BIG IDEA:
APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY NURTURES THE NEXT GENERATION
OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP
I. AUTHOR = PAUL
A. His Authority = "an apostle of Christ Jesus"
one sent by God
Ellicott: "didn’t merely derive his commission from Christ, but belonged to Him."
B. His Authentication = "according to the commandment"
Wiersbe: "This word means ’a royal commission.’ Both Paul and Timothy were sent by the King of kings!"
Campbell: "The word … is derived from two Greek words which literally mean to arrange upon or put an order upon. The noun form used here suggests that God was
the one who had arranged, ordered, and mandated that Paul should be an apostle."
Guthrie: "a man under orders"
1. "of God our Savior"
2. "and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope"
Kent: "As the Father is the fountain of our salvation, so Christ is the embodiment of our hope. We are looking for Him to return (Titus 2:13). In Him are all our expectations. Our basis for eternal life with all its glories lies in the fact of our union with Christ…"
Hendriksen: "’our Hope’ -- the very foundation for our earnest yearning, our confident expectation, and our patient waiting for the manifestation of salvation in all its fulness."
II. RECIPIENT = TIMOTHY
A. Family Relationship = "my true child"
tone of tender love, intimacy
Campbell: "…’genuine’, spiritually legitimate, and true child in the faith. This word speaks of one who is the opposite of being illegitimate, spurious, or a phony."
B. Faith Orientation = "in the faith".Paul wanted the church to know that he validated Timothy’s faith and sound doctrine
III. GREETING AND BLESSING
A. Content
1. "Grace"
2. "Mercy"
Kent: "Mercy (eleos) is what Timothy and all believers need daily when conscious of failure."
3. "Peace"
Towner: "At the outset, Paul thus reminds Timothy that God’s unearnable love and peace will overshadow his servant even in the most difficult of circumstances."
B. Source
1. "from God the Father"
2. "and Christ Jesus our Lord"
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) Reflect on the loyalty that the original apostles had to their Master = the one who had called and commissioned them and sent them out on such a perilous mission. How deep and intense is our loyalty to Christ Jesus?
2) Do we have our Hope firmly fixed on the person of Christ and the expectation of His return? What tends to distract us from focusing on our hope or discourage us?
3) Do we know of any false teachers who are illegitimate pretenders to a family relationship with Christ (in contrast to the example of Timothy who is legit)?
4) Are we daily drawing upon God’s resources of grace, mercy and peace which are intended for our benefit?
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