The Book of 1 Timothy - Step Down!, Part 1

I got a story to tell you today that you got here a great coach gave me a great piece of advice at a very critical moment, and you won't believe how it came out today with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge church with your finger tips. A Bible teacher for this daily discipleship program motivating Christians to look like Christian or the middle of our newest series called the book of first Timothy life coaching from the apostle Paul.

So far chips I like the first six valuable lessons.

Paul talked to apply to us today on this program were to learn number two me tell you this is a life lesson we all need to be reminded now before we get going to help you get the most out of this message. We encourage you to download chips message notes the containers outlining scripture references and much more. You can get a by going to the broadcasts stab@livingontheedge.org atmospheres Fill in notes that Mr. Forrest talked step down first Timothy chapter 2 my senior year. It's our year end tournament is NAIA were playing the number one team in the nation were gnarly.

There was a reason why we were playing them in the first round you do the math. We had the game of our life were down to there's a jump ball and some guy had asked me. The crowd goes silent. The other coach calls timeout to ice me. I got the one on one no time. About one second left on the clock and is like a I mean I just been waiting for this my whole life. You know, so I will never forget that we went through about four or five coaches that years. Why were 626 and the VAD came in and from Ingram. He was a former Marine, because look, look, you're tired. We haven't substituted you played the whole game. Aim for the back of the ramp and thinking. I guess that's what some old Marine guy thinks he's an understanding of and plan for a long time unlike some 20 years old and I always drop it right over the front and I remember that about 10,000 people in the big tournament went to my regular routine breath needs follow-through. That's nothing but net because I can feel it and it came up just a little short because my legs were tired member. The next day was in a little diner and I was eating breakfast and course we were out of the tournament and some guy says to another guy pulled out the paper. Can you believe that West Liberty State took on the number one team in the nation and some idiot couldn't get a one on one and and you think about that. I know it's hard if you believe that was a lot of years of government because of how young I look but I remember that because I willfully remember thinking I know better on the can listen to your God has things to say to all of us.

If you not really careful the world coming at you. There's other people and you can kinda have this you don't have to stick out your chest is I know better and coaches can help you and God can help us unless were humble learners, so the apostle Paul is a giving counsel to his young son. And remember, he said step up. Are you willing to stand for the truth for my church is a lot on the line what's on the line is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and Timothy, if you don't step up.

A lot of people will never know or ever hear the context as Nero is the Emperor and this is going to be really important. He's persecuting Christians. I mean to step up and be a follower of Christ, he wasn't saying like someone might say something bad about your social media what he was saying is there's a good possibility that you can end up dead. But are you willing to live for Christ. Women at this time and in world history were viewed as a piece of property on to be some data on that from an expert a little bit later but for example, a Jew who treated women. The best we get up every day and say a prayer Lord, I thank you that I'm not a Gentile slave or woman a good rabbi would not say a word in public to his wife his daughter his sister.

They were viewed as a piece of property was much worse in the Greek and Roman world cults were flourishing. I mean there were just religions. Mystic religions on every corner in the great Mystic religions of Corinth with Aphrodite in the temple of Diana in Ephesus was they had called priestesses and they were part of your worship. They were called temple prostitutes so it's an environment that Paul has now said okay. Do you remember what he said fight the good fight. Keep the faith and now in chapter 2. He's going to tell them how follow along as I read is he's going to give them a urgent call for prayer so fight the good fight in this. What's the first thing you're supposed to do first of all, then here's here's the game plan. This is how were going to fight. I urge that request prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people circle the world all in your Bible. Jesus for different words for prayer requests, prayers, general word intercession stand between them and God. The God would have his way in their life. Give thanks. Give thanks for what you do have give thanks to God will work the difficult out for good. And then and then not imagine this is your young pastor. In fact, don't imagine. Imagine you live in America or the Ukraine were in Russia or maybe in China and you read this and it says I urge you to pray for all people for Kings that would mean Nero everyone in charge.

Pray for them.

What kind of person intercession Thanksgiving as God to work. Ask God to move in the heart.

Escott actually bless their life for all in authority that would be like the governors of the provinces and then noticed the purpose clause so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity want you to pray for the cultural chaos and the pressure in the persecution so that God would allow piece because more than your protection is we want to have the kind of lives would be attractive to the gospel in the notice. He goes on says this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants circle the word again all people to be saved and thinking to me. Even Tim's going Nero, Christ died for him to come to a knowledge of the truth and then here's the big purpose clause why why why should I pray that way I don't pray that way. Paul, are you crazy this is not good advice. I want to take your advice to do it my way. For there is one God and one mediator that someone who stands between two groups between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus. And what did he do who gave himself as a ransom put a box around that word for and circle the word all again. The testimony given at the proper time. A ransom is right. If you have ever heard of someone he's been kidnapped. How do you get them back.

You pay so much money to get them released. Jesus saw all of mankind in the chains of sin and to get all of mankind released he being fully man and fully God would voluntarily hang upon the cross and his blood would be the purchase price for all people of all time. The scope of his work was for all mankind. However, like every great and magnificent gift.

The only people to benefit are those who receive John would say as he would write his gospel later as many as received him, Jesus to them. God gives the power literally the Greek word is authority to become children of God, even to those that believe in his name is all I want you to get is sometimes you get advice and not about you. I did not want to aim for the back of the room is in my driveway was a fun problem is I had played 40 minutes of my driveway before I made most of shots and there's a way to look at life right now that I have a lens and you have a lens by your culture and Chinese have their culture and Russians have their culture and the people in Ukraine have their culture will have our own vested interest and way above all of that just like then and just like now the apostle Paul is saying to this young pastor, I want you to intercede and pray and give thanks. I don't want you to stand between the living God of all time and eternity. I want you to pray for kings and those in authority and people that you disagree with infected people that you might find even hate in your heart toward because this is good and pleasing in the sight of our God and our Savior and what he longs for us to do is be the kind of people that live such winsome lives who are so kind and so loving and so Christlike due member how Jesus prayed father can help me forgive them. They don't know what they doing. Jesus understood that the enemy was at the fallen people. The enemy was the evil behind Stephen prayed, as they were stoning him father forgive them doesn't mean you agree with people and I think we can pray very strong prayers. I have very purposely prayed for one praying God would break down strongholds in world leaders and things are happening in praying for our president. I pray for our president when he's a blue stater and I prefer present when is a red state or are you starting to get it because of something bigger than all the secondary things. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus know little Paul says for this purpose I was appointed as a preacher per claimant and a possible one who is sent.

I am telling the truth and I'm not lying as a teacher to help people grow of the Gentiles. And then here's our word again in faith and truth Christian life always boils down to. Am I willing to trust in what God said so, that's the context and now he's going to apply it to two groups and before I read the next set of passages. Here is what would you get, we tend to read the Bible out of our own world. So when you read the word church or worship what you think of anything. What you do on Sunday morning, you understand the first 300 years of the church there wasn't a cathedral church was six or eight people meeting, who invited some of their friends. Usually they shared a meal together. Someone would take a scroll that one of the apostles had written of the early church for the first years were all eyewitnesses of the risen Christ in these little house churches are popping up all over the place in their lives were just doing silly crazy things I I can show you the ancient Greek documents of one person who's investigating Christianity during one of the persecutions and he goes they hide in caves. They give their money to one another.

They greet one another with a holy kiss and are taking all the babies that we throw out on the dumb peeps we have no idea their crazy. In fact, we think they might be cannibals because they keep talking about drinking someone's blood completely misunderstood, gracious, loving counterculture by the year 313 experts tell us the Roman Empire had about 60 million people, of which 33 million were followers of Jesus Rodney Stark I don't know where it's coming from theologically's a sociologist. He tried to answer the question, how do you how do you account for this expansive growth of the early church. I mean, apart from the Holy Spirit or anything supernatural in what he would say is in that first hundred and 50 to 200 years.

There were three major pandemics that wiped out.

I mean whole huge cities of hundreds of thousands of people the rich people and the people with power to go to the mountains where it was safe and weight to it all died down to come back and the only people that stayed in the cities were Christians. So you would come back to huge metropolitan areas, and the only people were Christians who happen to survive and people who were ministered to by the Christians. And so he said as people came back they were literally when someone died serving those who were dying of pandemics. They were actually called martyrs it was that kind of radical Christianity. That's a little bit different than I go to church and am trying to be a nice person I don't cuss as much as I used to. Christianity that we been sort of peddling for the last few decades, so now he's going to give an application I know about you, but if I was to make out. Thank you Nepal you give me a lot of counsel.

This is not one I really want to take notice in verse eight it says therefore therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting holy hands at the picture of purity and earnestness. In other words, you praying like you mean it, and then notice without anger and without dispute were literally arguments in contention I would.

I would maybe just shift this for our day just a bit like what would happen if godly men prayed with holy hands lifted up with pure hearts and not just pray. But that's what they posted. They would never attack the people they disagree with.

They would never be tribal, they would be strong in what they believed agreed to disagree with those in the body of Christ.

But people who prayed, knowing that people are vulnerable during difficult times, and God is looking for men regular ordinary men who would pray about his agenda that's bigger than your agenda or my agenda or Republican agenda or Democrat agenda or a ready or even an American agenda, but a gospel agenda and assorted price. I think I think Timothy when he gave that message.

I'm not sure that really went down very well� But I think they obeyed. He says this is what I want to do and then he says likewise. I want women to adorn themselves in other words, so adornment is the clothes you wear, how you come off what people see. He basically says what I want Christian men to look like is those people that lived holy hands that have great convictions that see the big picture and then he's going it, he's gonna reach into a couple areas that were common in the day, one in Greek, high society, and one where women were just pieces of property and end this this new experience I've had with Christ as he liberated women was causing them to act in these little house churches in ways where his new people were coming into it. They're going will while they're trying to take on the kingdom their subversive they're doing wild stuff. See when you and I read the Gospels wheat wheat. We forget how powerful the life of Jesus was when we read all the woman at the well and John for a man would never talk to a woman, let alone a Jew to a Samaritan when the woman who washed his feet with her tears and wiped it, no, no Jew, no rabbi would ever let a woman touching public member that the woman with the issue of blood, she touches him remember his words to her, not you thing daughter, your faith has made you well.

He elevates women and so now that there realizing that were coheirs with the grace of God.

Let me read before I read the text. A fellow named William Barclay. I think spent most of his life doing background.

This is the second part of this passage. Speaking to women cannot be read out of its historical context of the Jewish background was a Jewish woman would eat in a separate quarters. Not with her husband, a Jewish woman would not be able to go to the synagogue, a Jewish woman was not even allowed to teach her own children, a Jewish woman who was respectable would never attempt to speak to her husband or any man outside. She was to be the keeper of the home and she heard her husband pray every morning. I think got another slave a Gentile, or woman, how that make you feel the Greek background was even doubly difficult.

The average Greek man, especially in high society if he had any wealth had three women in your life. One was your wife and she was to give you children second was a slave girl so you could have sex when you wanted it.

And the third was a temple prostitute in high Greek society.

They actually had prohibitions in what's called the mystery religions because they would adorn themselves with braided hair and gold or plain. He is a historian and plenty rights that one woman in her wedding dress was worth it was written a while ago 400.

In today's letter in today's money.

432,000 pounds which is overweight over 1/2 million dollars in US currency that was her wedding dress and so there's this Greek society of him can impress people with my power of how I dress there's others who are going to manipulate through their sexual favors because that's the only role they had. And now these little house churches are starting and the apostle Paul is speaking into them and saying I want the men to adorn themselves with prayer, without anger or disputing. And then notice what he says in that context, likewise, want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel. Speaking of the high society the rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness as I want to come off like those high society ladies listening to part's message stepped down right back with this application.

This teaching from a series.

The book of first Timothy life coaching from the apostle Paul. Through this new study chip identifies six pieces of godly wisdom. Paul passed on to his prot�g� Timothy Albee's truths apply to you and me here why characteristics like humility, dedication, integrity and respect are still critical to our relationships with others and God I hope you listen to every part of the series, either through the chirping roadmap or LivingontheEdge.org. I really think you're gonna learn a lot trips back with me in studio and chip in this message. You highlighted a lot of the resistance and persecution. The early church placed in all the truth is there still a lot of hostility toward Christians today are you're in contact with a lot of people. How are believers handling this pressure.

I think as Christians we see to responses neither of which is going to bring about long-term positive change and one is a combativeness and anger, a sort of the culture is the enemy and the other is what I call and set up in combat. We capitulate and so go with the flow unit whom I to judge. Let's just all be loving, and so the one has truth with no grace and the other has grace with no truth is about Living on the Edge. We spent the last 20 years developing resources whether the audio books are teaching or CDs or or my favorite small-group material to help people live out truth and grace.

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And for those of you that have not. I would highly encourage you get on board today we can make a difference together, but strip will of partnering with Living on the Edge as an idea that makes sense to you. We'd love to have you join us helping Christians live like Christians will change the world we live in, to give a gift go to LivingontheEdge.org or text the word donate 27 4141 that's donate to 741 41 or visit LivingontheEdge.org Listeners just Donate thanks for taking time to help others benefit from the work of this ministry, which if you wrapped up this message at the end of first Timothy chapter 2. As Paul was giving some really intentional coaching to both men and women in Timothy's church, not one single out men and women and how can we apply these truths to our lives will Dave, great question and I think this is one of those in a classic controversy all passages and and I certainly understand there's different perspectives on this but I think the most important thing that gets missed is the context Paul is writing to this young pastor and the church.

I mean they are public enemy number one and Paul's giving him instruction and is basically saying hey man, here's what you need to do this is counterintuitive. I want you to pray for Nero I want you to pray for the authorities.

I want you to pray what you live the kind lives where instead of making waves and and sort of fulfilling the public narrative that you are these evil people and your anti-Roman New Bern down Rome. I want men to model the exact opposite and then on the other hand the cultural context, we may say it's sad it's difficult but women were viewed as a piece of property.

No rights whatsoever a man could divorce a woman that a woman can divorce a man they were just used and abused in so many ways and so as Jesus liberates women and they were experiencing this liberation, the apostle Paul's going hang Outlook. The goal is the progress of the gospel. Make sure these women aren't acting in ways especially as new believers are coming to these house churches don't have them being acting in ways that literally are going to undermine the message you I think about what it would be like go. We do a lot of work and in Muslim countries. If you know you did a Bible study in a mosque and by the way that's happening right now, and in multiple places people were very open and if the thing you lead with was hey tell those women to take get all those head coverings often. That's not really important. I mean way, the second you don't want to talk about things that are super culturally sensitive. It would be about the gospel and who is Jesus and why you can trust God's word and now it's a whole another subject Dave to talk about the role of women in what Paul teaches about that in some other passages and where and why, but the focus here is him saying the progress and the integrity of the gospel is more important than any individual rights or any personal expressions of who we think we are and what we think we ought to do it was causing a problem and he's trying to deal with the problem in a way so the church would not be viewed in a negative way at a time where they were viewed as public enemy number one. And I think the principle holds true today. Think strip will if you'd like to do a deeper study with Chip on this particular passage of Scripture.

We got just the resource to help. We've reached into our archives to share with you a classic message from chip called feminism and the Bible in this teaching chip looks at the issues of feminism and gender equality through the unchanging lens of Scripture. Don't miss how God defines the sexes important roles is given. Men and women and what this all means for us today to listen to this entire message go to special offers@livingontheedge.org or the chipping room.

We even have some message notes there to help you remember what your hearing again to access chips timeless message feminism and the Bible go to special offers@livingontheedge.org or the chipping remap from all of us here. This is the jury thanking you for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge