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II TIMOTHY
Background: Written about
65-66 A.D. before the coming winter.
In 64 A.D.
Nero Bet fire to Rome and after that time Christians were persecuted; probably
Paul
was taken
into custody for this reason. Prior to this time, there had been no Imperial
persecution upon the Christians,
Paul being the leader naturally was captured, and
killed probably about 66-67 A.D.
Paul's last letter was written from Rome while in
this last
imprisonment shortly before his martyrdom.
Timothy was probably working
in and out of Ephesus at this time, using Ephesus
as a
headquarters.
CHAPTER 1.
V. 1 - Paul once again showing
apostolic authority.
4 - Notice the personal feeling
and love Paul had toward Timothy. Paul
was thank-
ful to God for this friendship.
5 - Unfeigned faith --
simplicity and love, simple trust in God.
Re had known
Timothy's family.
6 - Gift of the Holy Spirit.
7 - One who is stable, not swept around in mind. Power, love and
sobering, God's
love
to exercise His will -- scundmindedness. One with God's Spirit doesn't
go
off on all kinds of tangents.
8 - Don't be afrai& to suffer.
10 - Christ nullified death. They
didn't have immortal souls, Christ brought about
the
possibility.
12 - God is able to guard our possibility of eternal life (I Thes. 5:23).
13 - Follow the example seen in
Paul.
14 - Col. 1:27-- Christ in us is
the hope of glory. Spiritual promissory note
being
kept in heaven (Rev. 22:12, Matt. 6:19-20).
15 - The Asians among the people
in Rome. Apparently those who had been with
Paul had forsaken him and
returned to Asia. They evidently were with Paul
when
he was in Nicopolis or Macedonia when taken prisoner. They turned away
(those
brethren) who were with him. This does
not mean all the Churches in
Asia Minor
because Timothy was ministering in Asia
Minor.
16-18 - Paul commands one of the Asiatics.
CHAPTER 2.
V. 2 - Paul told to ordain elders
choosing those who are faithful.
3 - The going will not be easy
at all. We are soldiers of Christ Jesus, if
soldiers self-abnegate for their
governments how much more should we do for
Christ.
4 - Our life does not belong to
ourselves -- we are to serve God and please Him
(I Cor.
6:20).
6 - A man is to be rewarded for
what he does though.
9 - Because of the gospel truth
-- Christ overcoming death -- Paul was in prison
and
willing to suffer according to God's will.
10 - The church is called the
elect. Eternal glory -- entering God's family.
13 - God is still faithful to His
part of the bargain regardless of our actions,
but
this doesn't necessarily imply we will gain immortal life.
14 - Remind the prospective elders
not to strive and argue over words.
15 - Be diligent in studying God's
word.
19 - Seal-- inscription, the
Spirit of God witnessing with our Spirit (Rom. 8:16).
God knows us and makes this
evident by giving us the Spirit (II Cor. 1:22).
Our part of the bargain is
departing from unrighteousness -- keeping the
commandments the Sabbath for example is one of the
signs of obedience.
The name is our displaying
of God's character in us.
21 - I Cor.
3. Purge yourself from works of dishonor, cleanse yourself. Paul
is
telling Timothy the type of men to be used as elders, etc. None of us
can
be God's servants as long as we are in sin.
24 - A servant of God must not go
about in a personal attitude of lording it over
others
being argumentative, and trying to jam the truth down someone's mouth.
25 - Don't jump down their throat
immediately -- use wisdom and tact; don't be
harsh
and cacophonous.
26 - Taken captive by the devil's
will.
CHAPTER 3.
V. 1 - In a sense Paul's last days, but
also our time now.
2-5 - Depicts 20th Century America
and the world. They don't think God has the
power
to intervene.
6 - Silly women--simple; I Tim.
2:l4.
12 - This is a promise (Ps.
34:19).
13 - Men become progressively
worse and perverted.
15 - The Old Testament scriptures
because none of the New Testament writings had
been
canonized.
16 - Indicated Paul was condoning
the New Testament writings as Rev. 1 and II Pet.
and
a few others were not yet written.
17 - Notice good works again.
CHAPTER 4.
V. 1 - Acts lO:42; Christ shall judge
all things.
2 - Don't preach Tennyson's
poems, articles out of Reader's Digest, etc.; the
basis
should be the Bible, don't preach commentaries. PREACH THE WORD. A
minister
does have to cut; Heb. 4:l2.
4 - Silly little fairy stories
about the little Lord Jesus in a cradle.
5 - Warns Timothy of the coming
hardships in the future; Timothy was an evangelist.
6 - Paul knew he was to die
shortly. Paul views the Christian life as a fight.
8 - Crown described in Rev.
2:10. The reward of eternal life. The Lord will
reward
him on the day of his appearing.
10 - Demas had fallen away -- a
dire warning. This does not say the
others:
Titus, etc., forsook him
also. Seems they had been sent out to strengthen
the
churches. Just seems to refer to Demas as falling away.
13 - Winter was coming,
the parchments were probably scriptural writings.
14-15 - Many turned sour in the end.
16 - Paul had already been up
before the court waiting for the second trial in
this
series. They (his fellow laborers) had
forsaken him, the same way Christ
was
forsaken.
17 - Matt. 10:18. Lion -- the
devil I Peter 5:8, could also mean Nero, a lion,
or a literal lion; the
principal was though that Paul was delivered from
death.
18 - Note Paul's confidence in God
even when he was ready to die. Paul
looked
for
God's Kingdom.
20 - Paul wasn't given the power
to heal someone instantly. Undoubtedly
Paul did
pray for him though, just
the same way Mr. Armstrong prays for someone and
continues
his work knowing God knows best.
22 - The Lord be
with your mind.
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