1 Timothy Chapter 2 Verses 1 – 4

•Paul is really giving Timothy instruction here. Our translation begins with, “I exhort first of all…” but you could read this as, “I instruct,” or, “The first of my instructions to you…” It’s interesting because for some of us, instructions are a challenge. How many of you have read the book that came with your iPhones? HA! Right. We just want to take it out of the box and run with it but Paul’s been around the block a bit and these instructions to Timothy are not how to optimize the operation of a gadget but rather his desire for Timothy to not make the same mistakes he has made and he has seen made!

•And so he starts with, pray! Man, pray! We are such doers and such fixers and such workers that when there is a challenge we just go for it and for the most part that’s not going to change. I mean I still get right into the mix when things come up…many times you have to…but if your heart has been prepared through prayer, man how much more effective you are!

•Paul says prepare! Pray! Supplications which are simply requests towards God. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Paul is saying to Timothy, battles are much better won when you are guarded and faith is your fuel instead of momentary understanding…

•He says pray prayers! I mean how much more simple and practical can you get!? God is always with you and therefore pick up the phone when you rise in the morning and sleep on the phone all night…keep the connection constant with God!

•Intercessions or praying for others. Man if you’re not praying for the people in your life then you are denying yourself the heart God wants you to have for them. You are denying yourself to share in God’s heart for them.

•And then giving of thanks. Paul says never forget…never forget that God is King. He is Father. He is Creator and everything you have including your mental processing ability, your oxygen conversion capability, your heart-beat perpetually…all rests in the hands of God. Be thankful…a grateful heart is a successful heart…

•And this is so practical…Paul says prepare this way even to interact with kings and all who are in authority so that there will be peace. In ministry there is no greater frustration in my opinion than distraction. I remember receiving the letter in our old building right before Christmas about 4 years ago that our leased space was not coded for a congregation of people. A church could not persist there and so for the next four months we worked with the city, with architects, with the landlord to alter the space and have it recoded…we would make an inch of progress and lose a foot of hope…that kind of distraction was difficult and I’m so thankful that God has provided so many ministers because during that time my ability to stay focused was struggling…

•And so Paul says pray pray pray and pray for even those in authority that there might be peace and the preaching of the gospel can continue without distraction…

•Why? Why is this so important? To be reliant upon God…to let Him lead because that is what you’re doing when you live a life of prayer…because that produces in you followship…a heart that is at peace and a demeanor that is quiet (this doesn’t mean quiet at the mouth this is a ‘quiet life,’ something totally different…a life that isn’t the fire drill because of sin, a life that doesn’t scoop into it a multitude of needed attention from others because God is your Leader and your Lord and your Help)…and that produces in you a gentle and quiet and humble spirit…filled with godliness and reverence which Paul says here is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.

•Now, anyone catch that? God our Savior? A little Jesus is God proof text there but know this, godliness and reverence is good and acceptable to God. Church we are wide open in these last days. Unfiltered and full of life. But don’t, please don’t grieve the Holy Spirit. We can be filled with life and completely unfiltered and yet maintain godliness and reverence…and we must.

•And son Timothy, that kind of heart, that kind of guarded heart, strong heart, prepared heart…godly and reverent heart will enable a ministry that is fruitful…bring men and women to the knowledge of the truth and to salvation through Jesus which is God’s desire for everybody! And what is the truth?

1 Timothy Chapter 2 Verses 5 – 7

•One God and one Mediator between God and man and it’s not you. That’s the truth. We cannot come to God on our own…we cannot present ourselves in heaven because we are not qualified to mediate between our sinful hearts and a perfect and holy God. There is only One and He is Jesus. Who provided our ransom. Only place in the Bible where this word is used…it literally means, “Transacted for a price…”

•Jesus shocked the law. The strength of sin is the law and the wages of sin are death. Realize this if you can…this is quite cerebral. Jesus was fully man and yet perfect. Walked His entire life in accordance with the law and then paid a price He didn’t owe and a price that the law did not ask of Him. He died. Death is the reward of sin…it is the price of sin. And the strength of sin is the law. And so it is the law that demands death for sin. Law demands justice…And so when Jesus hung on that cross, fully man, the law looked on Him with wonder…and required no death. And then Jesus gave up His spirit.

•He said I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again…and so when Jesus walked into death, as a man, yet fully perfect, the law was forced to lay down its weapon against mankind…because it had no right. Death had no right over Jesus and yet Jesus entered death…and shocked the system. Only Jesus, only God made flesh, fully God and yet fully Man, could have done that and thus He is the only mediator. We must turn to Him or we are lost…that is the truth and we must accept Him by faith…

1 Timothy Chapter 2 Verse 8

•Now Paul treads into extreme practicality at this point even detailing the position of folks’ hands while praying and I want to point out one thing as we progress…Paul began chapter 2 by saying, “Therefore I exhort,” or “Therefore I instruct,” and yet as we venture deeper into the details, he opens this portion of this instruction to Timothy with, “I desire.”

•This is a peculiar pivot because this speaks of one’s own personal will and so listen, the following verses are entirely controversial and interpreted many different ways…here’s my take. We’re seeing Paul’s will here in terms of what he desires to see and to have done. Inspired by God? Absolutely! Paul is led by the Holy Spirit! Rigid doctrine? Look, we have got to survey the entirety of scripture, to rightly answer that question!

1 Timothy Chapter 2 Verses 9 – 10

•There is preference here and there is doctrine. Here’s the doctrine. Women should be ashamed of immodesty. And for that matter so should men. We have lost that as a culture. We have lost that even as a church…but know this…we are not our own, 1 Corinthians 6:19…we’ve been bought with a precious price, therefore don’t become a slave to what others want from you, 1 Corinthians 7:23. Glorify God in your appearance.

•And yet can we not have braided hair and costly clothing and gold or pearls? Is that what Paul is saying? Here’s the preference part…today, braided hair means nothing! In that time, braided hair meant you are a floosy! HA! In that time gold and pearls meant YOU could be bought with a price…today, folks let their chain hang low professing Jesus! HA! The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart…” Where’s your heart in what you wear? Is it to honor God and to profess Him? That’s the question….

•There’s nothing wrong with a woman looking nice. There is a lot wrong with a woman, or man for that matter, dressing in such a way to intend to provoke the flesh. And know this…revealing clothes aren’t needed to be hot or for beauty because a woman walking with the Lord, sweet and attentive, has a glow…a glorious surpassing beauty about her. More beautiful than any yogurt (HA) pants, man…let me tell you…

1 Timothy Chapter 2 Verses 11 – 15

•Ok I know all the women just highlighted and underlined right then, right? “My new favorite verse! Yes!” HA! Here’s the thing though, this is Paul sharing with Timothy what he knows to be the prescription for peace and progression of the faith, then and there! Remember, in this section of scripture, we must put in a little work to separate Paul’s will, which is completely inspired yet just not rigid doctrine, with clear doctrine. And how do we do that? Leveraging the whole of God’s Word!

•Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. What’s the problem with that? So what if your flesh doesn’t like it! What is intrinsically wrong with that!? Nothing, if you’re honest. I believe Paul could have said the same thing about the men…he just didn’t have to! HA! Because this is something of respect towards one who is teaching…and we have scripture upon scripture regarding submission to those who are in a position of authority…good doctrine there…for men and women..

•And then verse 12…Paul doesn’t say that women can’t teach, he simply ties teaching with authority. Look at this statement in the Greek. These two things are linked and this statement is best read, “I do not allow the women to teach in so much as to assume authority over the men.” Women teach! We have examples of women ministry leaders in the Bible including Timothy’s own mom and grandmother and in the Book of Titus, Paul instructs the older women to teach the younger women.

•Yet here’s the doctrine. God has established order in leadership in the church. Next chapter…if a man desires the position of bishop, or overseer, or pastor…husband of one wife…can women teach and lead ministry? Yes. Should a woman be the head teacher and senior leader in the ministry? No. Women please highlight that scripture. HA! I know nobody on earth wants to hear something they can’t do…we hate it, and for a woman, this is probably the hardest…it’s what got Eve…

•The serpent said eating this thing will make you like God…make you the authority…and that got her and as a consequence God said to Eve, “You have awakened something in your heart that is going to cause you a problem…” (drugs, immorality, etc.) Genesis 3:16…but kids at the end of the day, if God gives an order regarding order…we must submit…

•Now, for this church, we will have women involved in every type of everything…except, pastoral leadership. Because 1 Corinthians 11, Ephesians 5, 1 Timothy 2…God has ordained the leadership role to be a male role. Can a woman teach for me on a Wednesday night or Sunday morning? YES. Because they are under pastoral authority…and on my authority, I am asking you to receive from them…would folks leave the church…maybe…but I am careful to separate preference from precept…and this is where I land.

•Paul closes with giving the high calling that is on a woman…hey men, you can’t bear children…see there’s a “you can’t” statement for you…does that offend you? NO WAY! HA! You see, these things God has set in place…its simply perspective that brings about contempt or compliment…

•Paul says women will be “saved” in child-bearing and we know that he is not talking about salvation but rather in terms of firing on all cylinders…in raising the children a mother is filled. Men can’t do it. We can’t have them and we can’t give them what you can…have with little ones what you can…and so God has given you women something a man can’t have…the filling and feeling of having and raising a little one…

•It’s the same in ministry by the way…hatching new converts to Christ and then watching them grow and strengthen, it’s so sweet…so filling and that is the purpose of this chapter to son Timothy…so that the work of the ministry might flourish and as many as possible will be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth…