I. What Paul Is & Isn’t Saying
A. He Isn’t Saying…
1. Get your act together.
2. Change yourself.
3. Dig deeper into your soul and pull out more of your own strength.
B. What Paul Is Saying
1. Be strong in God’s grace- endunamoo {en-doo-nam-o’-o}
2. To endue w/strength, to receive strength, be strengthened, increase in strength.
3. Receiving strength from another source. The result being that one is strengthened.
C. Grace
1. That which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness.
2. Good will, loving-kindness, God’s divine favor, undeserved favor.
3. When God, mercifully exerts his holy influence upon a soul, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.
II. Grace For Daily Living
A. There Are Two Kinds Of Grace
1. Grace for salvation-
a. Ephesians 2:8, 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
2. Grace for daily living- 2 Timothy 2:1
B. Grace To Speak The Truth
1. Remain in Ephesus…don’t leave. 1 Timothy 1:3
a. Charge people to not teach wrong doctrine
2. Maintain spiritual fight, faith, good conscience in midst of opponents
a. There may be some that you need to put out of church. 1 Timothy 1:18-20
3. Why It May Have Been Difficult
a. Timothy Was A Younger Man. 1 Timothy 4:12
b. Fear of being despised.
4. Application For Us
a. Are you a husband/father who is hesitant to speak the truth to your wife or kids?
b. Are you an employer/employee who is hesitant to say what needs to be said?
c. Are you a younger person who needs to lovingly speak truth to an older person?
d. Do you have fear of being despised as you carry out God’s directives in these areas?
5. “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
C. Grace To Influence/Lead Others
1. Influence Towards Prayer 1 Timothy 2:1
2. Influence Towards Proper Living/Propriety 1 Timothy 2:8, 9
3. Application for us
a. Are you called to restrain some Christians from inappropriate behavior?
b. “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
D. Grace To Use Your Gifts 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6-8
1. Gift- charisma from charis. Charis= grace.
a. Speaks of the spiritual gifts that were in Timothy.
b. Each one of us has received a spiritual gift.
i. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
c. God has done a beautiful, undeserved work in each of us
d. We have received gifts, callings, responsibilities towards God and others.
2. We are not to neglect the grace of God upon our lives.
a. We are not to neglect the gifts/callings He has given us.
b. Neglect- to be careless of, not to care, make light of
i. Matthew 22:4, 5 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
ii. Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…
iii. 2 Peter 1:12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things…
3. Why might Timothy neglect the gracious gifts that God had given him?
a. “They won’t like me.” If he used those gifts/walked in those callings, there would be opposition.
b. “I’m too young”. He was younger than many.
c. “It’s unpleasant”. He had to refute, correct, exhort, instruct.
d. “Something unpleasant might happen. I am afraid”. Paul was in prison.
e. “I am not qualified”. Timothy, like Moses, may have suffered from a mindset of self-disqualification. (See Exodus 3:11, 13; Exodus 4:10, 13)
4. Whether it be outward opposition, or inward insecurities…
a. Don’t neglect the gifts/calling that God has given you
b. “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
E. Grace For Physical Problems/Healthcare 1 Timothy 5:23
1. Apparently, Timothy had frequent illnesses of the stomach and of other things.
2. It sounds as though Timothy may have neglected taking care of himself
a. Maybe a fear of having small amounts of wine for his health
i. Was Timothy legalistic or overly cautious, and didn’t want to be criticized?
b. Maybe he was undisciplined/mentally fatigued in taking care of himself
c. We serve God with our bodies. We need to take care of ourselves
d. Turn to 1 Timothy 4:7, 8
e. You may not be inclined/tired/defeated regarding taking care of your body.
f. You may not be interested, or you may not be disciplined.
g. This is not about looks, but about health.
h. Our bodies are to be used as instruments of righteousness.
i. “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
E. Grace To Guard All That God Has Given Us 1 Timothy 6:20
1. Guard-keep watch, protect, keep from being snatched away, keep from being lost.
2. We guard our own lives and the gifts that God has given us.
3. We guard our relationships, families, and friends.