2 Timothy Study #1

“Serving with a Clear Conscience”

2 Timothy 1:1-11

Study #1 in 2 Timothy Series 

INTRODUCTION:

The NT book of 1 Timothy was written after Paul’s first Roman imprisonment (AD 62/63) during his 4^th Missionary Journey (63/65) sometime after Paul went to Macedonia and sent Timothy on ahead to Ephesus to care for the church there. When he realized that he might not make it back to Ephesus Paul wrote the letter that we call 1 Timothy. And indeed, before he could go to Ephesus, Paul was once again imprisoned under Emperor Nero. It was during this 2^nd Roman imprisonment that he wrote 2 Timothy.

In his first imprisonment Paul lived in a rented house (cf. Acts 28:30) and had a great deal of freedom. This time, however, he languished in a cold, dark dungeon (4:13), chained like a murderer. For a while, his friends could not even find him, although they searched high and low all over Rome (1:17). Paul knew that his time was about up and that this time there would be no reprieve. He knew that his ministry was coming to an end and that he would soon see the Lord face-to-face (4:6-8). 

TRANSITION:

You have heard the expression, “famous last words.” In fact, you can go online and find many sites that give the final words uttered by famous people just before they died. That is essentially what we have here. 2 Timothy is Paul’s “swan song,” his last message to Timothy, and to us. The letter is important for many reasons, not the least of which is that it shows how this great servant of God finished well. That is something we all want to do. 

One of the themes that run through this letter is Paul’s insistence on the importance of serving God with a clear conscience so that at the end, when your time comes, you have no regrets. This is not something we hear a lot about, but I think it was something that meant a great deal to Paul. For much of his life he had tried to wipe out the name of Jesus Christ and rid the world of Christians. Then he met the Risen Christ personally on the road to Damascus and everything changed. He spent the rest of his life trying to make up for all the evil he had done and all the damage he had caused to the Christian Church. Of course, he knew that he had been forgiven of his sins, and he knew about God’s wonderful, amazing grace. He knew that God did not hold against him the things he had done in ignorance. However, he also understood the importance of keeping short accounts with God and serving Him in the right way, with the right motives.

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, 

• “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” Paul here is telling us that he was a conscript, not a volunteer, as least in the beginning. He became an apostle not because he went to seminary to learn to be one, but rather, because Jesus knocked him blind and loop-legged in the middle of a hot, dusty Damascus Road as he was making his way north to arrest or kill Jewish Christian converts who had fled from Jerusalem to the Syrian capital. It was “by the will of God” that Paul was pressed into service.
• “…according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus.” As Paul wrote, awaiting his death, he reminded Timothy that the heart of his apostleship as well as of Timothy’s ministry was to proclaim the Gospel, the promise of Life, to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 2: To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

• Before we go on let’s do a quick review of Timothy’s biography. The son of the devout Jewish woman, Eunice, and a Greek father, Timothy was won to Christ when Paul preached in Lystra, Timothy’s hometown (cf. Acts 16:1-3). Shortly after that Paul invited the young convert to accompany him on his second missionary journey, but first, he had him circumcised to avoid undue criticism by hypersensitive Jews. Although young and timid, Timothy stayed behind at Berea with Silas while Paul moved on to Athens and Corinth. He joined Paul again in Corinth for a while, and then was sent back to Thessalonica to strengthen the congregation there. After another brief stopover period with Paul, Timothy was sent to Corinth to straighten out some of the many problems distressing the young congregation there. Timothy later looked after Paul during Paul’s 1^st Roman imprisonment. Timothy subsequently was asked to go to Ephesus to represent Paul, and during that time he received two letters from Paul that bear Timothy’s name. These letters reveal that Timothy was like a son to Paul. The last word in the NT about this sensitive, sickly, but faithful young minister was that he had been imprisoned but was finally released (cf. Heb. 13:23). 

Verses 3-4: I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers, night and day, ⁴ longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 

• “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience…” Serving with a clear conscience was especially important to Paul. His 1^st letter to Timothy mentions it several times:

Ø  1 Timothy 1:5, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” 

Ø  1:18-19, “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son…that you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” 

Ø  3:8-9, “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity…holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.” 

• And now here in 2 Timothy 1:3 Paul again emphasizes the importance of serving God with a clear conscience.
• “…praying for you…longing to see you…” Paul loved Timothy the way I love my sons, Jonathan, and Christopher, and he prayed for Timothy, day, and night. Did you know that the most loving thing you can do for a person is to pray faithfully for him? It is true! 

Verse 5: For I am mindful of the sincere [genuine, unfeigned] faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

• As I mentioned, Timothy’s mother, Eunice, was a Jewish woman who lived in the town of Lystra in Asia Minor. She was married to a Gentile husband, a Greek, who seems to have been out of the picture for some while. Their son, Timothy, was never circumcised, perhaps out of respect for Eunice’s husband. However, Eunice and her mother, Lois, carefully taught young Timothy the Old Testament Scriptures. It appears that Eunice and Lois both converted to Christianity on Paul’s first trip through Lystra. We do know that they were believers by the time Paul visited Lystra the second time (cf. Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15).
• “…and I am sure that it [i.e., genuine faith] is in you as well.” Paul had great confidence in Timothy. He knew him well, probably better than Timothy knew himself, and Paul knew how to build up this timid young man to become more than he ever could have been without Paul’s encouragement. This is the spiritual gift of encouragement in action.

Verse 6-7: For this reason, I remind you to kindle afresh [anew] the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of timidity [i.e., fear, fearfulness], but of power and love and discipline.

• As Christians we sometimes go through times of spiritual dryness, what some have called, “the spiritual doldrums,” when we just are not feeling it like we used to. In his 1577 poem St. John of the Cross described it as the “dark night of the soul.” Usually this is a result of us neglecting our time with God in prayer, or slacking off in our study of His Word, or harboring secret sin in our life. Or sometimes it is because we have experienced some sort of discouragement with church leaders, or other Christians.
• So how can we get back on track? Paul tells Timothy to “kindle afresh [rekindle] the gift of God which is in you.” The gifts that God gives us must be developed through use. They are not fully developed when we get them. If you look up the synonyms for the word “kindle” you will find these: encourage, stimulate, stir up, fire up, promote, inspire, rouse, awaken. You know that when you barbecue sometimes you need to re-awaken the coals. The fire is there but it has died down and may even be invisible. So, what do you do? First you rake back the ashes, all the useless stuff that has been choking the fire. Then you blow on the coals. That helps pump in extra oxygen and in no time at all your coals are glowing red-hot once again. Then you add extra fuel to the fire. Soon you are back in business! You have re-kindled the fire! This is exactly what Paul is talking about. Get rid of the stuff that has been choking out the fire in your life. Fan the coals by allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in your life. Add the promises of God and reaffirm your belief in His truth and watch as that extra fuel gets the flames crackling again.
• “…for God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” Apparently, Timothy was timid by nature, and somewhat lacking in confidence. We see this in several passages:

Ø  1 Corinthians 16:10, “Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am.” 

Ø  1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” 

·       The Greek word here translated in verse 7 as “fear, timidity, or fearfulness” was commonly used in extrabiblical literature to refer to a soldier who fled from battle. It is a strong term for cowardice. Paul reminds Timothy that boldness, not cowardice, is a mark of the Holy Spirit. Fear does not come from God but from either our enemy, the devil, or from our own insecurities and lack of faith in God.

Verse 8a: Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God… 

• One of my favorite verses in the NT is found in Romans 1:16, and it too was written by Paul: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” If you are proud of something you will stand up for it. People defend our flag because they are proud of it and of the country that it represents. Thousands have suffered and died for that flag. How much more should a Christian be proud of the Cross and of Christ who died there for our sins? If we refuse to defend our country’s flag it is an indication that we are ashamed of what that flag stands for. Likewise, if we refuse to defend the Gospel, even to the point of personal suffering, then it reveals that we are ashamed of Christ and Christianity. There comes a time when we must “cowboy up” and take a stand for what is right, even if we must suffer for it. That is OK; we are in good company!
• “Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner...” Most of us tend to feel ashamed if a friend or relative gets convicted and thrown into prison. That is because 9 times out of 10 we know for a fact that the person is guilty of wrongdoing and deserves the punishment. But Paul had not committed a crime! He had done nothing worthy of legal condemnation or of a death sentence. He was truly innocent of all charges, just like Jesus. Paul was encouraging Timothy to think rightly of this situation and to not be ashamed of the Gospel or of Paul, the preacher of the Gospel. It is no shame to suffer for the name of Jesus.

Verses 8b-9: …but join with me in suffering for the Gospel according to the power of God, ⁹ who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 

• Paul urges Timothy to be a good soldier of Christ and the Cross and join with him in courageously standing up for the Gospel. But Paul also reminds him of the fact that our salvation and our calling have a holy purpose that goes all the way back into eternity. In other words, we are part of something that is much bigger than us. We are part of God’s grand scheme to restore what was broken by sin. We are called to play a role in the greatest story ever told. For some, that story involves suffering and dying for the Cause, but that is OK, because that cause is worth any sacrifice that we might be called upon to make. 

Verses 10-11: …but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, ¹¹ for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

• Exactly what has been revealed “by the appearing of Christ”? You must look back to the preceding verse, verse 9: “…His own purpose and grace.” In other words, Christ appearing in the world revealed God’s plan and purpose to save sinners through the death of His Son on the cross. And this great plan of salvation was a huge demonstration of His grace. Notice the phrase, “…from all eternity.” He is talking about the fact that this plan to redeem lost sinners is rooted in eternity past, from even before sin entered the picture. God always knew that there would be a Fall and that humans would need a Savior. Our failure did not take God by surprise. So even before Adam and Eve sinned God already had the plan ready to put into motion. The Bible tells us in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of the time came [i.e., at just the right moment], God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, ⁵ so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Amazing!

CONCLUSION:

When Paul said up in verse 3 that he “served God with a clear conscience” he did not mean that he was not a sinner by nature or had not committed acts of sin. Rather, he meant that the underlying direction and desire and motive of his life was to obey and please God, so that acts of sin were habitually recognized as such and faced squarely before God (cf. 1 John 1:9). He always made it a habit to deal with sin the moment it reared its ugly head in his life. 

This is how we too should live our Christian lives, with a clear conscience, refusing to harbor sin in our lives. We must deal with it immediately, before it can grow roots and settle in. The longer we wait to confess our sin to God, the more excuses we make, the more time we waste rationalizing our sinful behavior and blaming it on others, then the harder it is for us to look God in the eye. Sin wounds our conscience. It produces disquieting feelings of guilt. It robs us of joy. Paul could honestly say, “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience.” Can you say that? If not, maybe you need to find a quiet place to be alone with God today so that you can get that ironed out.