2 Timothy (Part 4)

2 TIMOTHY 1. This is the Apostle Paul's second epistle to Timothy, his "son" in conversion and ordination. A. Paul had begotten Timothy unto his (Paul's) ways in Christ. ACT 16:1-3 c/w 1CO 4:14-17. B. Paul had ordained Timothy into the office of the ministry. 2TI 1:6. C. Paul had charged Timothy with the oversight of the church at Ephesus. 1TI 1:3. D. This epistle follows up on the fatherly guidance and order of the first epistle relative to ministerial rule in the church. 1TI 3:14-15. E. This epistle was also Paul's farewell address. 2TI 4:6. 2. Paul had at some point fought with beasts at Ephesus. 1CO 15:32. A. These "beasts" may have been wild animals against which Christians were sometimes pitted in mortal combat in the heathen theaters. B. Or, these "beasts" may have been men, per 2PE 2:12. C. Beasts and men alike may be perilous and cruel. LAM 4:3 c/w JOB 39:13-17. D. Gospel work may include wilderness and human perils. 2CO 11:26. 3. The city of Ephesus had been a stronghold of occult practice. ACT 19:13-20. 4. The city of Ephesus was also renowned for idolatry and the worship of Diana. Her temple there was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. ACT 19:23-41. A. In general, pagan religions sought by sympathetic magic and ritual to entice the deity(ies) to fructify the earth and otherwise bring prosperity. B. The superstitions of the heathen were conveniently lucrative to the promoters of those superstitions. c/w ACT 16:16. C. Diana (loosely) corresponds with Juno, Isis, Astarte, etc.: a pagan concept of a nourishing female principle with an eternal son. (1) Paganized Jews worshipped such a goddess known as the "queen of heaven." JER 44:16-19. (2) Much of Catholicism holds that Mary was bodily assumed into heaven and so is the "queen of heaven." (3) Catholics pray to Mary in the rosary ritual in which the "Hail Mary..." is repeated 53 times. (4) ACT 19:34 describes a similar repetitious invocation for Diana. (5) Christians are not to mimic heathen prayer habits. MAT 6:7. (6) "What agreement hath the temple of God with the temple of Diana?" The Catholic answer must be, "Plenty." 5. Paul had been called of God to minister to the Gentiles "To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God..." (ACT 26:18). That a gospel church should be built in Ephesus is a testimony to the transforming power of grace! A. The church at Ephesus was not the result of a simple weekend crusade meeting but of much labor. ACT 19:8-10; 20:31. B. Even years after the constitution of the church at Ephesus, Paul labored with them from bonds in Rome. EPH 6:20. C. Paul was truly a labourer with Christ! 1CO 3:9; 15:10; 2CO 11:28. D. In this epistle Paul advises Timothy, "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits" (2TI 2:6). E. When all was said and done, the temple of Diana had met with serious competition from the temple of God! EPH 2:19-22. (1) Diana's temple only upheld myths and lies. (2) God's temple was the pillar and ground of the truth. 1TI 3:15. (3) The rival temples at Ephesus were therefore a microcosm of the great battle of the universe: God's truth v. Satan's lies! 6. Ephesus demonstrates that there is one gospel to Jew and Gentile alike and that the gospel of grace is the gospel of the kingdom. ACT 20:21, 24-25; EPH 2:16-17; 3:6; 4:4 c/w ACT 15:8-10. A. The Ephesian church was a blend of Jews and Greeks. ACT 19:8-10, 17-18. B. Timothy was himself a blend of Jew and Greek (ACT 16:1) and so was well matched to a church which received some of the clearest information in the New Testament concerning the bringing together of Jews and Greeks under grace. EPH 2:11-22. 7. Ephesus shows that churches must ever be on guard for heresies from without and within. ACT 20:29-30. A. In view of this, Paul told Timothy to emphasize doctrine. 2TI 4:2-4. B. Also, Timothy was to "charge some that they teach no other doctrine" (1TI 1:3) and even rebuke unsound elders as necessary. 1TI 5:19-20. C. Accordingly, Ephesus was commended for the virtues of discernment and intolerance. REV 2:2. 8. Ephesus also shows that a sound, commendable, well-taught church overseen by effective leadership can still fall away from God and lose its identity. REV 2:4-5. 9. The foregoing is the backdrop of Paul's letters to Timothy. A. It is possible that Timothy had moved on from Ephesus by the time that Paul wrote this second epistle to Timothy. (1) Writing from bonds in Rome, Paul here advises Timothy that he has sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 2TI 4:12. a. Also from Rome, Paul advised the Ephesians that he had sent Tychicus to them. EPH 6:21-22. b. If Tychicus was sent by Paul's authority to Ephesus while Timothy was still at Ephesus, why would Paul need to advise Timothy that he was sending Tychicus there? c. If Timothy was still at Ephesus when Paul wrote them, it seems strange that Paul would not have somewhere greeted his "dearly beloved son..." (2TI 1:2) in that epistle. (2) 2TI 4:13 suggests that Timothy was at Troas. (3) At some point, Timothy was expected to not be at Ephesus while Paul was in Rome. PHIL 2:19. B. Ministerial work includes doing "the work of an evangelist" (2TI 4:5) which may mean it is appropriate to establish (render stable or firm) a church, train and ordain someone to take the oversight of that church, and move on as God directs and opens doors. 2TI 2:2; TIT 1:5; ACT 19:9-10, 20:17. 10. This second epistle to Timothy is not only instructional but touchingly personal. A. Timothy was to Paul a "dearly beloved son..." (2TI 1:2). (1) By contrast, Paul calls Titus (another of Paul's appointees), "...mine own son after the common faith..." (TIT 1:4). (2) Paul deemed Timothy peerless in the care of disciples. PHIL 2:20. (3) David had many "friends" (1SAM 30:26) but one dearly beloved friend. 1SAM 18:1; 2SAM 1:26. a. Scripture speaks of "familiar friends" (JOB 19:14). b. Scripture speaks of "inward friends" (JOB 19:19). c. Scripture speaks of "chief friends" (PRO 16:28). d. Scripture speaks of "near friends" (ACT 10:24). e. Jesus had a special closeness to Peter, James and John. MAR 5:37; 9:2; 14:33. (4) It is not wrong to have a special closeness to someone in the church while regarding all members as equals in Christ. B. Paul was mindful of Timothy's tears. 2TI 1:4. C. Paul longed to see Timothy again and encouraged him to come to Rome quickly. 2TI 1:4; 4:9-13, 21. 11. This is a pastoral epistle first. But there is benefit here for church members in that: A. a pastor is to be an example of the believers. 1TI 4:12; 1PE 5:3. B. church members are better familiarized with the work for which sake they are to highly esteem their pastor. 1TH 5:12-13; PHIL 2:29. 12. Consider the circumstances under which Paul wrote this epistle. He was: A. facing death. 2TI 4:6. B. lonely. 2TI 4:9, 11. C. disappointed. 2TI 4:10. D. without his cloke or books. 2TI 4:13. E. persecuted. 2TI 4:14. F. forsaken of men. 2TI 4:16. G. nevertheless, as Eleazar of old (2SAM 23:9-10) still swinging his sword, giving no ground to heretics and warning of perilous times. H. looking past his own troubles and needs and providing help for Timothy and future generations of ministers and members. Chapter 1 v.1. 1. Paul announces himself as "...an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." A. This emphasizes that his ministry had divine authority. He was not made an apostle by the will of man or of Satan, as certain others. 2CO 11:13; REV 2:2. B. Paul was certainly not made an apostle by his own will. ACT 26:9-11. C. There was even a prophetic basis for his apostleship. ISA 49:6 c/w ACT 13:47; EPH 4:8-11 c/w PSA 68:18. D. His gospel was similarly of a divine authority. GAL 1:11-12. 2. The office of an apostle was the primary church office. 1CO 12:28. 3. The qualifications for the apostolate are given in ACT 1:21-23. A. Following the death of the Bible apostles, the next appearing of the true Christ would be His second coming that would be witnessed by all. MAT 24:30; REV 1:7. B. These requirements disqualify the Mormon notion of a modern apostolate. C. The validity of Paul's apostleship is confirmed by the fact that he had seen the resurrected Christ as "one born out of due time." 1CO 9:1; 15:5-8. 4. Originally there were twelve apostles. LUK 6:13. A. These apostles are of a particular class who continued with Christ during His earthly ministry. LUK 22:28. (1) These apostles were promised twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. LUK 22:29-30 c/w MAT 19:28. (2) The heavenly city's foundations have in them the names of the twelve. REV 21:14. (3) Judas Iscariot's apostleship was filled by Matthias, whom the Holy Ghost acknowledged as one of the twelve. ACT 1:15-26; 2:14. B. Other apostles were noted later. (1) Paul was called as a special apostle unto the Gentiles. ROM 11:13. (2) Barnabas is later identified as an apostle in ACT 14:4, 14. (3) Silas (Silvanus) and Timothy may also have been apostles. 1TH 1:1 c/w 1TH 2:6. (4) Andronicus and Junia may also have been apostles. ROM 16:7. C. Christ is called an apostle in HEB 3:1. D. Thus, there are certainly at least sixteen apostles identified for us: the original twelve, Matthias, Paul, Barnabas and Christ. If Silas, Timothy, Andronicus and Junia are allowed, there would be twenty. 5. Paul's apostleship was "...according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." A. According to: "In a manner agreeing with, consistent with, or answering to; agreeably to." (1) Paul's apostleship was consistent with the promise of life which was in Christ Jesus: a gracious bestowal upon an unworthy recipient. 1TI 1:13-16; 1CO 15:9-10. (2) Paul preached God's promise of eternal life. TIT 1:1-3 c/w 1JO 2:25. (3) Paul preached that eternal life was in Christ Jesus alone. 1TI 6:13-16; GAL 3:21-22 c/w 1JO 5:11-12. B. The promise of eternal life is in Christ Jesus. (1) This promise is not in the Scriptures. JOH 5:39. (2) This promise is not in law-keeping / good works. GAL 3:10; TIT 3:5. (3) This promise is not in Jewishness / pedigree. LUK 3:8; JOH 1:12-13. (4) This promise is not in fleshly circumcision. GAL 6:15. (5) This promise is not in the sinner's will. JOH 1:13; ROM 9:16; 6:20. (6) This promise is not in the sinner's faith. JOH 10:26-28; 5:24. C. The promise of eternal life is in Christ Jesus. (1) God promised eternal life unto a people chosen in Christ. EPH 1:3-4. (2) Christ promised to lose none that the Father gave Him to save. JOH 6:37-39; 10:28. (3) Christ satisfied the demands of the law for the elect and exchanged their sin for His righteousness. GAL 3:13; 2CO 5:21. (4) The elect in Christ are appropriately called the children of promise. ROM 9:8; GAL 4:28; 3:29. (5) Since the promise of life is in Christ, it is certain to all the elect. ROM 11:27-29; 8:33-34; 2CO 1:20. v.2. 1. Paul here calls Timothy his dearly beloved son. A. This is obviously a case where something other than the primary, ordinary definition of the word "son" is intended. ACT 16:1. B. Paul is not implying that Timothy was his son in a mediatorial or regenerational sense. Only God has that honor. MAT 6:9; 23:9. C. Timothy was Paul's "son in the faith" (1TI 1:2). D. Timothy had served in gospel work under Paul as a "son with the father" (PHIL 2:19-22). (1) He had served "as a son with the father." (2) He had not served "as a son independent of the father." (3) He had not served "as a son against the father." (4) Qualifications for ordination demand: a. that a candidate be not self-willed. TIT 1:7. b. that a candidate should adhere to faithful fatherly instruction. 2TI 1:13; 2:2; TIT 1:9. (5) A wise son will attend prudently to his father's instruction. PRO 13:1 ct/w 1SA 8:1-5. 2. Paul bids Timothy, "Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." A. This formula differs from Paul's other epistles by the addition of mercy. This phrase is exclusive to Paul's addresses to ministers. 1TI 1:2; TIT 1:4. B. Mercy is especially needed of ministers who are held to a higher standard than other saints and are of necessity hypocrites since they must as imperfect men preach a perfect order for men. JAM 3:1; ECC 10:1. C. Given that the awesome task of the gospel is commited to weak men, ministers are of themselves insufficient for the work. Therefore grace must be their sufficiency. 2CO 2:15-16; 3:5-6; 4:7; 1CO 15:10; 2CO 12:9. D. Where grace may be found, mercy may also be found. HEB 4:16. E. And to offset the warfare of ministry for Christ, the appropriate antidote from Christ is peace. 2TI 2:3-4 c/w JOH 14:27; PHIL 4:6-7. F. This grace, mercy and peace comes "from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." (1) These spiritual blessings come from the Father. JAM 1:17. (2) These spiritual blessings come from the Lord Jesus Christ since the Father has blessed believers "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (EPH 1:3). (3) The appeal to the Father contemplates God as the Eternal Spirit Who is the Father of all things, of Jesus Christ, of His children and to Whom we pray, "Our Father which art in heaven..." (MAT 6:9). (4) The appeal to Christ Jesus our Lord contemplates God Incarnate as the Mediator Who is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities; ....in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (HEB 4:15) by Whom we may approach God the Father. JOH 14:6; 1TI 2:5; 1JO 2:1; HEB 10:19-22. (5) That grace, mercy and peace be from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ implies that Christ is as the Father. JOH 10:30; 5:17-27; 15:23 c/w 1JO 2:23. v.3. 1. Paul thanked God that he had continual remembrance of Timothy in prayers. A. He gave God the glory for his prayer life. ROM 8:15; PHIL 2:13. B. Prayer should be a constant priority of ministers. ACT 6:4; 1SAM 12:23. (1) Such a priority requires self-sacrifice, a giving of oneself to prayer. (2) For such reasons, ministers must be particularly cautious about unscriptural burdens, business, excesses, distractions or entanglements. 2TI 2:4. (3) Saints should also be stedfast in prayer. 1TH 5:17; ACT 12:5. C. It is a cause for thanksgiving that one minister remembers another in prayer. (1) This act reflects the ministry of Jesus Christ to His ministers. LUK 22:32 c/w JOH 17:9, 11, 15. (2) Such continual prayer implies that a minister is not a castaway who has sinned unto death and out of prayer. 1JO 5:16 c/w 1TI 1:20. (3) Paul's remembrance of Timothy in prayer was tied to his remembrance of Timothy's unfeigned faith. v.5. (4) As ministers age, it may be noted that it is a cause for thanksgiving that they remember anything. 2. Paul marks that he served God from his forefathers. He continued that service. A. How could this be, given that the traditions of his Pharisee fathers were so patently antiChrist? GAL 1:13-14. B. Not all that the Pharisees taught was wrong. MAT 23:2-3. (1) The Pharisees taught the doctrine of the resurrection. ACT 23:6; 24:14-16. (2) Paul heartily preached the resurrection also. 1CO 15; 2TI 2:16-18. (3) He thus advanced the historical hope of the twelve tribes of Israel. ACT 26:6-8. C. Paul's forefathers went much further back than the Pharisees. 1CO 10:1. (1) Paul had the same faith as his father Abraham. ROM 4:1, 16, 20-25. (2) Paul was looking for the same kind of continuing city as did Abraham and the Hebrew fathers. HEB 11:8-10, 16; 13:14. (3) Paul preached Moses' doctrine. ACT 26:22-23. 3. Paul served God from his forefathers with a pure conscience. c/w ACT 23:1. A. Conscience: "I. Inward knowledge; consciousness; inmost thought, mind. II. Consciousness of moral right and wrong; moral sense. The internal acknowledgement or recognition of the moral quality of one's motives and actions; the sense of right and wrong as regards things for which one is responsible; the faculty or principle which pronounces upon the moral quality of one's actions or motives, approving the right and condemning the wrong." B. Conscience is basically the soul's court where guilt or innocence is decided. It is a witness testifying as to the rightness or wrongness of our behavior. ROM 2:15; 9:1; 2CO 1:12; JOH 8:9. C. Conscience evaluates our actions according to the standard of right and wrong that we have. (1) The conscience is not infallible and is thus not to be equated with the law of God. (2) Because of ignorance of law or truth, the conscience may fail to accuse us of a sin. LEV 4:27-28; PSA 19:12. (3) In ignorance and unbelief, Paul actually was persecuting the saints with a pure conscience. ACT 26:9. (4) This shows how desperately our consciences need the standard of the word of God so as to correctly judge our actions. PSA 119:104. D. Paul always strived to have a conscience void of offence. ACT 24:16. (1) Remember that Paul is our example and pattern. PHIL 4:9. (2) Let none therefore put off dealing with issues of conscience. (3) A good conscience is an approving conscience, a consciousness that we have offended neither God nor men (where men should NOT be offended. See MAT 15:12). (4) By contrast, a violated conscience is defiled. 1CO 8:7. (5) God is obviously to be served with a pure conscience. c/w 1TI 1:5. (6) A good conscience is maintained by obedience to the word of God. 1PE 3:14-16; HEB 13:18. (7) The mystery of the faith is held in a pure conscience. 1TI 3:9. (8) If a good conscience is not maintained, one will make shipwreck concerning faith. 1TI 1:19. a. Bad behavior will breed bad doctrine. b. Transgressors tend to disbelieve the convictions of their consciences in order to silence the voice of conscience. c. Ministers obviously must be especially on guard against this. d. Let all strive to be able to declare PSA 26:1. v.4. 1. Paul greatly desired to see Timothy and the sooner the better. 2TI 4:9, 21. 2. Face-to-face interaction in fellowship and ministry yields the greatest benefit. 1TH 3:6-10; 2JO 1:12. 3. Seeing Timothy again would fill Paul with joy. A. There is a fullness of joy that comes via the gospel. 1JO 1:4; ROM 15:13. B. There is a fullness of joy that comes from being reunited with loved ones. JOH 16:22; 1TH 4:13-18. C. How full therefore should be the joy when those of like precious faith are reunited in this world or the next! D. May this kind of companionship be preferred and frequent. PSA 119:63; MAL 3:16-17. 4. Paul was mindful of Timothy's tears. A. Tears are part of the ministry. ACT 20:19, 31; 2CO 2:4. B. Given the propensity of men to be given to pleasure, a call to weeping was/is appropriate. ISA 22:12-13. 1. This world is addicted to pleasures. 2TI 3:4; TIT 3:3. 2. Living in pleasure hardly promotes spirituality. 1TI 5:5-6; LUK 8:14. 3. Believers should be grieved over the wickedness around them. PSA 119:53, 136, 158 c/w EZE 9:4. 4. Godly sorrow has its place. ECC 7:2-4; JAM 4:8-10; 2CO 7:10. C. God records the tears of His people. 2KI 20:5; ISA 63:9; HEB 4:15. D. God rewards the tears of His people. LUK 6:21; JOH 16:20-24; PSA 126:5-6; REV 21:4.