The Day Jesus Stopped The Parade

RANSOM

TEXT: I Tim. 2:4-6

INTRODUCTION:

1. Paul introduces his first epistle to Timothy by stating his election as an apostle of Jesus Christ “which is our hope” (I Tim. 1:1).

A. Paul uses this word (elpis) at least 37 times in his writings.

B. Perschbacher, in his THE NEW ANALYTICAL GREEK LEXICON, defines the word translated “hope” here as a “trust, or confidence.”

C. Why was Paul able to put all his “trust” and “confidence” in the “Lord Jesus Christ”?

2. Jesus truly offers something to put our trust and hope in.

A. There is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12).

B. The great name that distinguishes Jesus is the title of Son (Heb. 1:5).

C. Jesus is unique in that he is at once both the “Son of God,” and the “Son of man.”

3. Job, centuries before Jesus, looked for a “days-man” who could act as an arbitrary intermediate between man and God, and act as an umpire who could understand both the perspective of Jehovah, and man.

A. For so many years the world laid in darkness until the “Sun of righteousness” would “arise with healing in his wings” (Mal. 4:2).

B. Long did the world wait for the “child” to be given whose name would be; “Wonderful, Counselor, and mighty God; Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).

C. Long did the world cry out for “Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14).

4. Consider the New Testament concept of peace.

A. “The New Testament writers took their idea of peace from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. There the Greek word eirene was the regular translation of the Hebrew shalom and it picked up something of the meaning of that Hebrew term. Now shalom is not a negative term at all. It has a positive meaning. It denotes not the absence of war or strife or anything, but the presence of something. It means the presence of God’s rich and full blessing. We may see this in the way the word was used as the normal greeting, shalom lekha, ‘Peace to you’. When one Hebrew was walking down the street and said to another Hebrew shalom lekha, ‘Peace to you’, he did not mean, ‘I hope you don’t get into a fight.’ He meant, ‘I trust that God’s rich blessing will rest on you in all its fullness’; ‘I wish you prosperity in the fullest sense’ (Morris. P. 141-142).

B. Man did not seek peace because he was willing, but in his rebellion, and disregard for his own soul, man pushed God aside.

C. God reached out and fixed the problem of sin!

BODY:

I. UNIVERSAL CALLING (I TIM. 2:4).

A. The scope of the call (“all men”).

1. (The scope of the call is) Implied in creation (Sovereignty of God over his best creation).

a. After God created man, we see for the first time in Genesis 2:4 God being referred to as Jehovah.

b. God in the vastness of eternity felt compelled to create man (his resplendent achievement) and in creating man designed within him the capacity to love and serve Him as sovereign Lord.

c. God, made man with the ability to reason, have free will, and make a choice to serve, or not serve.

2. (The scope of the call is) Implicated in consecration (Inadequacy of man contrasted with the insurmountable problem of sin).

a. The devil, who it seems was afraid to tempt the righteous Adam, attacked him in a way that only the slyest deceiver could conjure; i.e. tempting his heart through the one he loved.

b. In this one act, the dye was cast, which would begin the great tragedy; the miasma that would plague all for centuries.

c. Pain was found that day, but knowledge of the source thereof also; i.e. pain for Adam would be seen in the cursing of the ground, and the toil and sweat of which would be produced through his working it for his bread; and pain also for Eve in that she, “in sorrow… [would] bring forth children; and [her]…desire [would] be to [her]...husband… [who would] rule over… [her] (Gen. 13:16-20). [A curious point to consider is the indication that Adam and Eve co-equally served “Jehovah” as their Lord (king, master) but after Eve’s sin she is consigned to serve Adam along with their service to Jehovah Gen. 3:21.]

3. (The scope of the call is) Initiated in cooperation (Sacrifice is given a limited definition).

a. God, after seeing man’s feeble attempt to cover their own sin, killed, and made clothing to cover them from the skin of a living creature (Gen. 3:23).

b. Shortly after Cain and Abel are found sacrificing (the first picture of patriarchal sacrifice as the head of a family unit [at the least Cain had a wife of which he was responsible, for Gen. 4:17 says “Cain knew his wife”]).