Sermon Tone Analysis
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Did you know that the lives of the Apostle Paul and the Emperor Nero overlapped for a short time in the city of Rome?
In the seventh decade these two famous men lived in the same city.
While Nero’s name was making headlines, Paul’s wasn’t.
Oprah would have wanted to interview Nero.
Larry King would want Nero on his show.
Nero would have been invited to state dinners hosted by the President.
Nero was hero - Paul was zero.
Paul was a stoop-shouldered, balding, crooked nose, cloudy-eyed old man.
Paul kept talking about Jesus as if he were God.
So, Paul got locked up in prison in Rome.
If you asked anyone in Rome in the seventh decade, “Who will make the greatest impact on the world, Nero or Paul?” everyone would pick Nero.
Nero was married to Poppaea Sabina, a blonde, head-turning beauty who bathed in donkey milk.
Four hundred donkeys were kept on hand for just that.
She would be dried by swan feathers and massaged with crocodile mucous.
Nero liked soft skin, and what Nero wanted, Nero got.
At age 25, Nero deified himself by erecting a 120 foot tall statue of himself.
People looked up to Nero, but looked down on Paul.
Paul was common, described as bald-headed, bow legged, small man with a big nose and scruffy, thick eyebrows that met in the middle, and a body covered with scars.
Throughout the New Testament you will find record of the dynamic life and deep struggles of Paul.
Paul tells of his tumultuous life in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27
We know that Paul walked in the major cities of the known Roman world.
He was a tent-maker in the mornings and spoke about Jesus Christ and the Gospel from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day except the Sabbath.
Paul wrote books as he traveled and as he sat in prison, and we treasure his words to this day.
As we talked about last week, 13 of the letters he wrote we know as the Pauline Epistles in our bibles today.
Paul was both a prophet and a pastor, who never got over that the living Jesus met him, changed him and commissioned him as an apostle.
He was a spokesman for God’s grace; in fact, reading through his letters, Paul’s favorite word was “grace.”
It seems that everywhere he went Paul caused an uproar.
Acts 21:30-31
Paul lived an extraordinary life.
One of immense joy and sorrow.
He experienced acceptance by a few and rejection by most.
He was a light in the midst of a dark culture and revealed the secret of his ability, in the face of opposition, to endure to the end.
We all have storms of some kind—relational, financial, personal - and can learn from the teachings and example given by Paul.
One key characteristic of Paul, who ministered to thousands, is his intentional investment into individuals.
We know of a few special relationships Paul developed but one stands out, and we read of Paul’s instructions to this young man in two letters - 1 & 2 Timothy.
In 1 Timothy conduct as a congregation is emphasized, while in 2 Timothy individual responsibility and behavior are prominent.
You find the theme of 2 timothy expressed in 2 Timothy 2:15
To Paul, our approval comes from God and there was no room for shame as we handle God’s word properly.
In that second letter to Timothy, Paul reveals the secret of his endurance.
Read 2 Timothy 1:3-12
Paul says to Timothy, never forget the upbringing you had, nor the equipping and confirming you experienced for ministry.
God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind.
He goes on to say that because God doesn’t give us the spirit of fear:
Two apparent truths from this passage:
1. Paul anchored his life to a hope outside of this world.
2. Paul entrusted his life into the hands of God.
1. Emboldened Instruction (v.
8)
A. Don’t Be Ashamed
1.) Of the Gospel
Romans 1:16
2.) Of those who suffer for the Gospel
2 Timothy 1:16
B. Share in Suffering
Timothy was not to try to avoid any disgrace that might be connected with the Gospel.
but rather join with Paul in enduring such disgrace.
Paul gave later instruction in
2 Timothy 3:12
Jesus reminded those who would follow HIm:
John 15:18-20
C. Depend on God’s Power
2. Essential Information (vv.
9-10)
A. God’s Redemptive Plan in the Past (v. 9)
Romans 16:25
Ephesians 1:4-6
B. God’s Revealed Plan in the Present (v.
10)
Ephesians 1:9-10
3. Experienced Intuition (vv.
11-12)
A. Paul’s Assignment (v.
11)
Ephesians 3:7-8
B. God’s Assurance (v.
12)
Peter wrote about persecution in the same view as Paul
1 Peter 4:16, 19
We know through biblical passages and historical documents that Paul ended his life very well, while Nero did not. 2 Timothy 4:6-8
1. Paul’s new life began on the Damascus road and ended on a chopping block in a prison cell in Rome.
2. Nero at the age of 29 was lonely and paranoid; his second wife killed his first wife and Nero kicked his pregnant second wife and she died; and four years after Paul’s death, Nero committed suicide.
Nero was no hero.
Paul still impacts us to this day.
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