In his first letter to Timothy, Paul warned: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1–3 (ESV) Now here in his second letter, he places the problem of false teaching into a prophetic framework, warning of the dangers to come. In this warning, his focus is on the lifestyle that accompanies false beliefs, rather on the causes. And what he tells us is that there will be distinctive marks of the last days that we need to be aware of.

Last week we looked at the Marks of Spiritual Training and three metaphors of toughness: a soldier, an athlete and a farmer (2 Tim 2:1-7). In today's text we are going to see Paul tell young Timothy four things that will enable him to endure spiritually, to hang in there, to finish his course. You and I need these same things if we are going to endure to the end.

How are you doing, Christian? Are you developing your spiritual strength? Are you developing the spiritual strength of others by sharing life with them, teaching them to love God as you do? And are you taking your task seriously like a soldier, an athlete and a farmer? These are the marks of a godly life – living for God, making disciples, and developing your spiritual stamina so that you can stand firm regardless of what obstacles come your way. These images remind us of how discipline and devotion and diligence work together to train us for godliness and long-term service to Christ. This is why Paul calls on Timothy to reflect on these images, so that “the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Don’t quit, friends. Don’t give up. I know it is hard. Suffering and pain is part of the journey, but for those who endure, there is a promise. 2 Timothy is the last letter of Paul in our Bibles. It is his swan song, his final word, his farewell just prior to his death. He will majestically reflect on his ministry journey at the end of this letter:

Where does spiritual courage come from? Today we will look at Paul’s continued discourse with young Timothy in Ephesus. Last week we concluded the letter of 1 Timothy, and today we begin the letter of 2 Timothy, looking at the marks of spiritual courage.

As the Apostle Paul nears the end of his first letter to young Timothy, he seems to elevate his urgency, allowing his pen to become a sword in his hand as he calls Timothy to a wartime mentality. At the same time, he greatly honors Timothy with the title "man of God." I can see Timothy pause, struggling to accept this grand title. "Me? A Man of God?" Paul will proceed to describe four things that marked this man of God.

Last week we looked at the first two verses of ch. 6 where Paul tells slaves to “honor” their masters, whether they are Christian masters or non-Christian. The application of this instruction guides the believing worker in his or her attitude and conduct with their employer. Largely this is because most Roman Empire slaves were voluntary slaves, more of indentured servants than possessions of masters. As Christians “honor” their bosses in the marketplace today, the name and teaching of God gains respect. Conversely, God’s name and teaching is dishonored by poor attitudes and performance by Christian employees. Today we will focus on verses 3-10 where another warning is given regarding something that dishonors God; namely, materialism.

Last week Keith Darwin concluded 1 Tim 5, looking at the marks of church elders, noting how a church is to honor them, discipline them, and select them. As we begin 1 Tim 6, we encounter two verses directed at slaves, where Paul instructs Christian slaves in Ephesus to honor and submit to their masters, linking ch. 6 with ch. 5. Some read this text and believe that because Paul tells slaves to do these things, he is therefore endorsing slavery as a practice. But is this the right way to understand this text? The ESV Expository Commentary says the answer is “no” for these reasons:

Last week we looked at the first half of chapter 5 where Paul instructed Timothy regarding the church’s responsibility to care for its own, exercising discernment within a permeating atmosphere of love. As we finish chapter 5, we shift our attention to principles and practices for dealing with church elders.

Last week we concluded 1 Tim 4, looking at the marks of young leaders, noting the Bible’s exhortation to lead by example, to build with the Bible, to know if God has called you to some ministry, and to keep your eyes on prize, the final outcome of your life of service. As we begin chapter 5, Paul will now instruct Timothy on the church’s responsibility to care for its own.

Last week Joe Mogford led us through 1 Tim 4:6-10, on the marks of training in godliness. Today we will finish chapter 4, where Paul urges Timothy to live out his godliness by embracing his calling as a young leader. How can a young, aspiring leader possibly get traction in ministry, especially when they so often serve their elders? How can a young person successfully begin in ministry?

We were privileged to have Peter & Jamie Hudson, ABWE, Colombia, in our service today sharing a ministry update.

Last week Pastor Samuel led us through the end of 1 Timothy 3, a beautiful passage extolling the virtues of the church as the “pillar and buttress of the truth.” Today we will look at the opening of chapter 4, where Paul contrasts the beauty of truth with the ugliness of falsehood. The church has a responsibility to protect and preserve truth. Having explained the mystery of godliness, he explains the mystery of ungodliness, telling Timothy and the church to expect bad theology.

This morning as we study our passage, we'll be answering a few key questions: What Is a Deacon? Where do we get the word “deacon”, and how is this word used in Scripture? What role do Deacons play in the church? What are the qualifications for the office of Deacon? How do Deacons Serve?

Today we will return to a very difficult passage at the end of 1 Timothy 2, which describes the marks of women in corporate worship life of the church. Claire Smith, in her excellent book God’s Good Design, writes: “If the difficulty of a passage of Scripture was decided by the heat of the debate surrounding it, or the number of books written on it, or the number of people attending seminars on it, 1 Timothy 2 must be one of the most difficult passages in the whole Bible. And given that much of the debate and most of the books concentrate on just two of the fifteen verses, we would have to conclude that these two verses must be almost impossible to understand.” (p. 23)