SUMMARY
OF THE PASTORAL EPISTLES
One of the things we
discovered in studying Paul’s Pastoral Epistles was a phrase unique to those
three books: “This is a faithful saying.” These referred to key doctrinal
issues Paul wanted Timothy and Titus to remember and teach. There were five
things Paul labeled faithful sayings:
1. THE
PRE-EXISTENT JESUS CAME TO EARTH AS A MAN FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF BEING THE
PERFECT SACRIFICIAL LAMB TO SAVE THE LOST
1
Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners; of whom I am chief.
2. BEING
A MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IS HONORABLE AND CHRISTLIKE
1
Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, if
a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
3. GODLINESS
HAS A WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE
1
Timothy 4:8-9 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of
the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation.
4.THE
BELIEVER’S UNION WITH JESUS IS BLESSED AND ETERNAL
2
Timothy 2:11 It is a faithful saying:
For if we be dead with him, we shall
also live with him
5. BELIEVERS
ARE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD BY GRACE, NOT WORKS, AND ARE FOREVER CHILDREN IN HIS
FAMILY
Titus
3:7-8 That being justified by his
grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly,
that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works.
These things are good and profitable unto men.
1
TIMOTHY - SUMMARY
·
1:1-7 Faithfully Fight False Doctrine
§ Timothy
was Paul’s son in the faith
§ Paul
left him to pastor the church at Ephesus
§ He
needed to combat false teachers within the church
·
1 Tim 1:8-14 Law is for the Lawless: Paul
Testifies of Transformation
§ The
Law makes sinful man aware of his sin
§ Man is
incapable of completely obeying the law and cannot be saved by doing so
§ The
Law reveals our need of a Savior
§ Paul
told of his transformation from persecutor of Christians to Preacher of the
Gospel
·
1 Tim 1:15-20 Paul, a Living Billboard and Timothy
to Wage War
§ First
of the Faithful Sayings
§ Paul
gives God glory for his salvation
§ Timothy
was to combat false teaching
·
1 Tim 2:1-4 Prayerful Preparation
§ Supplications,
Prayers, Intercessions
§ Prayer
for civil authorities
§ God
desires all types of people to be saved
·
1 Tim 2:5-10 One Mediator, One Message
§ Jesus
Christ is the only mediator between God and people
§ Pray
always and everywhere
§ Both
men and women should be dressed modestly and respectably when leading prayer
·
1 Tim 2:11-15 Silent
Women?
§ Women
may have been disruptive and needed to willingly submit to authority
§ Women
and men both need to respect the authority of the church leadership
·
1 Tim 3:1-3 Qualifications of Bishop - Part 1
§ Blameless
– not easily accused
§ Sexual
purity
§ Sober
– serious, discerning
§ Vigilant
– not easily deceived
§ Good
behavior – orderly, well-mannered
§ Hospitality
– lover of strangers
§ Apt to
teach – gifted in the area of teaching the word of God
§ Not
given to wine – does not drink to excess or use mind-altering substances
§ No striker – Cool-headed
§ Not
greedy of filthy lucre – not “in it for the money”
§ Patient,
not a brawler – gentle, longsuffering, not argumentative
§ Not
covetous – content with what God provides
·
1 Tim 3:4-7 Qualifications of Bishop - Part 2
§ Rules
his own house – Leader in the home with well-behaved children
§ Not a
novice – not a new believer
§ Good
report of them which are without – good reputation in the community
·
1 Tim 3:8-16 Qualifications for Deacons
§ Grave
– serious and discerning, reverent, dignified
§ Not
double-tongued - truthful
§ Not
given to much wine – not in the habit of being inebriated
§ Not
greedy of filthy lucre – not seeking gain at the expense of integrity
§ Holding
the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience – washed clean by the blood of
Jesus
§ Proven
– again not a new believer, a person who has demonstrated faithfulness
§ Blameless
– accusations against him would not stand
§ Husband
of one wife – morally pure
§ Rules
house well – children well-behaved
§ Spouse
should be godly as well
§ Verse
16 is Gospel in a nutshell
·
1 Tim 4:1-9 Eschew False Teaching: Exercise
Faith
§ Increase
in false teaching as Christ’s return nears
§ Exercise
faith by pursuing godliness through spiritual disciplines
·
1 Tim 4:10-16 Timothy,
Be a Testimony
§ Be an
example in:
o
Word -
speech
o
Conversation – manner of life
o
Charity
– Christlike love
o
Spirit –
who you are at the core
o
Faith –
faithfulness to Jesus and people
o
Purity –
especially sexual purity
§ Read
Scripture publicly
§ Encourage
and correct believers in his flock
§ Teach
the Scriptures and the Apostle’s teachings
·
1 Tim 5:1-7 Take care of the Familyship
§ Treat
his congregation like family
§ When
rebuke or correction was necessary, do it gently
§ Ministry
to widows
o
Families should care for their own widows
o
Church should care for widows with no family
member to take care of them
o
Widows need to be devoted to and place their
trust in God
·
1 Tim 5:8-16 Wisdom
About Widows
§ Person
who neglects own family, especially widows, is worse than a non-believer
§ Widows
on the list to serve were to be over 60, a one-man woman, known for good works
§ Younger
widows were urged to remarry rather than falling into various temptations
·
1 Tim 5:17-25 Paul
Expounds About Elders
§ Those
who lead will should receive extra recompense
§ Elders/pastors
should be paid or compensated in some way
§ Pastors
should not be more easily accused than any other Christian
§ Accusations
against pastors should follow the process in Matthew 18
§ Do not
be hasty in ordaining someone for ministry
§ Hidden
sins will be made known
§ Hidden
good works are rewarded by God
·
1 Tim 6:1-8 Godliness = True Contentment
§ Servants,
serve well, respect masters
§ Withdraw
from false teachers
§ God is
not obligated to reward us with earthly riches
§ Godliness
leads to true contentment – peace no matter the circumstances
·
1 Tim 6:9-16 Fervently
Follow After Faith
§ With
earthly wealth comes many temptations
§ Wealth
is not evil – putting riches before Jesus is evil – proper priorities
§ Passionately
pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
§ Fearlessly
testify to the truth of the Gospel
·
1 Tim 6:17-21 Righteous
with Riches, Eternal Rewards
§ Trust
in Jesus not in your bank account
§ Remain
humble even if wealthy
§ Use
the riches God has given you to do good works
§ Store
up riches in heaven
2
TIMOTHY
·
2 Tim 1:1-7 Keep up the Good Work
§ Paul’s
authority from God as an apostle
§ Prayer
for Timothy
§ Paul
sees genuine faith in Timothy
§ Timothy,
use your gift
§ God gives
power, love, and sound mind
·
2 Tim 1:8-12 Never Ashamed of the Gospel
Proclaimed
§ Do not
be afraid or ashamed of persecution in the name of Jesus
§ Paul
imprisoned for preaching Gospel
§ Paul
confident in God’s ability to preserve him
·
2 Tim 1:13-18 Remain
Faithful to the Faith
§ Stand
strong in the Word
§ Share
the Gospel in love
§ Stay
true by the power of the Holy Spirit
§ Many
turned away but Onesiphorus stayed
·
2 Tim 2:1-7 Persevering Preacher: Soldier, Athlete, Farmer
§ Stay
strong in grace
§ Disciple
others to continue the work
§ Endure
hardship like a soldier
§ Adhere
to the rules like an athlete
§ Labor
like a farmer and reap rewards
·
2 Tim 2:8-14 Faithful to the Most Faithful One
§ Paul
remained faithful despite hardship and persecution
§ Assured
if he died, he would live with Jesus
§ Those
who suffer with Jesus will reign with Him
§ Our
salvation is secure because of the faithfulness of Jesus
·
2 Tim 2:15-21 Tested,
Tried, and Purified
§ Study
to rightly divide the word
§ False
teachers are like a cancer
§ The
foundation of Jesus is rock solid
§ Sanctification
– the process of being refined for God’s use
·
2 Tim 2:22-26 Gently
Guide to Godliness
§ Flee
youthful lusts
§ Pursue
righteousness, faith, charity, peace
§ Gently
and humbly lead those who stray back to the truth
·
2 Tim 3:1-5 First,
the Bad News
§ Perilous
times ahead
§ People
will live more and more rebelliously toward God
§ People
will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God
§ Avoid
people who try to put on an external “face” of godliness but have no true
internal change
·
2 Tim 3:6-13 Now,
Worse News
§ False
teachers deceive people
§ Timothy
could trust Paul’s teaching because he had witnessed Paul’s character
§ ALL
who live Christ-like lives WILL be persecuted
§ Evil
will get worse and worse as the time of Christ’s return nears
·
2 Tim 3:14-17 Excellent,
Encouraging News
§ Timothy
had an excellent spiritual heritage
§ All
scripture is God-breathed and useful for
o
Doctrine
o
Reproof
o
Correction
o
Instruction in righteousness
·
2 Tim 4:1-8 Timothy,
Take the Baton
§ Timothy
to be ready to teach the truth at all times and in every situation
§ People
will flock to false teachers who “tickle their ears”
§ Paul’s
Christian life had been a living sacrifice, but his final sacrifice, martyrdom
was near
§ Crown
of righteousness for all who love Jesus’s appearing
·
2 Tim 4:9-16 Bring
My Poncho and Parchments Pronto
§ Paul
wanted to see Timothy one last time
§ He
asked him to bring Mark along
§ Paul
needed his cloak as winter was approaching
§ The
books and parchments were scripture and possibly blank pages for writing
§ Paul
forgave those who forsook him
·
2 Tim 4:17-22 Deliverance,
Preservation, & Grace
§ God
would deliver Paul from evil until the time He delivered him to heaven
§ Messages
to the faithful
§ News
from those who served with Paul
§ Parting
blessing of grace for Timothy and all the believers with him
TITUS
·
Titus 1:1-5 Task
for Titus
§ Letter
from Paul, a servant and apostle of Jesus
§ God
cannot lie
§ Titus
is Paul’s son in the faith
§ Paul
left Titus in Crete to put the church there in order and select elders to lead
the congregations
·
Titus 1:6-9 Eligibility
for Eldership
§ Blameless
– not easily accused in court
§ Husband
of one wife – one-woman man
§ Faithful
children not accused of riot or unruly – Older children still obedient to God
§ Not
selfwilled – Christ-controlled
§ Not
soon angry – level-headed
§ Not
given to wine – does not drink to excess
§ No
striker – controls temper
§ Not
given to filthy lucre – not seeking gain at the expense of integrity
§ Lover
of hospitality – opening home and sharing even with strangers
§ Lover
of good men – values upright behavior
§ Sober
– serious, discerning
§ Just –
fair in dealings
§ Holy –
set apart for God’s service
§ Temperate
- disciplined
§ Holding
fast the faithful word – well-versed in God’s word
§ Able
by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers – a qualified
teacher, equipped to give biblical instruction
·
Titus 1:10-16 Rebuke
False Teachers
§ Many
false teachers in Crete, especially Judaizers
§ False
teachers greedy
§ Cretans
had bad reputation for lying and laziness
§ Titus
needed to rebuke them strongly
§ False
teachers were “wolves in sheep’s clothing”
·
Titus 2:1-10 Old
or Young, Slave or Free, a Faithful Witness Be
§ Instructions
for older men
§ Instructions
for older women (60+)
§ Older
women to teach younger women
§ Younger
men (age 13+) to be sober-minded
§ Titus
should be excellent example that no one could speak ill of
§ Servants’
obedience and faithfulness to masters to be a good witness for Christ
·
Titus 2:11-15 The
Divine Influence Upon the Heart
§ Grace
of God personified in Jesus the Son
§ Holy
Spirit enables us to repent of sin and serve God
§ Assurance
of Jesus’s return for His Bride, those who trust in Him
§ Titus
to speak with authority
·
Titus 3:1-8 Attitude
is Everything
§ Respect
and obey civil authorities
§ Good
behavior toward people, especially non-believers
§ We
were all sinners before trusting Jesus
§ Salvation
is by grace through faith in Jesus, not by works
§ Holy
Spirit empowers us to be more and more like Jesus
§ Believers
are joint-heirs with Jesus
§ Good
works are the evidence of salvation and a testimony to non-believers
·
Titus 3:9-15 Some
Final Instructions
§ Proclaim
truth rather than debating error
§ If a
person is divisive after two warnings, reject him/her
§ Paul
wanted Titus to visit him
§ Titus
was to help Zenas and Apollos on their journey
§ Titus
to encourage believers to help others how truly had needs
Paul closes by
praying grace for Titus and the believers at Crete
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