1 Timothy Lesson #2

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
1TIMOTHY 1:1-3
LESSON #2
THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH: CALLED BY GOD

MEMORY VERSE: ROMANS 16:17

• READ 1TIM 1:1-3
• PAUL’S AUTHORITY (1)
• PAUL STATES HIS AUTHORITY FOR THE CORRECTIONS HE WILL GIVE TO TIMOTHY.
• OF COURSE, TIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS AN APOSTLE, CALLED BY GOD. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT JUST A PERSONAL NEWSY LETTER TO A PERSONAL FRIEND. YES, THEY WERE CLOSE FRIENDS, BUT PAUL IS SAYING THAT WHAT HE WILL WRITE TO TIMOTHY COMES FROM THE AUTHORITY OF GOD.
• PAUL WAS “CALLED” SPECIFICALLY BY GOD TO BE A MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL.
• “CALLED” MEANS = COMMANDED
• THE IDEA HERE IS THAT PAUL IS LIKE BEING IN THE MILITARY. HE IS UNDER THE COMMAND OF JESUS CHRIST WHO IS THE AUTHORITY OVER HIM.
• ARE ALL PASTORS IN THE CHURCH CALLED BY GOD?
• UNFORTUNATELY NO. THERE ARE MANY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES WHOSE PASTORS HAVE NOT HAD A PERSONAL CALL FROM GOD TO DO THAT JOB.
• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
• SOME PASTORS HAVE GONE INTO THE MINISTRY AS A PROFESSION OR A JOB. THEY PURPOSELY CHOSE IT JUST AS THEY WOULD CHOOSE TO BE A DOCTOR, A MECHANIC, OR A SALESMAN.
• A “CALLING” IS A SPECIFIC REVELATION, A STRONG URGING, AND AN ANOINTING BY GOD THAT THIS POSITION OF A PASTOR IS THE SPECIFIC WILL OF GOD FOR THAT PERSON’S LIFE.
• IS IT NECESSARY TO BE “CALLED” BY GOD TO BE A PASTOR? YES WHY?
• IF A PERSON IS NOT “CALLED” BY GOD:
• 1. HE IS DOING THE JOB IN HIS OWN STRENGTH RATHER THAN IN GOD’S ANOINTED POWER.
• THAT MAKES THE MINISTRY MAN’S WORK AND NOT GOD’S WORK.
• 2. HE IS NOT COMMITTED TO THE WILL OF GOD.
• 3. GOD WILL NOT SPIRITUALLY PROSPER A WORK WHERE MAN GETS THE GLORY.
• WHY IS IT NECESSARY FOR US TO KNOW THIS ABOUT THE CALLING OF A PASTOR?
• 1. IF THE PASTOR IS CALLED BY GOD, THEN THE PASTOR’S POSITION IS ONE OF AUTHORITY ESTABLISHED OVER THE CHURCH BY GOD.
• 2. OPPOSITION TO THE PASTOR MEANS OPPOSITION TO GOD.
• THE BIBLICAL EXAMPLE:
• THE OPPOSITION TO MOSES AS HE LED THE ISRAELITES THROUGH THE WILDERNESS TO THE PROMISED LAND WAS HARSHLY JUDGED BY GOD. (THE BOOK OF NUMBERS).
• 3. WHAT IF A PASTOR MAKES MISTAKES SINCE THEY ARE HUMAN JUST LIKE THE REST OF US?
• A GOOD PASTOR WILL RECOGNIZE THAT HE CAN MAKE MISTAKES.
• THEREFORE, HE WILL BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS BY OTHER CHURCH LEADERS.
• A GOOD PASTOR WILL KNOW THAT HE IS ULTIMATELY ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD BECAUSE WITH THE AUTHORITY COMES RESPONSIBILITY. A FAILURE TO BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY BRINGS CHASTISEMENT.
• WHY HAVE WE SPENT SO MUCH TIME ON ONE VERSE?
• BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE CHURCH ORDER BEGINS. EVERYTHING THAT WE LEARN AFTER THIS FIRST VERSE FOLLOWS FROM THIS FIRST PRINCIPLE OF ORDER IN THE CHURCH.

• PRINCIPLE #1

THE PASTOR OF A CHURCH THAT IS THE WORK OF GOD IS CALLED BY GOD.

• WHAT IS A WORK OF GOD?
• A MINISTRY THAT IS INITIATED, CONFIRMED, AND LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A WORK OF GOD.
• READ ACTS 5:38-39
• READ JOHN 6:25-29
• THE WORK OF GOD LEADS PEOPLE TO EVERLASTING LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST.
• “…(THE) LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHICH IS OUR HOPE” (1)
• THE WORD “HOPE” IN THE BIBLE REFERS TO SOMETHING THAT WILL COME TO PASS, SURELY AND WITHOUT DOUBT.
• WHAT IS THE SURE HOPE THAT THE CHRISTIAN HAS?
• ETERNAL LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST
• THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST TO EARTH
• THE MENTION THAT JESUS CHRIST IS OUR HOPE IS UNUSUAL FOR PAUL. PAUL ONLY USES IT HERE IN 1 TIMOTHY AND IN COL 1:27.
• PERSONALLY I THINK HE USES IT TO ENCOURAGE TIMOTHY, A DISCOURAGED PASTOR.
• TIMOTHY MUST KEEP IN MIND FOR WHOM HE IS WORKING. AS HE LOOKS TO AN ETERNAL FUTURE, IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL IN THE END.
• FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
• PASTORS NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED.
• THEY HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT JOB, AND OFTEN THERE IS NO ONE CLOSE TO WHOM THEY CAN TALK OUT THEIR PROBLEMS.
• TIMOTHY WAS BLESSED BECAUSE HE HAD PAUL, BUT ALL PASTORS DO NOT HAVE A PAUL TO WHOM THEY CAN TURN.
• “UNTO TIMOTHY, MY OWN SON IN THE FAITH…” (2)
• PAUL CALLS TIMOTHY HIS TRUE, GENUINE SON IN THE FAITH. THESE 2 MEN HAVE A VERY CLOSE, LOVING RELATIONSHIP.
• “…GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE” (2)
• GRACE AND MERCY
• PAUL ALWAYS OPENS HIS BOOKS WITH A LIST OF THREE WORDS. PAUL HAS USED THE WORDS GRACE AND PEACE BEFORE. BUT THE WORD, MERCY, IS DIFFERENT IN PAUL’S OPENING STATEMENTS.
• THE WORD MERCY IS AN OLD TESTAMENT WORD. THE NEW TESTAMENT WORD EQUIVALENT TO MERCY IS GRACE.
• IF THEY ARE THE SAME, WHY DOES PAUL USE BOTH GRACE AND MERCY?
• IMOTHY KNEW THE OLD TESTAMENT VERY WELL. HE WOULD BE ABLE TO RELATE EASILY TO THE WORD MERCY.
• MERCY MEANS WE DO NOT RECEIVE THE PUNISHMENT THAT WE DESERVE FOR OUR SINS.
• GRACE MEANS WE RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE WHICH IS WHAT WE DO NOT DESERVE.
• THESE TWO WORDS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN.
• PEACE
• PEACE IS WHAT A PASTOR NEEDS IN THE MIDST OF CHURCH PROBLEMS.
• “…FROM GOD OUR FATHER, AND JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD.” (2)
• PAUL ENCOURAGES TIMOTHY BY SAYING THAT GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE WILL COME FROM GOD AND JESUS CHRIST, WHO IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. (EPH 5:23)
• SOMETIMES A PASTOR STRUGGLES SO MUCH WITH CHURCH PROBLEMS THAT THERE IS A TENDENCY TO FORGET WHO IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH.
• READ EPH 1:19-23 AND COL 1:18

• PRINCIPLE #2

• JESUS CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH.

• “…ABIDE STILL AT EPHESUS..” (3)
• PAUL COMMANDS AND ENCOURAGES TIMOTHY NOT TO QUIT AND LEAVE EPHESUS. THIS IS PAUL’S FIRST COMMAND TO TIMOTHY.
• “…CHARGE SOME THAT THEY TEACH NO OTHER DOCTRINE” (3)
• FALSE DOCTRINE IN THE CHURCH WAS THE PROBLEM PAUL WANTED TO CORRECT IN TIMOTHY’S CHURCH.
• HOW DID THIS PROBLEM MANIFEST ITSELF IN THE CHURCH?
• VARIOUS CONFLICTING DOCTRINES WERE BEGINNING TO CAUSE DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH.
• THE WORD “CHARGE” MEANS = TO COMMAND, TO GIVE STRICT ORDERS FROM A SUPERIOR OFFICER. IT IS A MILITARY TERM THAT PAUL USES 8 TIMES IN THESE TWO LETTERS TO TIMOTHY.
• THIS IS PAUL’S SECOND COMMAND TO TIMOTHY.
• WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN BY “OTHER DOCTRINE”?
• THERE WERE A VARIETY OF FALSE DOCTRINES THAT THREATENED THE EARLY CHURCH DURING THE TIME OF THE APOSTLES JUST AS THERE ARE FALSE DOCTRINES TODAY.
• WHAT IS THE TRUE DOCTRINE?
• THE DOCTRINE TAUGHT BY THE APOSTLES CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST. TODAY WE FIND THIS DOCTRINE IN THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. DURING PAUL’S DAY IT WAS BEING FORMED AND ESTABLISHED BY THE APOSTLES INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WRITTEN IN THE GOSPELS AND IN LETTERS.
• READ 2COR 11:4
• ACCORDING TO 1TIMOTHY, WHO HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE SURE THAT CORRECT DOCTRINE WAS TAUGHT IN THE CHURCH?
• PAUL COMMANDS TIMOTHY TO TAKE CHARGE OF THAT MATTER.
• THAT BRINGS US TO ANOTHER IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE FOR CHURCH ORDER: