebuild burned neighborhoods in Greek style and to begin construction of his new palace, which further propagated this rumor. * Now according to Tacitus (Roman Senator and Historian) and later Christian tradition, Nero blamed the origin of the fire on Christians [which would conveniently exonerate Nero] and this began the persecution of Christians that would last intermittently for two centuries. From 64 A.D. to 313 A.D. In 313 A.D. Christianity was legalized under the Edict of Milan by Roman Emperor Constantine. So, when Paul wrote to pray for the king...the situation was extreme, and Paul said to pray for the king anyhow. * No matter your political affiliation, and whoever gets elected as President in 2020 and 2024, and so forth, we are to pray for our leaders. * Leaders would include our President, Government officials on all levels, police and military authority...people who are put into leadership roles in our communities, our states and nationally. * Governmental authority is appointed by God, and a gift from God to prevent evil and to keep order. Imagine tonight if we had no law and no police to keep lawbreakers in check. It would be chaos, riots, murder on a massive scale. People would do what is right in their own eyes, and that's a scary thought. * Rom 13:1-5 "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake." The resulting hope, of prayer for leaders, is they will let Christians "lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (ESV) * Quiet- means not troubled from without. * Peaceable- tranquil. not troubled from within. * A life free from persecution where faith can be practiced openly with... * Godliness- living a life in piety and reverence towards God (living your life before God). * Reverence- 'dignity' or gravity (living your life before fellow mankind). A dignified life before others in society was not always a reality for a persecuted Christian. * We are blessed that, for the most part, these are the rights and the standards of how we live in our culture. * Unfortunately, people take these rights for granted. In many ways, the church in persecuted countries is stronger. If persecution is a reality, you are not just a casual Christian. * Notice what Paul does NOT prioritize as the most important prayer: * He does not say our top prayer is... * Better tax breaks * Personal financial growth * More pleasurable things * And so forth. * Paul's mind is set on the eternal and experiencing and having relationship with God while here on earth; with freedom and having both internal and external peace. * It's a prayer centered on spiritual things, not material or temporal things. * I am not suggesting we should not prayer for material needs and wants, because that it permissible and God is so awesome that He will often fulfill the desires of our heart. * What I am suggesting is that our first prayer, in order of importance, should be centered on spiritual things like salvation and relationship with God, before our temporal requests. * And, in the context of Paul's letter to Timothy, we are looking at church conduct. For the church leaders, especially, our prayers should be centered on spiritual things first. continue to verse 3-4 Verses 3-4 This- referring to praying for all men, thus...praying for all people is good and acceptable in the sight of God... * A synonym for "good" is "beautiful." Praying for all people is beautiful in the sight of God. Notice our prayers should be in the sight of God. Our prayers should not be motivated by the praise of men. * Remember what Jesus taught on prayer, again, during the Sermon on the Mount... * Matt 6: 5-6 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Again, here in Timothy, God is titled "our Savior" similar to chapter 1 verse 1 where God referred to the Father. * God, by nature, is a savior. And, what does Savior God desire... * For all men (again anthrōpos) that word for human or mankind, all people to be saved... * and to come to knowledge of the truth... * God by nature is a savior, and wants all people to be saved. * Rom 5:18-19 "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." * The free gift came to all people, but we know that not all people will accept the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. * Many will be made righteous, but not all. This verse is NOT teaching universal salvation or universalism. * God desires all to be saved, but He will not force mankind to be saved. He gives us free-will to choose. He will not force salvation upon the human race. * On 1 Tim 2:4- One scholar wrote, "Paul does not say, "He wishes to save all"; for then he would have saved all in matter of fact; but ["who desires all men to be saved"] implies the possibility of man's accepting it...or rejecting it..." -JFB We just looked at what God does desire...for all men to be saved...Here are two verses that highlight what God does not desire... * Eze 33:11 "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord God, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?" * 2 Pet 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." * In God's economy, there is life and death, and this is not speaking about birth and physical death, but spiritual birth and eternal life -or- no spiritual birth and eternal damnation. Your either living or dead right now. You could be alive physically, but dead, because you have no spiritual life. All humans are spiritual beings, and all humans will experience eternity...just not the same eternity. * God does not desire that any would perish. He does not desire for people to be spiritually dead, because that person upon physical death enters the land of the spiritually dead, and the Bible calls that place Hell. * God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked. He desires for people to turn to Him and enter into life eternal. And, the believer can begin to experience that life here on earth, but ultimately experiences eternal life upon physical death and what the Bible calls Heaven. Paul also stated God desires for all people to come to the knowledge of the truth. * To come- Man must come to God...they are not forced. People are not saved against their will or heaven would be filled with a lot of resentful and potentially rebellious people. God populates heaven with people who willfully and lovingly choose God. * To come to THE knowledge of THE truth...recognition of The Truth...to know Jesus. * Pilate asked Jesus a question that has been echoed through the ages, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). Jesus did not answer Pilate, but Pilate was staring the Truth in the face... * For we know that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 * Jesus is The Truth, and God desires for people to come to the knowledge of The Truth, the saving truth only found in Jesus. * When Jesus prayed His High Priestly Prayed in John 17, He prayed, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Jn 17:3 * The Definition of Eternal Life, as given by Jesus: * To know the Father, and to know Jesus. * The word "know" in Greek is ginōskō- and expresses a deep and intimate knowledge. The tense of this word also suggests that this is a continuous action. This is what God wants. For eternity, He wants fellowship with us. He wants us to know Him. continue to verse 5 Verse 5 Paul will further expound on how people are saved and the truth... * There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus... * "Well that's narrow minded..." * Well, yes. Yes it is. And, I would rather be honest and narrow minded than a liar and all accepting. * And, who cares what I think, Jesus said... * "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matt 7:13-14 * 2 Gates: one is narrow and one is wide * 2 Ways: one is difficult and one is broad (lot's of room for choice) * 2 Crowds: one is small and one is large * 2 Destinations: life or heavenly eternity or destruction or hell. * That small group that enters by the narrow gate and follows the difficult way finds themselves in eternal life. * Peter addressed the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:12 and, being filled with the Holy Spirit, said, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." * When I was in High School and College, I was on the broad way. I did not care what you believed and was very open minded to accept any belief or no belief in matters of eternity. You could have been any world religion or an atheist, I had friends that had many beliefs. We shared one common religious practice- hedonism. Pleasure seeking was our religion. If it felt good, it was good. * It was a lie. When I became a believer, my friends did not want to be my friend anymore because I did not find pleasure in sinful lusts anymore. We lost our common ground. I found truth, and there can only be one truth. It was a difficult thing to lose my friends, but I found my Savior, and I found eternal life. * Moses went through a similar experience. He was part of the Royal family. He had anything he wanted at his fingertips. He was rich, had the best education, had the best foods, any pleasure he desired, and he let it all go because all the things of this world only please for a season. * One reason Moses was in the Faith Hall of Fame (Heb 11) was because of what scripture says in Heb 11:24-26, * "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward." Heb 11:24-26 (ESV) * He looked forward to eternity, for Moses recognized that sin was just a passing pleasure. Sin is enjoyable for a season. For most people, sin causes destruction in this lifetime. But, even if a person manages to live life sinfully and not see too much destruction, there is still a day when that person stands before God, and God will judge where that person is with Jesus. * Heb 9:27-28 states, "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." Going back to 1 Tim 2:5, Paul states "There is one God..." * Isa 44:6 states "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God." * Here's something interesting. When you look at the singular or plural tense of LORD and God... * LORD is singular * God is plural * This is partly where we have support for the idea of the trinity: God is one and God is three (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). * Deut 6:4 says,"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!" * Again, LORD is singular * God is plural * LORD = YHWH or YHVH (Tetragrammaton- יהוה‎ Yhvh (i.e. יְהוָֹה‎ Yehovah or יַהְוֶה‎ Yahveh)- the proper name of the God of Israel. * Another example is, Gen 1:1 "In the beginning God (plural) created the heavens and the earth." * So, there is one God, and we can support, from scripture, He also has plurality in His nature, not just from these verses, but many other verses as well. There is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus... * Jesus is the Mediator, or Arbitrator, for all saved believers.. * One reason He can be our Mediator is because He is the Man Christ. He is fully God and fully Man. * Philippians 2:5-11 speaks on Jesus' divine origin and how in His person he is equal to God, but how He relinquished His positional equality with the Father for our redemption... * Phil 2:5-11 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." * Because of Jesus' divine origin, He was able to live a sinless human life. Since the beginning, sin has required a blood sacrifice, and under the Old Covenant- animals were that sacrifice. When Jesus died on the cross, His blood, paid the price for sin once and for all- this is the New Covenant, which is superior than the Old Covenant. * Early Jewish Christians struggled with thinking they needed to return to the old ways. The writer of Hebrews addresses the superiority of the New Covenant and by Jesus' blood He is our mediator... * Heb 9:11-15 states, "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, [how much more shall the blood of Christ] cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." * Jesus is the mediator because His blood was superior to animal sacrifice, and His blood truly paid for the price of sin once and for all. His blood sacrifice had total cleansing power over sin. * Definition of Mediator: "a person who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement; a go-between." * Definition of Arbitrator: "an independent person or body officially appointed to settle a dispute." * What is that conflict or dispute we have with Father God...it is sin. * Greek Scholar Kenneth Wuest wrote, "The word "mediator" is the translation of mesites which refers to one who intervenes between two, to make or restore peace and friendship, to form a compact, or to ratify a covenant. Here the Messiah acts as a go-between or mediator between a holy God and sinful man. By His death on the cross, He removes the obstacle (sin) which caused an estrangement between man and God. When the sinner accepts the merits of Messiah's sacrifice, the guilt and penalty of his sin is his no more, the power of sin in his life is broken, he becomes the recipient of the divine nature, and the estrangement between himself and God, both legal and personal, disappears." * In Isa 1:18, God would say, "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord,"Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." * God does not want conflict with us. He wants us to be reasonable...we are sinful, but we can be cleansed from our sin by accepting and having faith in His son Jesus. * I like this quote from William MacDonald about this verse in Isa 1:18 "Divine reasoning, accepted by faith, teaches that there is cleansing from sin, that this cleansing is totally apart from human merit or effort, and that it is only through the redemption which the Lord Jesus accomplished by the shedding of His blood on the cross. Who can know the throngs who have answered the invitation of Isaiah 1:18? And it is still sounding out!" -William MacDonald * God is loving, but God is also a just judge, and there is God's wrath to pay for sin. Jesus served as the penalty bearer to satisfy God's wrath on sin. This is the concept of propitiation, and I would love to read multiple verses on propitiation and discuss the similarity in definition to the word "mercy seat," in Hebrews, but that is a rabbit trail we do not have time for this morning. But, I encourage you to venture down that rabbit trail in your own study. It is fascinating and quite rewarding. continue to verse 6 I want to provide one visual picture of Jesus, I'm not so sure it our mediator before we move on... NOTE: speaks more about Jesus' 2nd advent and millennial reign. * In Gen 28:12 Jacob had a dream, and we call the image in the dream Jacob's Ladder... * "Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." * Jesus, when he first met Nathaniel, ended his conversation with him by saying, * "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Jhn 1:51 * What were the angels ascending and descending from Heaven to earth? In Jacob's dream it was a ladder, in Jesus' words it was the Son of Man which is a favorite expression Jesus had for Himself. * Put it all together...Jesus is Jacob's ladder. * If you were not already familiar with that link, at this point you can make the "mind blown" expression. * Jesus is the means by which angels are ascending and descending from heaven to earth. * By Jesus alone is the access granted to heaven. Verse 6 Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all... * The word "ransom" means "what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption." * The ransom is the payment to redeem or regain possession of something in exchange for the payment. * It's a hostage situation, and we were the ones held hostage, and God paid Jesus as the ransom price to redeem us from being hostages. * There is a term in the Old Testament called a ga'al or a kinsman-redeemer * By definition,"this was a relative that could buy back a relative's property or marry their brother's widow, etc." -BLB * I also like this definition, "The relative who restores or preserves the full community rights of disadvantaged family members. The concept arises from God's covenant relationship with Israel and points to the redemption of humanity in Jesus Christ." - Dictionary of Bible Themes * Without a kinsman-redeemer, the disadvantaged family member would have no redemption. They would lose their property or become destitute. A widow would be forced to beg and would be impoverished or worse. * Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer. We were disadvantaged because we lost our connection to God during man's fall in Eden. We became a hostage to our own sin and our own depravity which kept us from relationship with God. We had to be purchased out of that bondage; we had to be purchased from spiritual death, and we had to be restored to spiritual life and all the promises God has for us. * Jesus told His disciples, "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mat 20:27-28 * Tit 2:14 speaking of Jesus, reads, "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." * Eph 1:7 states, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace..." And, back in 1 Tim 2:6, it states Jesus will be testified in due time... * The work that Jesus did on the cross, the ransom He paid, would be testified in due time... * That time of sharing the Gospel is the age in which we live...the Church Age. * God appointed a time that the message of the cross would be shared to the world...and that time is still now. * Heb 1:1-2 "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things..." * Gal 4:4-5 "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." * The time to testify the name of Jesus is due. Now is the right time, or proper time or opportune time...this is what it means by due time. It was the due time for the disciples, and it is still the due time for us today. conclude in verse 7 Verse 7 To conclude Paul's point that prayers should be lifted for all men and God desires all men to be saved, he states... He was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles... * Paul was a preacher of the Gospel message not just to Jews, but also to all people. * If you were not Jewish, you were a Gentile (ethnos- the nations or pagans; In the Old Testament, these were the people who were not worshipping the true God- Yahveh). * Let's break down a couple words... * Paul was a preacher, a herald- he had a message to proclaim, and that message was Christ crucified. The Gospel message. The redemption story. * Paul was also a teacher, an instructor- He would teach doctrine and explain the word of God. * I liken "preaching" to the Evangelist, and "teaching" to the Expositor, and there is a time and place for both; and all called to ministry should have the ability to both preach and teach. * Paul was an apostle- a messenger, a sent one. The closest Greek word we have to the modern word "missionary." Paul had the authority as an apostle, and had the heart of going to make disciples to all nations. * And, he was appointed- He was put into ministry...just like in 1 Tim 1:12. Paul did not appoint himself, it was God who appointed him to ministry, and this appointment granted him authority from God to take the message to the Gentiles. For emphasis or strong assertion to his calling to take this message to the Gentiles... * Paul adds, "I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying" and Paul has similar strong assertions in several of his other epistles. * Some people, especially Jewish believers in Ephesus where Timothy was the overseer, might struggle with the idea that God's plan of redemption extended to the Gentiles, so Paul asserts that he is telling the truth. And Paul concludes that this message he was appointed to preach and teach to the Gentiles, he was to deliver in faith and truth. * Paul's ministry, just like ours, was to be exercised in faith and truth. * Our faith is grounded in the truth. Our belief is centered upon the truth...which is the Gospel truth...which is all about Jesus. * And, that's who we should be all about. Amen? Amen. Let's pray!