Scripture
Today, we begin a new study in the letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy and one letter to Titus. These three letters are usually called “the Pastoral Epistles” because they were written to pastors about dealing with pastoral matters in their respective churches.
Commentator John R. W. Stott writes that in his First Letter to Timothy, Paul addresses six main issues:
The first is the church’s doctrine and how to preserve it intact, uncorrupted by false teaching (1:3–20). The second is the church’s public worship, its global intercession for all humankind, together with the roles of men and women in the conduct of it (2:1–15). Thirdly, the apostle writes about the church’s pastorate, and in particular the conditions of eligibility for presbyters and deacons (3:1–16). Fourthly, after outlining the church’s moral instruction, which arises naturally from the doctrine of creation and calls for personal godliness (4:1–10), Paul addresses himself to the church’s local leadership, specially how younger leaders can ensure that their teaching is listened to and not despised (4:11–5:2). Fifthly, the apostle handles the church’s social responsibilities, not only to widows, but also to elders and to slaves (5:3–6:2). His sixth and final concern, in reaction to those who think “that godliness is a means to financial gain,” is the church’s attitude to material possessions (6:3–21); he addresses both the covetous and the wealthy.
As we study these letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus, we shall discover that they contain precious wisdom for us today. When John Calvin completed his commentaries on Paul’s two letters to Timothy, he dedicated them to Lord Edward, the Duke of Somerset. Part of Calvin’s dedication to the Duke reads as follows:
As far as I am concerned, neither my great distance from you nor my humble station in life can stop me from congratulating you on the way you have spread Christ’s glory in all you have done. God has been pleased to use me to work and struggle to bring back the pure teaching of the Gospel to the world. So, why should I not, no matter how far I am from you, express in the strongest terms my respect for you? For God has made you a protector and defender of this same teaching, in his special goodness. As I had no other way of expressing this affection I have for you, I now present to you my commentaries on two of Paul’s letters. I did not choose the gift out of the air, but carefully selected it as it is so suitable for you. For in these letters Paul tells his much-loved Timothy what kind of teaching will edify God’s church. He tells him what evils and enemies to fight against, and what trials he will have to endure. He encourages him not to give up in the face of any difficulties, but to be courageous, to use his authority to curb the licentiousness of evil people and not to give gifts in an effort to curry favor. These two letters give a summary of how a church should be rightly governed. You are now making great efforts to reform the Church of England in your king’s name…. But you have numerous Timothys doing this work, and with them you could do no better than put your energies into following Paul’s pattern which he teaches. Everything in these letters is relevant for us today, and little that is needed to edify the church cannot be deduced from them.
What John Calvin said nearly 500 years ago – “Everything in these letters is relevant for us today” – is still applicable for us today. Therefore, I am calling this sermon series on the Pastoral Epistles, “Living in God’s Church Today.”
Let’s read 1 Timothy 1:1-2:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:1-2)
Introduction
“I feel like a monster,” Gabriel Marshall said to his dad.
Eight-year-old Gabriel had recently undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his brain, and he now bore a conspicuous scar on the side of his head. His dad, Josh, had an idea: he got a tattoo on the side of his head that was in the exact shape of Gabriel’s scar.
“If people want to stare at you,” he told Gabriel, “then they can stare at both of us.”
A picture of the two sporting their scars eventually won first place in a Father’s Day photo competition run by St. Baldrick’s Foundation, “an organization dedicated to fighting childhood cancer.”
You are familiar with the expression, “Like father, like son.” It means that the son resembles his father in looks, manners, abilities, and so on. In the previous story, we should probably say, “Like son, like father,” because Josh, the father, got a tattoo to resemble the scar on his son Gabriel’s head.
As we work our way through Paul’s First Letter to Timothy, we shall see that Paul constantly encourages Timothy in his walk with the Lord and in his service to the Lord. In many ways, Paul encourages Timothy to do what he (Paul) would do. It really is a case of “like father, like son.” So much so, that Paul calls Timothy “my true child in the faith” (1:2a).
Paul’s First Letter to Timothy followed the standard procedure for writing letters in ancient times, which was to begin with the sender’s name, followed by the recipient’s name. Then there was a simple greeting, followed by the body of the letter, and a conclusion to close out the letter.
In our study today, we will examine the opening of Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.
Lesson
1 Timothy 1:1-2 shows us several truths about living in God’s church today.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. Submit to God’s Called Officers (1:1)
2. Continue to Serve God (1:2a)
3. God’s Blessings Bind Us All Together (1:2b)
I. Submit to God’s Called Officers (1:1)
First, submit to God’s called officers.
Paul begins his First Letter to Timothy with these words, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope” (1:1). Paul was born as Saul in Tarsus, which is on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey. The exact date of his birth is not known. Paul’s mother was Jewish and, since he was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28), his father was likely a Roman citizen before him. He studied as a Pharisee under Gamaliel in Jerusalem. After his conversion to Christ, his name was changed from Saul to Paul. He became an itinerant preacher, the first missionary in the Christian Church. Paul also worked as a tentmaker so that he would not be seen as a preacher trying to peddle the gospel. He was imprisoned on numerous occasions for preaching the gospel. Describing his hardships preaching the gospel, Paul said, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:24-28).
Paul most likely met Timothy on his second missionary journey in the city of Lystra. Timothy joined Paul for the rest of that journey. In fact, Timothy became a lifelong assistant to Paul. Sometime after his third missionary journey, Paul was placed under house arrest in Rome. Paul was eventually released and perhaps traveled to Spain. He also had Timothy go to Ephesus to deal with problems – primarily false teaching – that had arisen in the church. It was during this time that Paul wrote his First Letter to Timothy and also a letter to Titus. Paul was then rearrested. While in prison, he wrote his Second Letter to Timothy. Paul was martyred between 64 - 67 AD.
When I enter glory, the first person I shall behold is Jesus. I am sure that I will be enraptured by his beauty and glory. But the next person I would like to meet is Paul. I think that he was a most amazing man. As a young man, he was a ferocious opponent of Christianity. Then, he was converted by the direct intervention of Christ himself. Paul gave his entire life to advancing the good news that Jesus is alive and that he transforms people. Paul was himself transformed by the gospel of Jesus. And I was also transformed by that same gospel. And the same good news still transforms people today.
Paul notes that he is an “apostle.” The word means “delegate, envoy, messenger.” Of the 82 times the word “apostle” is used in the New Testament, 78 times it refers to “an envoy of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by him or by other apostles; normally someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on his behalf.” Paul was called and commissioned by Jesus to speak on his behalf. That is why Paul goes on to write that he is an apostle “of Jesus Christ.” Moreover, he received this commission “by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.” He was ordered to serve as a messenger for Jesus.
The office of apostle is now closed. The office of apostle is an “extraordinary” office. Yet, while there are no longer apostles today, Jesus still calls certain men to serve him as evangelists, pastors, and teachers (see Ephesians 4:11) in an “ordinary” office. Normally, they have an inner sense of calling, which is then ratified by the outer call of God’s people. A man senses God calling him, for example, to be a pastor. He prays about it for some time. He may seek Godly counsel. He will then receive training so that he may be equipped to do what he believes God is calling him to do. However, a very important part of the process is the approval of God’s people. Unless, an overseeing body, such as a congregation or presbytery, agrees for a man to serve as a pastor, he cannot serve.
So, God uses a different approach today in calling men to serve him in ministry than he did when he called apostles to serve him. Nevertheless, officers today are still called by God.
When Paul wrote his letter to Timothy, he addressed it (as we shall see in a moment) to Timothy. It was a personal letter. And yet, Paul expected the letter to be read to the entire congregation in Ephesus. Paul was exerting his authority as an “apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God.” He did not have to remind Timothy about his authority; Timothy already knew that and respected Paul was one called by God. Timothy submitted himself to God’s called officer. No, the reason Paul stressed this was so that others in the congregation would submit to Paul’s authority through Timothy. It was for their benefit that Paul introduced himself as he did in this letter.
A healthy church has officers and members. A healthy church has members who submit to God’s called officers. It is true that sometimes officers fall into sin and need to be disciplined. But for believers living in God’s church today, we all need to submit to God’s called officers. And as we do so, we will discover God’s smile and blessing on us.
II. Continue to Serve God (1:2a)
Second, continue to serve God.
Paul writes, “To Timothy, my true child in the faith” (1:2a). Timothy was Paul’s assistant and was appointed by Paul to serve in his place over the churches that were based in Ephesus. Timothy’s mother, Eunice, was Jewish (2 Timothy 1:5) and his father, whose name we do not know, was Greek (Acts 16:1). It is possible that Timothy’s father may have been deceased by the time Paul met Timothy. Because people spoke so well of Timothy, Paul asked him to join him for the rest of his second missionary journey and Timothy traveled with Paul to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Timothy is named as a co-author of six of Paul’s letters (2 Corinthians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1; and Philemon 1).
One commentator wrote of Timothy that “he rapidly advanced from being Paul’s valet, to being Paul’s assistant, to being Paul’s trouble shooter, to being Paul’s apostolic delegate, to being Paul’s successor (over the churches of provincial Asia, after the death of Paul).” Timothy was Paul’s most fruitful disciple. He was very different than Paul but he also served the Lord faithfully with the gifts that God had given him. The Church’s mission is to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples. In one sense, the mission of the Church is evangelism and discipleship, or, as the Westminster Confession of Faith puts it, “for the gathering and perfecting of the saints in this life.”
Paul calls Timothy, “my true child in the faith” (1:2a). The Greek adjective “true” (gnesios) is used only four times in the New Testament. It means “being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech (the absence of affection or pretense).” Scholars are divided about whether Timothy became a believer under Paul’s ministry. Most likely, Timothy became a believer through the ministry of his mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). However, Paul brought Timothy under his tutelage and he grew in service to Paul, the gospel, the Lord, and his people. In other words, Timothy was a faithful assistant who could eventually be trusted by Paul with overseeing difficult church situations.
We have just started a New Year. One of the most common New Year’s resolutions, if not the most common resolution, is to lose weight. However, I would offer that a great New Year’s resolution would be to grow FAT! That is an acronym that stands for “Faithful, Available, Teachable.” It seems to me that this is what characterized Timothy and this is what should characterize every child of God. We want to be faithful to the Lord and to his word. We want to be available to be used by him wherever he wants to use us. And we want to be teachable, always growing and learning and submitting ourselves to what we are learning from God and his word.
My dear brother and sister in Christ, as we continue living in God’s church today, let us – each one of us – continue to serve God. You want to live and serve in a healthy church. I exhort you to continue serving God. And, if you are not serving God, come and see me or an elder, and we will help you find a place of service in God’s church.
III. God’s Blessings Bind Us All Together (1:2b)
And third, God’s blessings bind us all together.
Paul greets Timothy as follows, “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1:2b). Paul Christianized the ancient greeting in a letter, usually by saying “grace and peace” as he did in 11 of his 13 letters. Only in his letters to Timothy does Paul add the word “mercy.” In this wonderful greeting, Paul wishes for Timothy “grace,” which refers to God’s undeserved favor, love, and blessing. Paul also wishes for Timothy “mercy,” which refers to God’s kindness, pity, and help. While “grace” deals with sin and guilt and extends pardon to the sinner, “mercy” deals with the pain and misery that result from sin, and it extends relief. Finally, Paul wishes for Timothy “peace,” which is the result of grace and mercy. It refers to harmony between God and the sinner, now that the hostility of sin has been put away. And all these blessings come from “God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s blessings bind us all together. His blessings bind us to himself and his Son. And they bind us to one another as we worship and serve and continue living in God’s church today.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed the life of Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:1-2, we should commit ourselves to living as fruitful disciples in God’s church today.
Do you remember Gabriel and his dad Josh? Gabriel’s dad, Josh, got a tattoo on his head that was in the exact shape of Gabriel’s scar. In some ways, their story might remind us of another story: about an empathetic Father, a wounded Son, and scars that were chosen because of love.
Brothers and sisters, we are living in God’s church today. We are called to live as fruitful disciples in God’s church today. God’s Son was wounded so that we might receive life in him. Now that we have been given life in Jesus, we belong to him and also to one another. Let us live in such a way that our love for God and for one another compels others around us also to want to live in God’s church today. Amen.
