Paul's Epistles – II Timothy – Part 6: A Final Charge to Timothy

Paul's Epistles – II Timothy – Part 6:

A Final Charge to Timothy

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

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SERMON INTRODUCTION

This second letter from Paul to Timothy will be the next “epistle” we examine.

After writing his first Epistle to Timothy, Paul left Corinth, and set sail with Titus for Crete, where he left him to set the Church in order (Titus 1:5).

The key-word in II Timothy is “Ashamed.”

“I must not be ashamed of my Lord, His Gospel, or His suffering saints (II Timothy 1); How can I become a workman that “needs not be ashamed” (II Timothy 2 & 3.), and then the Lord will not be ashamed to own and stand by me (II Timothy 4).

PREVIOUSLY

Introduction to II Timothy

Appeal for Loyalty

Remaining Loyal to Christ and Paul’s Teaching

Warning Against Quarreling About Words

Terrible Times in the Last Days

TODAY’S SERMON

A Final Charge to Timothy

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

II Timothy 3:10-17 (66 AD, approximately one year after the first Epistle to Timothy)

 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The overall message of this epistle to the church is;

Loyalty to the Lord and Truth in the view of persecution and apostasy

  

I. HOWEVER, YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT MY TEACHINGS

a. Previously Paul warns of the End Times and Last Days

                                                                 i. II Timothy 3:1-5 “There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

                                                              ii. Paul then compares this in contrast to his own life for example to Timothy on living righteously

b. So live Righteously

                                                                 i. II Timothy 2:22-26 “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

c. Look at my (Paul’s) example

                                                                 i.  You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 

II.      PERSECUTIONS WILL COME

a. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

                                                                 i. This world is fallen, it is spiritually and morally degraded because of sin

1. Genesis 3; Amos 5:2

                                                              ii. So are some of the angels

1. Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 12:4

                                                           iii. And so is mankind

1. Genesis 3; 1 Peter 1:24

                                                            iv. Romans 3:21-23 “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

b. Because of this, bad things happen to people, whether they are living a righteous or unrighteous life

                                                                 i. Luke 13:1-5; II Corinthians 4:8-9

c. However, the righteous are rescued by the Lord

                                                                 i. Paul states in verse 11, “...Yet the Lord rescued me...”

                                                              ii. Matthew 7:24-27  The wise and foolish builders

1. Wise build their house on the rock (Jesus)

2. Foolish build on the sand (anything other than Jesus)

3. The storms DO COME

4. The wise still stand afterwards

5. The foolish lose everything

                                                           iii. Why are followers persecuted?

1. Because Satan comes “...only to steal and kill and destroy; I have (Jesus) come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

2. Satan wants to destroy faith, believers, stop the spreading of the Gospel which frees from bondage and slavery to sin.

                                                            iv. What are the “persecutions”?

1. Satan is a liar who causes doubt, confusion, discord, angst, animosity, division. (John 8:44; Genesis 3)

2. He blinds the minds of unbelievers and spiritually Immature (2 Corinthians 4:4) 

3. He masquerades as light and righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; I Timothy 4:1; Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:30; Philippians 1:9)

4. He does signs and wonders to confound, confuse, corrupt and deceive (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Matthew 24:24; Matthew 7:22-23)

5. He tempts us to sin (doesn’t cause us to) (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 22:3-6; 2 Corinthians 11:3)

6. Satan lies (is the father of lies), causing doubt with deception and “plucks” the Word of God out of people’s hearts (Mark 4:1-9; Romans 10:17; I Thessalonians 3:5)

7. Satan causes some (not all) sicknesses and disease (Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 12:7; John 9:3)

8. Satan is a murderer (John 8:44; I John 3:12; John 10:10)

9. He fights against the plans of missionaries (I Thessalonians 2:17-18)

10. Satan accuses Christians before God (Revelation 12:10; Job 1:11)

11. And sometimes good followers of Christ are manipulated by Satan to be accusers of other believers as well

a. Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

III.   BUT AS FOR YOU TIMOTHY

a. Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of

                                                                 i. Because you know those from whom you learned it

b. How far from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures

                                                                 i. infancy = just as Paul spoke of fleeing from evil desires of youth, here he is also speaking in spiritual terms

                                                              ii. The Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise (in spiritual matters)

1. Matthew 10:16

                                                           iii. The Holy Scriptures for Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus

c. All scripture is God-Breathed

                                                                 i. Anything NOT God-breathed is NOT SCRIPTURE

1. Manmade texts are invalid in comparison to God-breathed Holy Bible

a. Gnostic texts

b. Secret, lost, forbidden books

c. Nag Hammad

d. Apocrypha

e. Any manuscript written by self-proclaimed religious leader, pope, priest, bishop, prophet, etc..

f. There is NO NEW revelation of Christ, because the previous has yet to be fulfilled!

                                                              ii. God’s Holy Scripture is all useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness

                                                           iii. So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work

CONCLUSION – satan is on a leash

God is sovereign - Luke 22:31

 Satan will not (cannot) win.

·        I John 3:8

·        Hebrews 2:14

·        Colossians 2:15

·        Mark 3:27

·        Revelation 20:10

·        Matthew 8:29

·        Matthew 25:41

o   We MUST resist Satan

·        James 4:7

·        Revelation 12:11

·        Ephesians 6:17-18

·        Luke 21:36

·        I Peter 4:7

·        Luke 22:31-32

·        Matthew 6:13

There is no neutral ground!

Either you are defeated by Satan and led to the slaughter like cattle to the Prince of the Air (Ephesians 2:2), or you are living a life resisting (I Peter 5:9)

“Wage the good warfare” I Timothy 1:18

The Lord is no less a warrior today as He was in the days of old. Come to Him as willing soldiers of the Prince of Peace and learn to say Psalm 144:1-2

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    my fingers for battle.
² He is my loving God and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples^[a] under me.

 Next week we will look at II Timothy 4

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