The Preacher & His Pupil – 2 Timothy 1:1-5

2 Timothy is the last will and testament of the Apostle Paul, written to Timothy, his son in the faith. This lesson introduces the book and Paul’s opening salutation. Refer PDF available for sermon outline and notes.

Title of series: Continue Thou (3:14). Strong emphasis in Epistle on encouraging Timothy to press on for the Lord, to be faithful and to take heart in the face of discouragement and difficulty.

Theme: Paul’s last will and Testament to Timothy, his student in the ministry. Paul writes to put Timothy in remembrance of key things he has been taught by Paul as well as exhort and encourage him to faithfulness in the work of God.

Historical Background

1. Date: Written around A.D. 66. Paul martyred in A.D. 67. Paul is conscious that “the time of his departure is at hand” This Epistle is Paul’s “dying letter” (Moule).
2. Written during Paul’s second imprisonment. This imprisonment is clearly distinct from the one documented in Acts 28:30 where Paul was allowed a degree of comfort in his own “hired house”. Paul’s first imprisonment was instigated by the Jews on religious grounds. Paul’s second imprisonment was instigated by the Romans on political grounds. At this point in time there was a great wave of violent persecution against Christians prompted by Nero’s blaming of the believers for the great fire of Rome in July A.D. 64.
3. We get a sense for the conditions Paul is in during this imprisonment in 4:13. It seems Paul left Troas in haste and left some of his essential belongings behind (possibly arrested there). His mention of a cloak indicates he is suffering the cold and damp of the prison cell.

This lesson: Paul’s introductory greeting to Timothy

The Penman of the Epistle (Vs. 1)

Paul’s Office (1a)

1. “apostle of Jesus Christ” = Reference to His office as one of the Apostle’s of Christ. To qualify as an apostle, you had to be an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22). There is no apostolic succession. The Apostolic ministry was a foundational ministry (Eph. 2:20)
2. “by the will of God” = Paul knew his calling came from God as a Divine appointment. He was not a self-appointed man. He was fulfilling the purpose for which God had saved him (Acts 26:12-18)

Paul’s Objective (1b)

1. “according to the promise of life” = similar to Paul’s salutation in Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” The propagation of the Gospel of eternal life was the objective & purpose of Paul’s Apostleship. Primary reference to eternal life but also includes the abundant life of knowing Christ now (John 10:10)
2. “which is in Christ Jesus” = this eternal life is found in the Person of Christ. 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
3. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If not, you don’t have life. (John 1:12)

The Pupil of the Apostle (Vs. 2)

Timothy’s Relationship to Paul (2a)

1. “dearly beloved son” = Timothy was Paul’s son in the faith (1. Tim. 1:2). He was likely lead to the Lord by Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:8-21). It is of interest that Timothy was aware of the persecutions Paul had encountered at Lystra, his home town (3:10-11). Perhaps he witnessed some of those events as a young man.
2. “dearly beloved son” = Timothy was Paul’s son in the ministry. Timothy joined Paul’s missionary team during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3). Timothy was “well reported of” by the believers in Lystra

Timothy’s Regard from Paul (2b)

1. “grace, mercy and peace” = the three blessings Paul desires for Timothy. These blessings experienced first in salvation but then continue to provide the believer with the resources needed to live the Christian life.
2. ‘from’ = these three blessings are viewed as coming from the Father and the Son

The Prayer of the Apostle (Vs. 3-5)

The Praise in his prayer (3a)

1. “I thank God” = thanksgiving a vital part of prayer and a key feature of the Apostle’s prayer life. Paul constantly possessed of a thankful spirit
2. “whom I serve from my forefathers” = the God Paul served was the same God as the patriarchs of Israel. Paul is often concerned to draw a line of continuity between the Old and New Testaments.
3. “with pure conscience” = Paul had nothing to hide. He was clear in his conscience towards God and towards man. Acts 24:16 “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.”

The Persistence of his prayer (3b)

1. “without ceasing” = incessantly & persistently. Same Greek word was used by Jewish Historian Josephus for the continual hammering of the battering rams against the walls of Jerusalem in the Roman conquest of Jerusalem (Linguistic Key). Word used in N.T. times to refer to a cough. Not a single, unending cough but a series of coughs at brief intervals (H. Berry).

1. ‘prayers’ = Paul had regular seasons of prayer (note word is plural)
2. “night and day” = Paul prayed in both the day and night seasons.

The Prompting of his prayer (4-5)

A yearning to see Timothy (Vs. 4)

1. “greatly desiring to see thee…that I may be filled with joy” = Paul longed to see his junior in the Lord as this would bring him great joy and encouragement.
2. “being mindful of thy tears” = reveals Paul’s sympathy for Timothy. Paul understood the tears of the ministry and appreciated Timothy’s burdens. God’s men in Scripture knew what it was to weep. Examples: David (Ps. 119:136); Isaiah (22:4); Jeremiah (Lam. 3:48-49); Christ (John 11:35)

A remembrance of Timothy’s faith (Vs. 5)

1. “unfeigned” = unhypocritical; arising out of an inner reality of conviction. Timothy’s faith was genuine and sincere. ‘feigned’ comes from Greek word ‘hupocrinomai’ from which the English word ‘hypocrite’ is derived. Word was used of Greek actors. Refers to those who are insincere and fake (play actors).
2. The godly influence of Lois (Timothy’s grandmother) and Eunice (Timothy’s mother)
   1. The influence of godly grandmothers: Grandmothers need to get a hold of the impact for godliness they can have in the lives of their grandchildren instead of capitulating to the 21st century mindset that says, “I’ve had my turn; been there done that!” Titus 2:3 exhorts older women – “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;” Instead of spending your sunset years watching soapies, reading romance novels and indulging the flesh, invest those years in influencing the next generation for Christ so that you leave a legacy behind for God’s glory.
   2. The influence of godly mothers: Timothy’s father was not a believer (Acts 16:1) yet Eunice didn’t let that stop her from teaching her son the Scriptures. Chapter 3:15 indicates that these ladies were faithful in teaching Timothy the Word of God which laid the foundation for his salvation. Challenge: Even if you have an unsaved husband, or a spiritually weak husband, you can still impact the next generation by diligently instilling the truth of God’s Word into the little ones.
   3. The quality of their faith: The faith these ladies modeled was “unfeigned”. What sort of faith do we model for our children? Is it sincere and real or filled with hypocrisy?

Conclusion

1. Have you received eternal life? Have you received Christ?
2. How is our prayer life? Are we cultivating a life of regular prayer? Do we pray for each other?
3. Are we investing in our children by training them in the Word of God?

Sermon 1 of 13 in 2 Timothy Series

Sermon Audio Id: 631825613