Paul & Timothy: Father & Son
2 Timothy: Saved & Called • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsPaul's final letter encourages Timothy in the faith.
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Famous Last Words
Intro: Famous Last Words
Beethoven - “Friends applaud, the comedy is finished.”
Nostradamus - “Tomorrow I shall no longer be here.”
Emily Dickinson - “I must go in, the fog is rising.”
Winston Churchill - “I’m bored with it all.”
Jimmy Hoffa - “I don’t need bodyguards.”
Paul - 2 Timothy
A New Coworker
A New Coworker
Who was Timothy?
Paul never travelled alone; the great evangelist was always in relationship with other believers
Paul had a “sharp disagreement” with one of his coworkers - Barnabas over John Mark (who eventually wrote the Gospel of Mark)
Heading out with Silas, he goes through what is now central Turkey to a town called Lystra and finds a young man named Timothy who had evidently been converted on his first journey
Younger, but with powerful gifts
From a worldly standpoint, there’s nothing remarkable about Timothy; he came from a mixed family, he was too young
Gains an Inheritance
Gains an Inheritance
Paul the spiritual father
Over the course of their time together, Paul became a spiritual father to Timothy
What do I mean?
Cared for his growth & nurture in the faith
Corrected errors
Gave opportunities for growth
Shaped his life, just like a biological father
We are to be spiritual parents
When we are raising them, we have the responsibility to shape and nurture their spiritual life
Over time, we may become spiritual parents to a number of believers
Not retribution, but ministry
Why is Paul in such desperate trouble? The church.
Alexander the Metalworker had been excommunicated and continued to cause trouble for Paul
It seems that he was the one who continued to cause trouble and get Paul arrested
So the evangelist of the Mediterranean was brought down by a disgruntled former church member?
Likely yes.
Rather than being concerned about getting back at Alexander or out of his current situation, note the concerns of Paul:
Perseverance in the faith
Using the gifts of God to build the church
Ensuring right doctrine is taught
Rebuking and correcting those who would stray or lead others astray
Timothy inherits the ministry of Paul.
We are to show the same concerns & values that Paul shows
Is the faith being taught rightly?
Are people able to persevere in the faith, or is faith only a fair-weather friend?
Are the gifts of God in the people of God being used to build the church?
When worldly values come in conflict with Gospel values, do we hold fast to the Gospel?
Read through 2 Timothy this week