Lesson-3
Men and Prayer in the Church
Ch.2:1-8
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Outlines of 1 Timothy for Bible study
1. The Priority of Prayer
• Vs. 1 “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone”
• “First of all” - first in rank
• “I urge” – Literally, To call to one’s side & encourage to
• Vs. 3 “This is good, and it pleases God our Savior”
• “Good” – Good in and of itself, not just because of its results
• “It pleases God”
– KJV “acceptable in the sight of God”
– Literally, “to receive from”
2. The Kinds of Prayer
• Vs 1 “I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone”
• Petitions
– Requests based on a deep sense of spiritual need & helplessness
• Prayers
– Emphasizes the sacred nature of prayer; we are praying to God
• Intercessions
– Coming to a superior, often on behalf of another
• Thanksgivings
– Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”
3. The Objects of Prayer
• Vs 1-2 “…for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority”
• “For everyone”
– Vs. 4 “Wants everyone to be saved”
– Vs. 6 “Who gave Himself—a ransom for all”
– Vs. 7 “A teacher of the Gentiles “ – i.e. to every nation, to all people groups
• “For kings and all those in authority”
4. The Strategy of Prayer
• Vs. 2 “For kings and all those who are in authority So that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
• “That we may lead a tranquil life”
– Undisturbed by outward circumstances
• “That we may lead a quiet life”
– Calm attitude within
• Strategic Objective: An atmosphere in which the gospel can spread.
5. The Evangelistic Aim of Prayer
• Vs. 3-4 “This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
• God wants everyone to be saved
• God offers the Gospel to all universally
• If one is lost, he is so rebelliously
• God wants everyone to come to know the truth
• Come to know – to experience conversion
6. The Urgency of Prayer
• Vs. 5-6 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself—a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.”
• Urgent because there is only one way
– “One God and one mediator between God and man”
– Mediator: An arbitrator in legal disputes
• Urgent because Christ died for people
– Christ’s suffering on the cross is sufficient for all
– The merits of Christ’s cross are applied specifically
• Urgent because the time to share the message is now (since God has now sent the message)
– Vs. 6, NLT “This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time.”
7. Our Personal Ministries & Prayer
• Vs. 7 “For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”
• A herald – one who announced important or good news at athletic events or political settings
• An apostle – a personal emissary of Jesus Christ
• A teacher – the Gospel has to be explained
• Of the Gentiles – trans-cultural ministry to those who do not have a religious background in the one true God.
8. The Church Pacesetters in Prayer
• Vs. 8 “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.”
• “The men” – Not mankind in general, the men
• “In every place” – The standard for all churches
9. The Hindrances to Prayer
• Vs. 8 “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.”
• Unholy Living – “lifting up holy hands”
– Psalm 24:3-4 “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart…”
• Broken Relationships - “Without anger or argument”
– 1st Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with understanding of their weaker nature, yet showing them honor as co-heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered”
Outlines of 1 Timothy for Bible study
Lesson-2
1. The Pattern of Grace Verses 12-17
It Provides a Proto-type
• Vs. 16 Phillips: “It was a kind of demonstration of the extent of Christ's patience towards the worst of men, to serve as an example to all who in the future should trust him for eternal life.”
• Demonstrate: A representative symbol
• Paul’s conversion is a proto-type of God’s grace at work in our lives
It Begins with a Plan
• Vs. 12 “I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry”
• Appointing me to the ministry
• Strengthened me
– ESV: “I thank him who has given me strength”
– Word for dynamo and dynamite
• Because he considered me faithful
– i.e. He foreordered that I would be faithful, not because I had been faithful
It Changes a Past
• Vs. 13 “One who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. Since it was out of ignorance that I had acted in unbelief, I received mercy”
• Blasphemer
– Acts 26:9 & 11, NLT "I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the followers of Jesus of Nazareth
• Persecutor
– Acts 8:3,NIV “But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”
• Arrogant man
– A bully who throws his weight around, enjoying humiliating others
• Vs. 13 “…Since it was out of ignorance that I had acted in unbelief, I received mercy”
– He didn’t knowingly reject Christ. Paul didn’t know that Christ was who He claimed to be.
– Yet Paul was still responsible and needed mercy
– But Paul wasn’t hardened beyond mercy
– Because of the greatness of his sin, Paul marveled at the mercy he received
It Involves a Power
• Vs. 14 “And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
• Overflowed: super-abounded
It is Based on a Principle
• Vs. 15 “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance:
• ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them.”
• Philips: "Christ Jesus entered the world to rescue sinners"
It Results in Praise
• Vs. 17 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
• King Eternal: King of all ages
• Immortal: Beyond the ravages of death & decay
• Invisible: Beyond human discovery or control
• Only God: Unique in his being
2. The Perpetual Nature of Spiritual Warfare Verses 18-19
It’s an Ongoing War
• Vs. 18 “Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction… that by them you may strongly engage in battle...”
• KJV “War a good warfare”
• An entire military campaign, not a single battle
• Weymouth
• “This instruction” – a command, a charge, an order
It is Part of God’s Plan
• Vs. 18-19 “Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle...”
• The supernatural and specific direction from God for your life
– “In keeping with the prophecies previously made about you”
It Requires God
• Vs. 18-19 “… you may strongly engage in battle, having faith and a good conscience.”
• Inspired by the prophetic word
• They come back to strengthen us
– “By them you may strongly engage in battle”
• Literally, “In them, you may…”
• Connected to God’s Resources by Faith
– AMP: “Holding fast to faith (that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) ”
• Unleashed by a Good Conscience
– Unburdened by guilt, free to focus
– Not desensitized by hardness
• 1st Timothy 4:2 “Having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”
3. The Peril of Becoming A Spiritual Shipwreck Verses 19-20
It is the Result of Self-Will
• Vs. 19-20 “Having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith.
• Rejected these
– i.e. “Faith and a good conscience”
• Rejected
– Push away, repudiate, deliberate rejection
– Philips: “Some, alas, have laid these simple weapons contemptuously aside”
Its Consequences are Drastic
• Vs. 19 “…suffered the shipwreck of their faith.”
• Shipwreck
– Literally, “To break a ship to pieces”
– Today, They crashed and burned
It Results in Severe Discipline
• Vs. 20 “…I have delivered them to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.”
• Delivered to Satan
– 1st Corinthians 5:5 “Turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.”
• Taught not to blaspheme
– Taught: to correct through discipline and punishment
– Hebrews 12:9, 11, NAS95 “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father…? … All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Outlines of 1 Timothy for Bible study
Paul' Guidelines to the ministers in the Church
1. The Right Message
Vs. 3-4 “Command certain people not to teach other doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies.”
Don’t Teach False Doctrine
“Command certain people not to teach other doctrine”
Don’t Pay Attention to False Doctrine
“Or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies”
When someone takes one minor truth of Scripture and builds their whole belief structure around it or…
When an outside source is used as the authoritative basis for interpreting the Bible.
2. The Right Results
Vs. 4 “…These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.”
NLT: “Don’t let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don’t help people live a life of faith in God.”
Vs. 6 “Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.”
Amplified: “Have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk”
The Choice: Human Speculation or Divine Revelation
The Results: Human Fascination or Divine Transformation
The Danger of Distraction
Vs. 4 “Rather than God’s plan which operates by faith”
Plan: God’s economy or administration, His way of having things work.
Everything in God’s system works by faith
Vs. 6 “Fruitless discussion”
Pointless and useless; it doesn’t lead to holy living.
3. The Right Motivations
Vs. 5 “Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith”
Vs. 7 “They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on.”
The Contrast:
“Now the goal of our instruction”
“They want to be teachers” – they have a desire to be “somebody”
“Out of” – springing as from a fountain What’s inside inevitably comes out
Love from a pure heart
Free from mixed motives
Love from a good conscience
Unburdened by guilt
Not desensitized by hardness
1st Timothy 4:2 “Having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”
Love from a sincere faith
Not just mental agreement or saying we believe something
Operative in our lives
4. The Right Use of the Law
Vs. 8 “Now we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.”
NKJV: “But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully”
That is, for its intended purpose
3 Proper Purposes of the Law:
To restrain people from their natural evil desires
To show us in practical terms how to love God and our neighbor
To awaken people to their need of Christ
Vs. 9-10 “We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”
The Word of God Rightly Used Leads to Spiritual Health
Vs. 10 “Whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”
Amplified: “wholesome teaching and sound doctrine”
Sound = to be well, to be in good health
lesson 1
1 Timothy 1:1-101. The Right Message
Vs. 3-4 “Command certain people not to teach other doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies.”
Don’t Teach False Doctrine
“Command certain people not to teach other doctrine”
Don’t Pay Attention to False Doctrine
“Or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies”
When someone takes one minor truth of Scripture and builds their whole belief structure around it or…
When an outside source is used as the authoritative basis for interpreting the Bible.
2. The Right Results
Vs. 4 “…These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.”
NLT: “Don’t let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don’t help people live a life of faith in God.”
Vs. 6 “Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.”
Amplified: “Have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk”
The Choice: Human Speculation or Divine Revelation
The Results: Human Fascination or Divine Transformation
The Danger of Distraction
Vs. 4 “Rather than God’s plan which operates by faith”
Plan: God’s economy or administration, His way of having things work.
Everything in God’s system works by faith
Vs. 6 “Fruitless discussion”
Pointless and useless; it doesn’t lead to holy living.
3. The Right Motivations
Vs. 5 “Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith”
Vs. 7 “They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on.”
The Contrast:
“Now the goal of our instruction”
“They want to be teachers” – they have a desire to be “somebody”
“Out of” – springing as from a fountain What’s inside inevitably comes out
Love from a pure heart
Free from mixed motives
Love from a good conscience
Unburdened by guilt
Not desensitized by hardness
1st Timothy 4:2 “Having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”
Love from a sincere faith
Not just mental agreement or saying we believe something
Operative in our lives
4. The Right Use of the Law
Vs. 8 “Now we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.”
NKJV: “But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully”
That is, for its intended purpose
3 Proper Purposes of the Law:
To restrain people from their natural evil desires
To show us in practical terms how to love God and our neighbor
To awaken people to their need of Christ
Vs. 9-10 “We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”
The Word of God Rightly Used Leads to Spiritual Health
Vs. 10 “Whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”
Amplified: “wholesome teaching and sound doctrine”
Sound = to be well, to be in good health
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