Sermon Tone Analysis

Thank you brothers for your presence today.

This journey of preaching and critiquing has been incredibly fruitful.

Not only have I learned great truth from the Word of God, but I believe it’s been demonstrated by the Spirit in power and weakness.

I have learned so much from your humility and desire to preach.

It’s contagious.

So with that, I say thank you.

This morning, let’s get into our Bibles, and I don’t just mean turn to them, but I mean let’s really dig in to what I believe God has overwhelmed my heart with for the past month or so.

I am eager for the Spirit’s demonstration and the lofty perfection of God’s Word to be demonstrated.

I join you in agreeing with how great a privilege it is to preach, but also how frightening it is to approach God’s Word prayerfully dividing it correctly.

So with that, let’s turn our attention and desire towards the letters of 1 and 2 Timothy.

The first thing I must make clear, is that the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has been given.

It wasn’t a random thought or idea by God to give us His only Son, but is entirely explained in the Bible.

Jesus Christ was sent of God to be born of a virgin, by the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless perfect life in scriptural fulfillment of the law, bore the sins of humanity on his shoulders at the cross, was the literal atoning sacrifice for a broken relationship with God, and then resurrected from the grave, by the power of God to show his defeat over death.

We just celebrated Easter because of the resurrection.

After the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and it is written in the Word of God that He left to prepare a place.

Brothers…we are waiting for that return.

Anxiously anticipating.

As Jesus left, , referencing , states that...

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

The full reference even includes...

Jesus’ ascension brought the descension of the Holy Spirit and the grace of His presence has graced us with gifts.

I wholeheartedly believe the interchange of grace and gift here is very important to understand.

Throughout the letters of 1 and 2 Timothy, the words grace and gift are used quite frequently.

In the Greek, one word is used for grace and gift.

In , the Apostle Paul told Timothy to fan the flame of the gift of God.

I think there is a necessary reflection on the translation of this word from Greek to English real quick.

Here’s what I mean...

First off, it is grace that gifts.

That is…unmerited favor…we receive from the Holy Spirit to equip the bride of Christ.

Our gifts DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT lift up the recipient.

We are of no use without the gifting of the Holy Spirit for the edification of the saints.

So when the word is translated into gift, let’s remember the grace.

Secondly, God’s grace is affirmation of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives to accomplish His purpose and will that He promised.

Remember…our best efforts are at best, filthy rags.

We literally need the work of the Spirit by the Word of God to witness and accomplish His redemption.

So when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, it was after Jesus’ ascension.

Therefore the gifts and grace have descended and it’s for the sole purpose of edifying the church.

Brothers we are still in that time.

God is still wooing, redeeming, and setting apart those whom he chooses to herald the good news.

The specific verse and minor passage God has burdened my soul with, is .

Paul told Timothy...

Context

The author here, at one time, was blinded by the brightness and presence of Jesus.

His zealous desire was questioned and overturned by the Lordship of Jesus as Paul was set apart as an instrument for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He went from profaning to proclaiming in a very short time!

Throughout this calling of proclaiming Jesus as Lord, he poured himself into certain persons, who in turn, would continue the work.

In 1 and 2 Timothy, we find saturated Gospel evidence of this.

The occasion of 1 Timothy is located in 3:15.

Paul said...

In 2 Timothy, I think we find multiple occasions because of the very present reality approaching Paul.

His execution.

Paul was imprisoned in Rome and he made multiple mentions of those whom deserted him.

Some of the occasions for 2 Timothy are as stated:

2 Timothy 1:8

2 Timothy

2 Timothy 4:1

And very eagerly...

Other than, perhaps, the last exhortation, do you perceive the occasion of his writing?

I believe he’s urging Timothy to cling to what is pure and flee from what is vain.

My goal for us preachers as we read this precious word from an Apostle to a young preacher is to rekindle again the grace of God in our lives by remembrance and reverence.

We’ll see this in a few ways.

First off…

“Before rekindling this flame, lets gather some sticks for this fire.”

BY NO MEANS is this calling and recognition of Timothy something to be treated as general or irreverent.

As in…stepping into ministry as a vocation and getting licensed or ordained is just something we “do.”

Pay attention to the adjectives used to describe Timothy throughout BOTH letters.

Timothy was described as...

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 4:14

2 Timothy 3:

Wow is all I have to say.

What these verses convey is a genuine reverence.

I mean just look....

From childhood, Timothy has been groomed in the Word of God.

A reverent faith has been demonstrated day in and day out to him by those whom he lived with.

Paul refers to the Hebrew Scriptures, which Christians know as the Old Testament.

Timothy knew these Scriptures from infancy.

In the first century, a Jewish father was supposed to begin teaching his son as soon as he was able to learn, and the principal text was the Scriptures.

Acts 16:1 indicates that Timothy’s Greek father was neither a convert to Judaism nor a Christian, so Timothy’s mother and grandmother assumed responsibility for his religious education.

At age five he would have been enrolled in a synagogue school for Scripture study, and at age ten he would have studied the Mishnah, Jewish commentary on the Law.

But Timothy’s religious education began long before that, in his own home.

Purpose

Then from there we notice the recognition by an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

Paul was present and affirmed this young man, but not only that, Timothy demonstrated it to him.

Paul had three purposes in writing a second time to Timothy.

The first was personal; he called for Timothy to come to Rome as quickly as possible (4:9, 21) and bring with him needed items, a cloak and scrolls (4:13).

These things were important, but most of all Paul longed to see Timothy again (1:4).

The second purpose was pastoral; Paul wrote to encourage Timothy and to steel him against the hardships that intensified persecution was sure to bring.

Example of this here:

2 Timothy 1:8

Each scripture reference here is a small stick to throw into this holy anointing on his life recognized as grace or gift and illustrated as a flame.

The eventual report of Paul’s martyrdom would be one of those hardships, and the apostle knew how difficult that news would be for his son-in-the-faith to hear.

The third purpose was practical; Paul wrote to sound another alarm about the false teachers who sought to divide the Ephesian congregation.

Examples of this here:

2 Timothy 3:

Their depravity was extreme, and Paul was intent on warning Timothy of the danger they posed.

It would be up to Timothy to keep the church together both theologically and organizationally.

The church’s integrity (literally, oneness) was at stake.

Robert Black and Ronald McClung, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2004), 133.

These references STIR reverence.