BIG IDEA:
THE EXAMPLE OF GODLY MENTORS AND THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE
WORD OF GOD EQUIPS THE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL TO PERSEVERE IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION AND GROWING DECEPTION
I. (:10-14) THE EXAMPLE OF GODLY MENTORS EQUIPS THE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL TO PERSEVERE
A good model can make a tremendous impact in someone’s life; Timothy had travelled with the Apostle Paul for 15 or 16 years; Paul was an open book for younger leaders to study
A. (:10) Following in Good Footsteps – “But you followed my”:
1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Cor. 4:17 – all of these attributes stand in stark contrast to the false teachers:
1. “Teaching”
2. “Conduct”
3. “Purpose”
4. “Faith”
5. “Patience”
6. “Love”
7. “Perseverance”
B. (:11-12) Enduring Persecutions
1. Nature of the Opposition
“persecutions”
“sufferings”
2. Specific Instances Cited (even though these were before the time of Timothy’s personal involvement with Paul – maybe Timothy witnessed some of these events??)
a. “such as happened to me at Antioch” – Acts 13:50 – Paul had to be hustled out of town
b. “at Iconium” – Acts 14:5ff – narrowly escaped being assaulted and stoned
c. “and at Lystra” – Acts 14:19 – stoned and dragged out of town and left for dead
3. Successful Out come
a. Human Perseverance – “what persecutions I endured”
b. Divine Deliverance – “and out of them all the Lord delivered me!”
4. Pattern for All
“And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Hiebert: “The first explanation for his sufferings lies in the fact that it is the lot
of all the godly. His experiences are nothing extraordinary and exceptional.”
C. (:13) Despite Growing Deception
1. Who are we up against?
a. “evil men”
b. “imposters”
2. What direction are things headed?
“from bad to worse”
3. What is the Fundamental Characteristic of this Opposition? Deception
“deceiving and being deceived”
D. (:14) Staying on Track
1. Exhortation to Stay on Track
“You, however, continue in the things you have learned”
2. Motivation to Stay on Track
a. Confidence in the Validity of the Truth which you have been taught
“become convinced of”
b. Confidence in the Validity of the Mentors whom you are following
“from whom you have learned them”
II. (:15-17) THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE WORD OF GOD EQUIPS THE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL TO PERSEVERE
When all else fails, read the directions … why not study them before all else fails?.The Bible is our guidebook thru these difficult last days
(The Origin and Purpose of the Word of God is developed here – Stott)
A. Sufficient for Helping People of All Ages
“from childhood”
“the man of God”
B. Sufficient For Guiding One to Salvation (both initial and ultimate salvation)
1. Source – “sacred writings”
2. Content – “to give you the wisdom”
3. Objective – “that leads to salvation”
4. Appropriation – “through faith which is in Christ Jesus”
C. Sufficient in Its Totality and Authority = Doctrine of Verbal, Plenary Inspiration of Scriptures
“All Scripture is inspired by God” / “God-breathed”
D. Sufficient in Its Value = “Profitable for”:
1. “Teaching”
2. “Reproof”
3. “Correction”
4. “Training in righteousness”
D. Sufficient in Its Role in Equipping Spiritual Leaders
Summary: “that the man of God may be”: (speaking specifically about the Christian leader)
1. “Adequate”
2. “equipped for every good work”
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) Do we get close enough today to the lives of our spiritual leaders that we gain the value of their personal life example? Or do we primarily know them just through their public teaching ministry? What are the benefits of close personal discipleship such as
the mentoring that Timothy received?.2) How can false teachers propagate the “health and wealth” gospel in light of the stress on suffering and persecution in these verses? How are people sucked into buying
such an obvious error?
3) What are the practical implications of denying the inerrancy of Scriptures or watering down the Biblical view of inspiration? Is the Battle for the Bible still being waged today (as described in the books by Harold Lindsell)?
4) Why do we look so many other places for our certification and equipping for ministry when we are told that it is proficiency in the Sufficient Scriptures that will equip us “for every good work”?
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