Book 45

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 4 * BOOK 45

II Timothy – Titus – Part 2

Now, let’s wind up II Timothy.

II Timothy 2:15a

“Study …” Not just a verse or two. It means you sit down, and take a good cross reference, either a study Bible or a concordance, and you make work of it. You study! Compare Scripture with Scripture.

II Timothy 2:15a

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, (Not for salvation, but rather for reward. You can literally earn reward by becoming a Bible student.) a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,…”

The thing that keeps most Christians from sharing their faith is that they are not sure what to say, and what Scripture to use. Well, they don’t study. The more you study, the more skilled you become as Paul pointed out in our last lesson – then we can become teachers of the Word. That takes study. So, then you become a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. You don’t have to be afraid to share your faith, because you KNOW what you’re talking about.

If you were to ask a really good auto mechanic something about your car, does he put his head down and avoid you? No. He is tickled to tell you what’s wrong and how to fix it because he knows his business! Well, that is the way we should do with the Scriptures. We should KNOW them and be able to open them up and say, this is what the Bible says. Then if they don’t want to believe it, like I always tell them, then it’s your problem, I’ve done my part.

II Timothy 2:15c

“…rightly dividing the word of truth.” Now that is a hang up for a lot of people. But, the words “rightly dividing” in the Greek are really a carpenter’s term. It meant to cut straight. You wouldn’t have much of a building if you didn’t cut your angles straight. So the idea is to keep everything straight, so that when you build something, it fits! Now that’s the beauty of Scripture. If you rightly divide it, there is no problem. It’s so easy to understand. But, if you are going to try to mix the Old Testament Law and Christ’s earthly ministry and some of Peter’s statements with Paul and then jump on into the Revelation, no wonder we have confusion! But you separate it all out and you cut them straight!

In other words, you take the Old Testament from Genesis up until Abraham. That’s a separate period of time that has nothing to do with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You can’t mix them up. You separate it. Then you come from Abraham on up through the Nation of Israel and the giving of the Law and temple worship and all of that, it just sits by itself. You can’t go back and say, well, I have to bring a ram for an offering because that’s what the Bible says. That doesn’t work. So all that is just segmented and when one series of God’s dealing is finished, you don’t just mix them together.

You cut them straight and you keep them separated! Then when you come to the Apostle Paul and his revelation of the mysteries, again it is something you cannot mix with Christ’s earthly ministry. You would get nothing but confusion. So, this is all the Word says. Study, but learn how to segment the Scriptures so that they will not be confusing but that they will all make sense. It all fits!

Then verse 16. Do you realize how much time Paul spends in his letters to warn us against false teachers? Over and over he says, “Don’t be deceived. Don’t follow this or that.” He tells us that all the way through. And here is another one. What does it mean to shun something? Hey, run from it!

II Timothy 2:16a

“But, shun profane and vain babblings:…” There is a lot of it out there. You are supposed to just turn away from it. Don’t try to argue with them. Don’t try to do anything, just simply get away from it.

II Timothy 2:16b

“…for they will increase unto more ungodliness:” That is the final result of false teaching. It takes people into Satan’s domain rather than into the Lord’s. Then verse 17:

II Timothy 2:17

“And their word will eat as doth a canker: (today, we would say a cancer and then Paul names two of them) of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;” They were two who were scoffing at Paul’s teaching concerning the resurrection.

II Timothy 2:18

“Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.” So they said that the resurrection is something in the past and consequently they overthrow the faith of some. They were false teachers. And, they were successful in their trade. Then, verse 19.

II Timothy 2:19

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his,(consequently, if we are the Lord’s and we claim to know God’s saving grace,) And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ (do what?) depart from iniquity.” The Lord used the exact example. You cannot serve two masters. Either you serve the one and cut away from the other. Or visa versa. You can’t be constantly on the fence. If you are a believer, then you have to cut the stuff that pertains to the ungodly world and turn your back on it. Reading on in verse 20. Here I am going to be careful:

II Timothy 2:20

“But in a great house (we will use a millionaire’s mansion, as the example) there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.”

Now, can you picture what he is talking about? You have this beautiful millionaire’s home. And, among all the other rooms I like to hone in on the dining room. This lady of the house, with all of her wealth, probably has a gorgeous table setting. Sterling silver. Cut glass goblets. Beautiful plates and flatware. But even in the home of a multi-millionaire, what has to be somewhere out back? A garbage can. You can’t run a household without a garbage can! So this is what Paul is saying. Even in a great house you also have the things that most people don’t want to have anything to do with. That is exactly the way a lot of Christians are.

I remember years ago when I had a high school class, do you know what I used to tell the kids? Don’t be a garbage can Christian. Get what I am driving at? They were not vessels of honor. They may have been believers, and we have them in every church in town. They are believers but they are not reflecting the gold and the precious things on that wealthy person’s table. They are reflecting the trash can and all the stuff in the back. That is exactly what even the Lord used as example that in a field of wheat you also have a field of tares. What were tares? Weeds! So, I think what Paul is saying is that it is up to the believer. Are you going to be a garbage can Christian or are you going to be one that brings honor and glory to the Lord? It is up to you what you want to be. Now, verse 21.

II Timothy 2:21a

“If (here’s the condition you are left with. You are a free moral agent as a believer) a man (a believer) therefore purge himself from these,…”

In other words, from being a garbage can Christian, and not bringing honor and glory to the Lord. Oh, he still belongs to the household of God, he’s still there, but, he’s not bringing any honor and glory, so Paul says, “If you don’t want to be that – purge yourself!” You’ve already been forgiven! Don’t ask God to do that. Come back to Romans 6. We have this same connotation in verse 11. Now, he is talking to believers, because Paul doesn’t talk to the unsaved world.

Romans 6:11

“Likewise reckon (that’s something you do in your own mind) ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, (that’s what you are supposed to be) but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” If you are dead to sin, you are not going to be satisfied with a garbage can level of Christianity! Now, verse 12, in order to bring yourself up to that place of being “gold and silver” in that household:

Romans 6:12

“Let not sin therefore reign (as a king) in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Is it possible? Of course it is, but here is where the self-will comes in with God’s help, of course, but still it is up to the individual believer to attain the level of spirituality that would be pleasing to God. God doesn’t take us by the nape of the neck and push us in someplace. Here’s where the freedom in Christ comes into play. Alright, now verse 13, still in Romans 6.

Romans 6:13

“Neither (what’s the next word? What does yield imply? Your will, your free will. It is up to you. But he says DON’T) yield ye your (physical) members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but (on the other hand) yield yourselves unto God,…” Do you see the choice there? We are not talking about unbelievers, we are talking about believers. Made my point? Okay, back to II Timothy.

II Timothy 2:21b

“…he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” Now verse 22, and if you don’t want to be a garbage can Christian then it stands to reason you are going to have to get some prerogatives.

II Timothy 2:22-23a

“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (See the choices?) But foolish and unlearned questions avoid,…” Don’t get involved in minors when majors are SO much more important.

II Timothy 2:23b-24

“…knowing that they do gender strifes. 24. And the servant of the Lord (that person who reflects the gold and silver in verse 20, won’t be constantly striving) must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, (again see what the Lord is looking for?) apt to (what?) teach,…”

Get out there and get busy. Start a home Bible class. Ask a few people. When Iris and I first started this way back, we had four people. I didn’t say, “Well, I’m not going to go in there and spend all evening with just four people!” Heavens no! We were tickled to do it. But, God in His grace brought eight the next week and sixteen the next and after that it just started rolling.

Numbers don’t mean anything, because if God is in it, He will permeate and He will send them out. So here is where we are be apt to teach, be ready to start sharing some of these things with those that are around you. Now to chapter 3:

II Timothy 3:1

“This know also, that in the last days (as we come to the end of the Church Age and God is getting the stage set to pick up where He left off with the Nation of Israel and those final seven years) perilous times shall come,” I think we can all see the handwriting on the wall. We can see the upheaval in weather and earthquakes. Well, they are multiplying just like the Bible tells us that they would. Alright, verse 2. Here is the world in which we live.

II Timothy 3:2

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,…” We wonder why our kids are the way they are. It’s all part and parcel of the end time scenario.

II Timothy 3:2b-3a

“…unthankful, unholy, 3. Without natural affection,…” When we read of a young lady throwing her baby in a trash can and going back out on the dance floor, it is unbelievable! But, that’s part of the end time scenario. Get ready for it, because it’s going to get worse, and not better. So they have lost that love for natural affection.

II Timothy 3:7

“Ever learning, (we have a tremendous explosion of secular learning. The Internet is packed with it.) and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” They will see everything and anything, but you remember what I am always telling you. What is the Truth according to the Word of God? The Gospel of our salvation! They will see anything and everything but that! Ever learning and not able to come to the Truth.

II Timothy 3:8b-9

“…men of corrupt minds, (Does that ring a bell? Oh, we are living in a corrupt time) reprobate concerning the faith. (But, verse 9, Paul says) But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.” Then he comes down and describes all the things that were part and parcel of Paul’s as well as Timothy’s lifestyle. Now, in to chapter 4 so that we are sure that we can get this in before this lesson is over. Paul says:

II Timothy 4:1a

I charge thee…” He is putting Timothy in the spotlight. He’s handing the whole mantle of his Apostleship over to this young man.

II Timothy 4:1b

“…therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;” In other words, when we come to the end of the Age. Now verse 2, Timothy:

II Timothy 4:2

“Preach (or proclaim) the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering (or patience) and (what?) doctrine.”

I’ll never forget a young man who was on the plane with us over in Israel and he was with one of the big groups. When we got to Israel and we arrived at the hotel, the very first evening after dinner, I approached him about something. The first thing he told me was, “Hey, we don’t get involved in doctrine! All we are concerned about is doing good.” Well, that just told me everything. When people aren’t concerned about what they believe, they are not in the Lord’s camp. They are the devil’s tool. Doctrine is at the heart of our belief system. That’s why we have to know what we believe.

II Timothy 4:3-5a

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; (They don’t want to hear the Truth.) but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5.(They just want to hear that which sounds good.) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions,…” In other words, Timothy, hopefully, you won’t have to go through what I went through, but it is going to be tough. You are going to suffer persecution, it’s coming Timothy.

II Timothy 4:5b

“…do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” Now here it comes! Here comes the heart of the Apostle as he is facing the martyr’s death. He says:

II Timothy 4:6

“For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand.” Can’t you just hear the heart of the old Apostle?

II Timothy 4:7a

“I have fought a good fight,…”

In the Olympic term that Paul was probably thinking of – I have run a good race! And I have to think of the Marathon. Not the hundred yard dash, but the Marathon, where it takes a body of steel to run that 26 miles. It takes determination. It takes everything that that physical body can put in to go 26 miles and win the race. But you see, he also says in another place to do it lawfully. The Marathon runner would never be a true winner if somewhere along the line he took a short cut. See? He has to stay on the prescribed race course. Then if he can run that full 26 mile marathon, he can truly be exemplified for winning the race. And, that is what Paul says, I have fought a good fight: I have never taken short cuts. I have never done anything that would escape the persecution. I have fought a good fight, I have run a good race.

II Timothy 4:7b-8

“…I have finished my course, (that’s why I think a race sounds better than the fight) I have kept the faith:” (He never wavered. The Lord had him do everything that he did.) 8.Henceforth (because he has run the race. He has been faithful to the end.) there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:…” Do you see what Paul is also advocating? Rewards. Rewards! Remember that is what he tells us constantly. You are not just saved to sit, you are saved to serve for rewards!

If you are a sports fan and if you have any energy level whatsoever, where would you rather be? Down on the field, or way up there in the onlooker seats? Well, I think most of us would rather be down in the action. Wouldn’t we? That’s where the fun is! Every time they have one of these big games (my oldest son is a sports nut, worse than I am), and when we see these young men coming out of the tunnel, do you know what we always have to say? Can you imagine what that must feel like for those young men? To hear that crowd of people acclaiming them! And, to be ready to go into the game, whether it’s basketball or football or whatever. My what a thrill that must be!

Listen, we are coming to the end, we are getting there! One day, you and I are going to come down the tunnel and we are going to hear the, Well done! I hope! I hope you can all say that I want the Lord to one day say, “well done!”

II Timothy 4:8b

“… and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

So this reward is for everyone that loved His appearing. The easiest reward that you can win is this one! Be anxious for the Lord’s coming. And in the state that the world is in tonight, how can you help but be anxious for His coming? But, there will be a reward if you are truly looking for the Lord to come quickly and you pray to that end. “Lord come soon!” There is a reward, a crown of righteousness waiting for you because you loved His appearing. Now verse 9 Here’s the heart cry of the Apostle. He his hoping that Timothy will still make it from wherever he is in the Roman Empire and that he will get to Rome before Paul is put to death. So he says:

II Timothy 4:9

“Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 10. For Demas (probably one of his other fellow workers) hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica: Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 11. Only Luke (Good old Luke, the physician is still with him even in spite of the horrors of Nero.) is with me. Take Mark and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” Then he begins to wind it all up with verse 18 where he says:

II Timothy 4:18

“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

So the Apostle comes to the end of tremendous service and sacrifice so that you and I can sit here today, reveling in the Grace of God. Because of this Apostle we have the biggest part of our New Testament in our hands. We have all these revelations that only Paul received for you and I.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 3 * BOOK 45

II Timothy – Titus

We are in II Timothy, as we introduced it in our last lesson, and we find Paul is back in prison now for the last time and he is looking at his martyr’s death. But, he writes this last letter to his son in the faith, some twenty years younger than he is, who is going to now pick up the mantle of the apostleship. You want to remember, the Apostolic Church probably disappeared in its original form by the end of the first century. This was Christianity in the cradle and for the most part, met in homes and it had not yet generated up to the great hierarchy that came within the next century or so.

As Paul addresses Timothy then, it is in view of the fact that these early Apostolic Churches were now under Timothy and Titus to keep them going. I have stressed so often in my teaching, when you look at the circumstances in which these early Christians found themselves, it is just nothing but a miracle of God that it ever survived. We will see that especially now as we get on down a little further in this chapter. Now, if we can just pick up where we left off in the last lesson.

II Timothy 1:10

“But is now made manifest (that is, the working of God’s grace through His eternal purposes) by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:”

The appearing, that Paul is referring to, is Christ’s first advent when He came to the Nation of Israel and presented himself in those three years of earthly ministry. And then ending up with the work of the cross, His death, burial and resurrection. Whereupon, then, He brought eternal life to those of the human race who become believers.

You see salvation, as I have always said, is not just a fire escape. Salvation is the whole body of truth that has been imputed to you and I who believe and part of that is eternal life. We have the very life of God now within us, but when we die that does not stop! We are a part of eternity that was precipitated by His resurrection.

Let’s go back for bit to I Corinthians 15, that great resurrection chapter. These are verses that we usually associate with funerals because it IS the blessed hope of the believer that we are not in the grave. That’s only that part of us that was the “tent.” And, at that the REAL believer is already in the Lord’s presence waiting for the great resurrection day. In I Corinthians 15 verse 54, this is what Paul is referring to now in II Timothy chapter 10. And he says:

I Corinthians 15:54

“So when this corruptible (this which is prone to death) shall have put on incorruption, (it becomes eternal. It has eternal life.) and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in (what?) victory.”

Death is overcome. Never again to be faced by the believer! So then he comes with a question in verse 55.

I Corinthians 15:55

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

Well the sting of death is sin, because what does Paul tell us in Romans 5? As by one man sin entered the world and what came with sin? Death. So, sin and death have almost become synonymous. The sinner is going to die because he is STILL spiritually dead. But by virtue of the resurrection power, death has been swallowed up in victory, which we find then in verse 57.

I Corinthians 15:57

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Well, the victory over what? Sin and death! That no longer has a hold on us as believers! Sin and death are something that have been done away with! Oh, we will die physically, if the Lord doesn’t come first, but that’s not the death that we are talking about. We are talking about that spiritual death which separates man from his Creator, God. Now back to II Timothy chapter 1. We have a lot to cover in the next two lessons. I am hoping to finish Timothy, in this last part of book 45, and be able to start Hebrews in book 46, if I can possibly make it work.

II Timothy 1:11

“Whereunto (that is, this power of resurrection, how that it is able to transform sinners to saints!) I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of (what people?) the Gentiles.”

See how Paul is constantly reminding us that he was God’s vessel to reach out to the non-Jewish world; the Gentile. Now verse 12.

II Timothy 1:12a

“For the which cause I also suffer these things:…”

What things? He’s in prison! His life is about to be put to a horrible end. We are quite sure from all of the secular information, from the early church writers, that Paul was beheaded. Not with the executioners axe but with a military sword. We may touch on that a little later in our study. So here he is facing that martyr’s death, but he now comes with his great profession of security and of faith, so he says continuing on in verse 12:

II Timothy 1:12b

“…nevertheless I am not ashamed: (He has no second thoughts about all that he has suffered for the sake of the Gospel so he says) for I know whom I have (what?) believed,…”

Believed!! See? Nothing else! He doesn’t mention anything else that he has done to give him this assurance other than BELIEVING. You have to go back to his experience on the road to Damascus. Just as soon as it was evident where the light came from; where the voice came from, what was Saul of Tarsus’ response? What would you have me to do, Lord? He knew who he was dealing with, so immediately he believed and it carried with him throughout his whole ministry. And he still knows whom he has believed:

II Timothy 1:12c

“…and am persuaded that he (the Christ whom he believed in) is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

Now you see, Paul isn’t taking any credit. He’s not saying, I’m convinced I have DONE enough. That isn’t what he’s committing his security in. It’s in what Christ has done for him. So now his admonition to Timothy is:

II Timothy 1:13a

“Hold fast the form of sound words, (In chapter 2 and 3 Paul warns of all the false teaching that will be coming upon the world, so here he says) Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou has heard of me,…”

Do you see how he is putting himself in that place of “go-between”? He’s not saying, what you have heard from God, or what you have heard from Jesus Christ. It’s, hang on to those things which you have heard from me.

II Timothy 1:13b-14

“…in faith and love which (is all centered in the object of our faith – not Paul but) is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.” Now verse 15 is a very interesting verse!

II Timothy 1:15a

“This thou knowest, (in other words, it was no secret) that all they which are in Asia…”

When the Bible speaks of Asia, it speaks of Asia Minor, which today we call Turkey. We are not talking about China and India, but that part of Turkey that was referred to as Asia Minor where a good number of Paul’s churches were established. Do you remember Antioch of Pisidia and Pergamos and Thyatira, Ephesus? All of those cities there in central Turkey, as we know it, were what then were called Asia. Now look what he says. All those believers that he had founded in little churches in those little cities of Asia Minor, all they who are in Asia:

II Timothy 1:15b

“…be turned away from me;…”

That is sad isn’t it? Instead of being able to say, “How I glory that all those congregations are still behind me. They are praying for me. They are supporting me.” No, they had all turned against him. Now, I know there is a possibility that he was referring to some of those people who had come to Rome and had probably visited him in prison and then saw the horrors of Nero and the persecution. So they fled back home. But, I don’t think so. I think what Paul is saying is that all those congregations that he had established in Central Turkey like Galatia and Asia Minor had turned against him.

Why do I think so? Because the whole little letter of Galatians was written to those people to warn them against what? Going back under the Law! Legalism! And, evidently, they did. They were not content to rest in Grace alone but they had to go back into the teachings of the Judaizers, back there at Jerusalem. I am convinced that it had to be. Sounds like many congregations today doesn’t it?

Now, what happened? As a result that these churches failed to stay with Paul’s doctrines of grace, how much is left of them? Nothing! A lot of those cities, the archaeologists and everything else can’t even really determine where they are. They just totally went into the dust bin of history. Whereas, had they remained true to Paul’s Gospel, there would probably be something there even to this day. But, they didn’t, they turned against this apostle. They turned against his doctrine of grace.

And I think and I have to say that it’s my own idea because I can’t prove it from Scripture, but comparing the problems of the Galatian churches that Paul wrote to in the letter of Galatians and their being bombarded by Judaism, to go back under circumcision and law keeping, that I think is what happened. So, consequently they had all turned against the apostle. Then the leaders, see there are always false teachers and ungodly men, who lead the way, and Paul names them here as Phygellus and Hermogenes:

II Timothy 1:15c

“…of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.” Come all the way down, now to chapter 2 and let’s start at verse 1.

II Timothy 2:1-2

“Thou therefore, my son, (in the faith) be strong in the (what, again? See how Paul is always using the word grace. Over and over and over, it’s the grace of God. Nothing to do with legalism. Nothing to do with formality. It’s grace. Grace! So be strong in the) grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2. And the things that thou hast heard of me…”

He doesn’t tell them to go back and remember what Jesus said. Paul never says that. In fact, turn with me to I Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 16. We did this when we were in the Corinthian letters. I know a lot of people rebel at this. They say, I’m not going to follow that guy! I’m going to follow Jesus. Well, that sounds honorable, doesn’t it? But, it’s not Scriptural because Jesus ministered to the Circumcision. (Romans 15:8) Jesus ministered under the Law and He passed all of the Apostolic authority to this man and now the admonition is, just like I said in a previous lesson, you have Moses! Today, He would tell us, you have Paul! Consequently, Paul writes:

I Corinthians 4:16

“Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”

See? That’s what the Scripture says! Now turn over to another one. Still in I Corinthians, chapter 11 verse 1. This is exactly what he is telling Timothy, as well. Timothy, follow in my footsteps. Be the same kind of an emissary of Christ that I have been.

I Corinthians 11:1

“Be he followers of me, even as I also am of (who?) Christ.”

See the procession? Christ is the head of the Body. No doubt about that, but Paul is the spokesman now. He is the Apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and then as he made it so clear in I Timothy 1:15-16, that in him first were all the succeeding believers to fall in place. So we follow the Apostle Paul, and that is why I teach so extensively his Epistles. Alright, come back to II Timothy chapter 2, verse 2 again.

II Timothy 2:2

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

I was reading a commentary a long time ago and this just hit me right between the eyes. He made the point, isn’t it amazing that in I Timothy and in Titus all the instructions were for the hierarchy, or the leadership or the organization of the local churches. But by the time he comes to II Timothy which is a few years later, there is not a word about elders and deacons and pastors and bishops. Not a word about organization. But, now God is going to use what? Faithful men!

The gentlemen made the point, there is probably more there than meets the eye, because remember the Scripture sees the big, long picture, and we know as we get to chapter 3, knowing that this is out there in the future, maybe this is why God is now instructing Paul to instruct Timothy to prepare gifted men for the day when the church in general will totally apostatize. Oh, it is coming so fast, where churches are departing from the truth of God’s Word and God will just simply have to fall back on gifted men. Look at II Timothy chapter 3 and verse 1. We are seeing it! We are in it! I think I put it in one of my newsletters that what Paul wrote here as something in the future, we are in it! We are here.

II Timothy 3:1

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come,” Then he goes on to say all these things which I will be coming back to a little later, but look at verse 5. Isn’t this exactly where the vast majority; not all, don’t misunderstand me, not all, but the vast majority of Christendom has now come to verse 5.

II Timothy 3:5

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” You can put your own commentary on that, can’t you? I don’t have to. Now let’s come back to II Timothy chapter 2 finishing verse 2.

II Timothy 2:2b

“…commit (these things) thou to faithful men, (who will be faithful not just to some organization, but would be faithful to the Word of God and the God of the Word of God.) who shall be able to teach others, also.”

Nothing thrills me more than when people call and say that they have been listening to my teaching for a couple or three years and now they are branching out on their own. They are starting classes maybe in their church. They have taken a Sunday School class. And, I just had a lady call again this morning ordering tape number 1. She wants to start a home Bible class, starting in Genesis! What more could I hope for? Because, this is the whole admonition of Scripture, to prepare hearts that they will pick up the mantel and begin to teach others also. In fact, go to Hebrews chapter 5 verse 11. I am sure Paul wrote this letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 5:11-12a

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12. For when for the time ye ought to be (what?) teachers,…” This is the whole idea that we are to prepare other hearts to be teachers, but he says that when the time came for you should be teachers:

Hebrews 5:12b-14

“…ye have need that one teach you again (in other words, they still hadn’t learned it. What were they to be taught?) which be the first principles of the oracles (or the Word) of God;(but, instead of being teachers you) and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13. For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

What is the complaint? These believers were not able to teach others. They were still babes in Christ. They were still on the baby bottle. Well, it’s a sad commentary, but I am afraid that’s the way it is even today. Back to II Timothy chapter 2 verse 3.

II Timothy 2:3

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Then he begins to explain. Someone who is in the military has to cut all his ties to his civilian background. Otherwise, he is worthless to the military. If he is going to be a soldier who is ready to go on campaigns into a foreign country, he cannot be tied down with other responsibilities. It is the same way with the cross of Christ. If we are going to be a servant of Christ then we have to cut off all the dross of materialism and secularism and we have to become a soldier of Jesus Christ. Alright, then come down to verse 11. This is just what he has been talking about, that Christ overcame death by virtue of His death, His resurrection, now verse 11:

II Timothy 2:11

“It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:”

Always remember, what did Jesus use as an example of our identifying with His death, burial and resurrection? Planting wheat in the ground. Remember? And he said unless that kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it just stays alone in the sack. But if it is put into the ground and it goes through the death process, then you have new life and you have the hundred fold. All through Scripture this is the concept, that through resurrection we have new life! Now verse 12:

II Timothy 2:12-13

“If we suffer, we shall also reign (or live) with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” God is still faithful. Isn’t that amazing? Mankind can be unbelieving, but God never changes. He is still there as the Rock of our salvation in whom we can put our trust.

II Timothy 2:14

“Of these things…” In other words, the very truth of who God is. The very power of His death, burial and resurrection, of these things, Paul tells Timothy:

II Timothy 2:14

“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them (or challenging them) before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.”

It doesn’t do any good to argue about insignificant things. In fact, I put it this way a lot of times to people who call or write. Listen major on majors! Don’t major on minors. That’s what more people do. They make a great big deal over something that is so minor that it is insignificant. That’s not where it is at. Major on the majors. The fundamentals. The basic things in which there is no room to argue.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 2 * BOOK 45

The Faithful Servant of Christ Says Goodbye – Part 2

II Timothy – Titus

Once again we are going to turn right to the Scriptures, so come back with me to II Timothy chapter 1 verse 1. I like to clarify as we open another one of Paul’s letters, the circumstances surrounding it. If you understand the historical part then the content means so much more. I alluded to it a little bit in the last lesson before we started the letter of Titus that evidently Paul was arrested and taken to Rome the first time from the trip across the Mediterranean and as a result of that arrest, pleading his own defense and with a decent and fair Roman court, he was evidently acquitted and released.

In those prison years while he was chained to a Roman soldier, he wrote what we call the Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. But, after his acquittal, he evidently was free for a couple or three years and then during that time of freedom he wrote I Timothy, who was now holding forth over on the Asia Minor part of the Roman Empire. He was headquartered, I think, out of Ephesus. Then he wrote the little letter of Titus, to that young man, probably about the same age as Timothy, who was heading up the churches and the work on the island of Crete. So Paul now in this time of freedom had realized that time was running out for him and that’s why he is getting ready to pass these responsibilities on to these two young men, Timothy and Titus.

Now, evidently during that interval, for whatever reason, the emperors had changed in Rome and no doubt, however it was precipitated, Rome had been burned with fire, and about half the city was destroyed. Emperor Nero, himself, was the one that instigated it, because he was so wicked. We know Nero was just beyond human comprehension. He was probably worse than a Hitler. But Nero turned that into a reason to fault the Christians for having been the incendiary people to burn Rome. No doubt, as a result of all of that, since Paul had been so closely associated with the Christian community, he was also intimated that he had part in the fire of the city of Rome.

So, as he goes into prison now, this second time, he is under terrible suspicion. He is not treated as humanely as he was in his first session. And, I had an interesting question the other day, that I had never thought of, and the person put it this way. “Was Paul chained to a Roman soldier or was a Roman soldier chained to Paul?” You know, I thought about it for about 15 seconds and I just grabbed a piece of paper and I wrote back and said “That Roman soldier was chained to the Apostle Paul!” Because we know that in at least that first time in prison, he won, no doubt, many Roman soldiers to the Lord. So, he wasn’t chained to them. They were chained to him!

Now, in this second imprisonment, he is under more severe circumstances. I don’t think he’s down in the dungeon, but rather I think he is up in military control. He is still chained to Roman soldiers for a constant guard, but, now with Nero as the Emperor and him being almost insane. And as a result of his hatred of Christians, Nero would actually wrap these Christians in animal skins and then turn the dogs and wild animals after them. He would sit and just gleefully watch everything that was taking place.

Nero’s next favorite ploy was to take these Christians and wrap them in incendiary material, hang them upside down, set them on fire and then he would sit and watch them burn. That was Nero! Well, that was the man then that Paul was going to have to be judged by. So Paul makes his own defense again and now with the fear that has been instilled in everybody because of Nero, he says all but Luke have left me. So good old physician Luke must have stayed with him to the end.

Now in this second letter to Timothy, he is approaching martyrdom. This is his last time that he will be imprisoned. And he realizes that the Lord has not come and that it is going to be delayed at least to the lifetime of Timothy and Titus. He still has no idea that the Church is going to go on for two thousand years. Even the Apostle Paul, realizing that the Church Age was something totally insulated from God’s program with Israel. Paul still was of the impression that the Lord would be coming for the Church in short order, at least during the lifetime of Timothy and Titus.

When Paul refers to them as “young,” I think we covered this when we started I Timothy in one of our previous lessons. Early in Paul’s ministry he was probably around 40 years of age and Timothy was about 18 or 20. So, there is about a twenty year age difference. If I put Titus at about the same age as Timothy, Paul is now in his middle or late sixties, whereas these young men are in their early forties. For someone who is in their late sixties, forty is still a “kid”! Consequently he refers to them, as don’t let anybody despise your youth. Even though they were probably forty or so.

So with that as a back drop let’s go into this heart rending II Timothy with Paul knowing now that this is the beginning of the end. Verse 1.

II Timothy 1:1a

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,…”

Here we almost have to go back and compare Scripture with Scripture, and that’s the way I teach, so you’ll just have to bear with me. Come back to Galatians chapter 1 because I have to constantly realize that we have new listeners every day and these listeners have not heard what we taught several months back. So, we repeat some of these things for their benefit as well as for our own. Here in Galatians he gives us a good, Holy Spirit inspired description of how he became this Apostle of grace.

Galatians 1:11-12

“But I certify you, brethren, (again, he is writing to believers) that the gospel which was preached of me (see how he qualifies it again. His Gospel of I Corinthians 15:1-4?) is not after man. 12. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I am always emphasizing as I teach, when Paul had this revelation from Jesus Christ, where is Jesus? Well, He is in Heaven! He has finished the work of redemption, He has been raised from the dead, and has spent that forty days on earth with the disciples and has ascended back to Glory.

Then, several years later, when it is obvious that Israel is not going to succumb to the Kingship of Jesus the Messiah, God did something totally different. I like to refer to it as that “fork in the road.” Where now Israel is going to go into the dispersion of the nations and the Gentiles are going to be called out into this peculiar group of people that we talked about in our last lesson, the Body of Christ, the Church Age, the Grace Age believers. Alright, so that was not revealed until Christ had been in glory for quite some time. He then reveals a whole new program that was unknown to all the Old Testament writers. It was unknown to the twelve as he reveals it to this one man. Now I know that is hard for people to understand but it is the truth of Scripture. So this is what he was talking about. Here in Galatians 1 verse 12 again.

Galatians 1:12-13

“For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, (that is, by other men) but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my conversation (or my manner of life) in time past in the Jews’ religion, (he was one of the “top dogs” in the religious hierarchy of Israel.) how that beyond measure I persecuted the church (assemblies) of God, and wasted it:” That is referring back to those Jewish believers in Jerusalem, who were still followers of the Messiahship of Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Now verse 14.

Galatians 1:14

“And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, (why?) being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.”

In other words, I am always picturing Saul of Tarsus as a religious nut! He just couldn’t do enough for his religion, he was driven. And, consequently, when he thought that Jesus of Nazareth was a blasphemer and was an imposter, he worked more than anybody in Israel to stamp out anyone who had embraced Jesus as the Messiah. It just became his obsession. Alright, that’s what he is referring to. That he was more exceedingly zealous of the traditions. Now verse 15.

Galatians 1:15

“But (Flipside! Something totally different happens to the man) when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, (that’s where God began if not even in eternity past, but right from his birth he was a marked man for God’s service.) and called my by his grace,”

Nobody understood grace like Saul of Tarsus! Because here he is having already put to death Jewish believers for having embraced Jesus. He’s on his way to Damascus to get some more and take them back to Jerusalem. And, out of nowhere, without any previous preaching at him or explaining what was going to happen, God struck him down and saved him, by what? By grace!! He didn’t deserve it! So, this is what the man never got over, that in spite of all of his past and his hatred for the name of Jesus of Nazareth, God saved him anyway.

That’s the way it is today. The vilest sinner, the worst, God just saves them on the spot! They don’t have to clean up their act first. God’s saves them first and THEN He will begin to make changes. So, by God’s grace he was called. Now, verse 16.

Galatians 1:16a

“To reveal…”

Now, I always like to tie words together. Reveal is another root word from revelation. And Paul is constantly referring to the revelation or the revealing of mysteries. Things that had been kept secret all the way up through human history. None of the Prophets knew it, the twelve didn’t know it, and Jesus never betrayed it. And, now to this man, God is going to reveal these things that had been kept secret. Alright, verse 16 again.

Galatians 1:16

“To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; (or the Gentiles. The non-Jewish world.) immediately (after his experience at Damascus) I conferred not with flesh and blood:” He didn’t say, well I have to go see what Peter says about all of this. No. He said I conferred not with flesh and blood.

Galatians 1:17a

“Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia,…”

He went the opposite direction. Now, all of this is to show us that by the Holy Spirit’s work, this man was kept from any contact with the twelve at Jerusalem. God’s not going to scramble his brains with what Peter and the eleven had been preaching. He’s going to give him a whole new revelation.

This again is what folks cannot comprehend, that all of our Church doctrine coming from the pen of this Apostle is a revelation of things that God had kept secret. Deuteronomy 29:29, I have used it over and over. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. He can keep things secret as long as He wants, and He kept the mysteries that Paul shares with us until He reveals these secrets to this man. Now let’s read on.

Galatians 1:17b

“…and returned again unto Damascus.”

Then, after those three years, which I feel was mostly spent in Arabia. He’s now had these revelations of these mysteries which are what we call the doctrines of the grace of God. Then he went up to Jerusalem and saw Peter. He was there only two weeks and a day. For fifteen days, he visits with Peter.

Then in verse 21, he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia and thus began his ministry out among the Gentile world. Now come back to II Timothy again. This is what he is always talking about.

II Timothy 1:3a

“I thank God,…”

He doesn’t take any credit for himself. He could have. He was a highly educated Jew. He had been educated or taught by one of the chief Rabbi’s in Israel, Gamaliel, but he never refers to that. He refers to himself as nothing but something that God has seen fit to use, by His grace.

II Timothy 1:3b

“… whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;” Remember he is writing to the young man Timothy, and here in verse 4 we see the heart of the Apostle.

II Timothy 1:4-5a

“Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5. When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith…”

Remember what I said in the last lesson? That the number one thing that God looks for in a person is his faith. His ability to believe what God has said. Well, Paul shows it even toward this young man Timothy, that it was his unfeigned faith, his ability to trust what God had said. And, that unfeigned faith, reading on in verse 5:

II Timothy 1:5b

“… that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Now you have to go back to the book of Acts and realize that it was up in Central Asia Minor that the Apostle Paul first ran into this little Jewish family, made up of the grandmother, Lois and Timothy’s mother Eunice and probably from Paul’s preaching they were all three made believers. Now verse 6.

II Timothy 1:6

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” In other words, Paul is transferring the mantel of his Apostleship to this young man, Timothy in particular and secondly, I think he went to young Titus. So he is just sort of passing on the Apostolic authority. Now verse 7.

II Timothy 1:7

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Now, like I have already explained, what’s going on in the city of Rome while Paul is sitting in prison waiting for his sentence? The horrible persecution of the Christians. Beyond what the human mind can think and Nero was just gloating in all of it. If ever there was a reason to fear, it was Nero. Yet, Paul has such confidence in his Lord that he can even write to this young man Timothy that we have nothing to fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Now verse 8.

II Timothy 1:8a

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:…”

In other words, I think he is going to hopefully, bring Timothy from wherever he was in Asia Minor back to Rome before his life would end. We will point out in another time, if not in Timothy then when we get to Hebrews, that evidently Timothy made it. And as a rule, as expected, he too was arrested. Because the Book of Hebrews points it out that Timothy also was released from prison and no doubt it was as a result of having gotten to Paul before his death and then being promptly arrested.

But, it is interesting that in a matter of days or weeks after Paul and Peter were martyred, do you know what happened to Nero? Nero’s life came to an end! I haven’t been able to find how or what happened, but Nero’s life was ended just shortly after Paul and Peter were martyred. So Timothy might have been able to respond to that by being released now, with Nero off the scene. Alright, reading on.

II Timothy 1:8b

“…but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;”

A lot of people have the wrong impression. They think that Christians are going to be treated well. That just because of our faith and hopefully, our good character and good lifestyle, that everything is going to go our way. But you see it doesn’t work that way. I have pointed it out before. In fact, come back with me to II Corinthians chapter 11 and look what it cost this man who was one of the religious leaders in Israel. Probably had one of the most beautiful, expensive homes in Jerusalem.

And, the other night I finally read someone who agrees with me that Paul no doubt had a wife and children. I know a lot of people have a hard time swallowing that, but this individual used the same approach that I do, that he must have been a member of the Sanhedrin and as a member of the Sanhedrin, he had to be a husband and a father. But, he chucked all of that for the sake of the Gospel. Instead of having the highest lifestyle in Jerusalem, now look what he goes through. Now, none of us would want to associate this with our lifestyle as a Christian. We cringe at this. I know we do because we are spoiled. We have had it so good.

II Corinthians 11:24

“Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.”

That’s the thirty-nine stripes. Now, if you understand the forty stripes, it took a good, strong, healthy man to survive ONE, but he took five of them over his lifetime. Without benefit of antibiotics. Without any benefit of sterile technique. But for the miracle power of God he would have never survived. Now, verse 25.

II Corinthians 11:25a

“Thrice was I beaten with rods,…”

You all know the furor that the world made when that kid were beaten with rods in Singapore a few years ago. Sure you all remember. The world thought that was barbarian. Listen, Paul went through it three times. And, not just a few swats like that kid got, he got the whole nine yards.

II Corinthians 11:25b

“…once was I stoned,…”

Not by drugs, by literal rocks. They dragged him out like a dead horse. In fact that’s what the Scripture implies, that they dragged him out just like we would drag out a dead animal. Dragged outside the city and left him for dead. But, miraculously, God raised him up.

II Corinthians 11:25c

“…thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;”

Now, the Mediterranean gets pretty rough in the winter time. Even, for regular shipping today, they can hit some pretty tough weather. In fact, we experienced it when we were on the Mediterranean in March, I mean it was no fun! Well, how would you like to be on their little tug with sails? And he got dumped, three times.

All because of the Gospel. He didn’t have to be out there doing that. He could have kept it easy in Jerusalem. He could have enjoyed his high lifestyle in Judaism. But, for the sake of the Gospel, he suffered all of these things. Then, verse 26.

II Corinthians 11:26-27

“In journeyings often, (lived out of a suitcase constantly) in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, (that is, the barbarians)in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27. In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” And for what? The Gospel! For the Gospel! Unbelievable? Almost. Back to II Timothy for just a moment. Verse 9. The same God of verse 8:

II Timothy 1:9

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, (Just like we showed in Titus chapter 2 in our last lesson. God has declared us a peculiar people of intrinsic value and has called us with a separate calling.) not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and (what again? Grace, see?!) grace, (All of grace. Not that we deserve a penny worth and all of this) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world (ages) began,”

God in His foreknowledge knew everyone of us and what we would do with Paul’s Gospel of salvation. As a rule, I like to go back to Ephesians chapter 3 verse 11. This ties in so beautifully with what Paul is writing to Timothy. We are not just saved by accident. We are in His divine purposes.

Ephesians 3:11-12

“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”

All these things working together to fulfill God’s purposes.

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 45

The Faithful Servant of Christ Says Goodbye

II Timothy – Titus

In the last lesson we finished I Timothy, but we’re going to be turning to the Book of Titus, rather than II Timothy in this lesson. The reason I am skipping over II Timothy until the next lesson is that I Timothy was written just shortly after Paul received his acquittal after his first arrest. During his first imprisonment he wrote what we call the Prison Epistles, which are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and the little letter of Philemon. Then First and Second Timothy and Titus are set apart. First Timothy is written shortly after he is out of prison, after his acquittal, and Titus is much the same instructions. only now the two men are serving in two different areas of the Roman Empire.

Timothy is holding the fort in the area of Ephesus and Asia Minor and probably over into Greece. Whereas, Titus has been left in control of things down on the Island of Crete. So when he wrote I Timothy it was much the same as he writes to Titus on how to behave in the house of God, and how to establish the shepherding aspect of the bishops and the elders and so forth. Whereas, II Timothy is going to be written during his second arrest and while he is in prison awaiting his martyrdom. So I am going to leave II Timothy until after we have spent at least one program in the little letter to Titus. The reason I am spending only a little time in Titus is so much of the language is almost identical to I Timothy. Now Titus, verse 1.

Titus 1:1a

“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth…”

Remember, I mentioned in a previous program that is one of Paul’s favorite words – truth! It is kicked around a lot lately, isn’t it? Doesn’t mean much for most people today. But, for those of us who are adherents to the Word of God, truth is everything. This is what the Apostle Paul is constantly emphasizing. Then the truth:

Titus 1:1b

“…which is after godliness;”

You have heard me over the years as I teach Grace, say that we are not under Law and that Grace is total freedom. But, I am always qualifying that it is not license. We are not just free to live like the devil because we are under Grace. Now, some people have tried to teach that and even some accuse Paul of teaching that, of which he says, we have been erroneously accused.

So, now I am going to take you to the part of Titus that I think we can almost take as the heart of this little letter. I will probably fill this lesson with this series of verses. It is in Chapter 2. We are going to skip all these requirements for the deacons and so forth and come into chapter 2, and dropping down to verse 11. If anybody thinks that Grace is license then these verses and this lesson will put that to rest.

Titus 2:11

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,”

Now that is in accordance with several other verses of Scripture, that no one will ever come before the Great White Throne and say “But, I never had a chance.” Yes, they have. How? I can’t tell you, but they have been given enough understanding that they will have no excuse as Paul says in Romans chapter one.

So this grace of God, this outpouring of an opportunity of salvation has appeared to all men. It’s not exclusive. It’s for Jew and Gentile. Black and white. Rich and poor. East and West, there are none excluded. Now then, the grace of God, contrary to what a lot of people try to make it, is not license, but it teaches us. See this? This is what the grace of God teaches us:

Titus 2:12a

“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,…”

Here again is where the freedom aspect comes in. It’s not a command that IF you do any of this you are “lost.” Not the IF you do any of this you are “doomed.” But, the admonition is that the grace of God is going to teach us to deny those things that are inappropriate now for the believer. I think it is obvious especially in our culture, that probably the number one sin of the flesh is the sin of the sexual nature. We are being bombarded. I feel so sorry for our kids, I don’t see how they stand a chance. The way they are bombarded from Hollywood and from television and from their literature and from now, the internet. But yet, we have to be aware that this is the number one thing that Scripture is constantly warning us to be against.

Come back with me now, if you will, in that light, to Galatians chapter 5 verse 17. Remember what he is just telling us, that the Grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, or appetites. Worldly appetites, or the appetites of the flesh. Alright, Galatians chapter 5, drop in at verse 17.

Galatians 5:17

“For the flesh (see there it is – the flesh) lusteth (or exercises it’s appetites) against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: (the two are not compatible) and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

In other words, you can’t just drift with the stream and be spiritual. It’s contrary to human nature, because, human nature is going to take us into the flesh. Now, verse 19, and this gets down to the nitty-gritty. What is Paul, by the inspiration of the Spirit, talking about when he says that the flesh wareth or lusteth against the Spirit?

Galatians 5:19

“Now the works (the activity) of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,”

Every one of those words is connected to what kind of sins? Sexual sins. So that is the first paragraph of the lusts of the flesh. We are being bombarded with it, and don’t ever think for a minute that it hasn’t always been that way, and it was the same way back in Old Testament times. But, now by virtue of our technology and our communications and everything, it is snowballing and most of us are more aware of it than ever before in history. Here is what the Bible says, these are the things that pertain to ungodliness and worldly appetites or lusts or desire, and it doesn’t stop there. The next category of the things of the flesh are:

Galatians 5:20

“Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,”

That is another category of the sins of the flesh. Then the next step down, even to those that are far more damaging to our fellow human beings are:

Galatian 5:21

“Envyings, (what does that lead to?) murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:…”

These are all the things that Paul calls, here in Titus, that we are to deny. We are to have nothing to do with those things.

As I was mulling this over last night, a saying came to mind that we hear from the scoffers. “Well, if I can’t do any of these things, I might as well be dead.” But you see that is foolishness, that is idiocy. Because the whole idea is that for you and I as believers, we are turning our back on that, because we have a whole eternity coming!

It is going to be SO fabulous, that these sins of the flesh are nothing but pigpen material by comparison. Yet the world can’t comprehend that. Listen, you and I have no idea of the glory and the joy and the happiness that we are going to have, not for twenty or thirty years, but forever! We have such a future ahead of us and that is why the early believers were perfectly willing to be martyred. They understood that this life had nothing compared to eternity, which is out in front of us.

Now back to Titus chapter 2 again. So, as believers we are set free by the grace of God, with no “thou shalt and thou shalt not.” None of that is upon us. We are free. But, the admonition is, deny these things that are contrary to the will of God. As we deny ungodliness and these worldly, fleshly appetites, the other side of the coin is:

Titus 2:12b

“…we should live soberly,…”

Soberly doesn’t mean that you have to go through life with a long face and can’t smile and have a good laugh. I do! There’s nothing I like better than a good laugh, Iris can tell you that. I just revel in a good laugh, and there is nothing wrong with it.

But, on the other hand, we have to understand that when it comes to the things of the Spirit, these are not frivolous. In fact, I read an article one time where someone questioned, “Why didn’t Jesus ever smile? Why didn’t He ever laugh? Why didn’t He ever say something funny? Well, it is easy. He had the burden of the sins of the world upon Him from day one. How could He make light of any of that? Well, He couldn’t. So consequently, no, we have nothing in Scripture to indicate that He told jokes, or that He laughed or anything like that. It just wouldn’t have fit.

But, for us today, that does not mean that we have to walk a life like we are tired of living. If anything, we as believers, have more to be happy about that anybody on earth. So the wordsoberly simply means that we are not frivolous. That we understand that life is serious business but on the other hand that we can certainly enjoy a good laugh. Alright the next one is:

Titus 2:12c

“… righteously,…”

I think a lot of people are afraid of that word. I have my own pet definition. It is simply “a right standing with God that we receive when we believe Paul’s Gospel for salvation.”When we are made righteous, we are made “right with God.” To live righteously then, is to live in consort with God’s desires on our behalf. That is a simple word. Righteously.

Titus 2:12d

“…and godly,…”

Now that is a small “g.” We will never become God. Never! But, we can become godlike. See? In fact when the term Christian first came up, it was a derogatory term, it was a slur, because these people were living so Christlike in the midst of their pagan communities. Well, so be it! That’s what we are to be. We are to be godly, we are to be godlike.

In fact, I was just visiting with a law officer the other night. I asked him how often do you arrest good, true, practicing Christians in your line of work? How often do you have to make a call to a violent situation that is involving Christians? The answer? Never! I asked him how often do you have to pursue Christians who are setting up an amphetamine lab? Well, never. So this is the whole difference. Christians, as I have always maintained, are good citizens. Christians are not the people that are on the police blotter every day of the week. And then the world in general thinks that we’re a detriment to society? Well, they do. And, it is going to get worse. They are going to think that we are against everything and that we’re not for anything. But, listen, this is all part and parcel of our living, soberly, righteously and godlike. Where? Now what are the next three words?

Titus 2:12e

“…in this present world.”

Not in some pie in the sky existence but right here and now, in the workplace, in our relationships with family members. We are to be living according to the grace of God with these as the hallmark of our character.

At the same time, that we are to be living godly, righteously and that which is pleasing in God’s sight, we are also to be having one eye on which direction? Upward!

Titus 2:13a

“Looking (I think that verb in the Greek is an active word. We are to be just constantly aware and looking) for the blessed hope,…”

A lot of people don’t know what that blessed hope is. But, they are going to know after they study this lesson. The blessed hope is what we call the Rapture! That one day soon, in spite of all the turmoil and all the suffering and all the hurting, we are going to out of here! Instantly!

As I explained to someone early this morning who still wanted to know some ramifications of the differences between the Second Coming and the Rapture. I told them that the Second Coming is going to follow seven years of Tribulation. The earth is going to be totally pummeled with the wrath of God. Six billion people or more are going to lose their life, in a short period of the last three and one half years. It’s going to be a world of nuclear holocaust. Volcanoes. Earthquakes. We’ve seen nothing. We are seeing the beginnings of it. But that is all leading up to the Second Coming.

Paul never says a word about that leading up to the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture is not attended with a bunch of violent upheavals. The Rapture is not introduced by great cataclysmic events but rather; what does Paul say? In the twinkling of an eye! We are suddenly gone. There will be no fanfare, no trumpets blasting, just all of a sudden the true believer will be gone, and Paul calls it “the blessed hope.”

And as you see the world falling apart in front of our eyes and we see the hopelessness and despair of so many. My you ought to hear our phone calls. Now I’m not a counselor and I tell people that constantly but, oh you ought to hear the lament of people and what they are going through. All I can say when I hang up is “Lord, come quickly!” I see more and more, people are coming under these horrible circumstances of life. But, for us, we are to be:

Titus 2:13

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing (this is not the Second Coming. This is the Rapture, when Christ comes to the air and we will meet Him in the air. So, the glorious appearing) of the great God (who is the great God?) and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

I have told a lot of people that ask how to deal with some of the people that come to your door and they refuse to admit that Jesus Christ is God. You probably know the people that I am referring to. They will not even for a second admit that Jesus Christ is God. They say, “Oh He’s a prophet of some sort, but He’s not God. Well, show them this verse. This is the only verse that I have found that they cannot walk around or turn upside down. They just look at it with a blank stare and they leave. But, look what it says. That the appearing of the great God, the God of the universe, the God of Creation, the God of eternity future, and who is it? Jesus Christ! He’s one and the same.

People have a problem with that. But, oh He IS coming! And, it is not going to be with earthquakes and warfare and all the great catastrophic events of the tribulation. No, we are going to be here one moment and gone the next! The world will hardly even blink an eye that we are gone. They are not even going to miss us. Do you know that? They are not going to miss us except maybe to say “good riddance. So, this is our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Now verse 14. Paul can’t go very far without bringing in the what? The gospel of salvation! He just can’t help it. Of course, the Holy Spirit is inspiring him, I know. But, here it comes again. This One that is our blessed hope is the One who:

Titus 2:14a

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us (or buy us back) from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,…”

Now, the world probably thinks that word peculiar means what it says in our language, and that is somebody that is odd and out of step. But that is not what the word means in Scripture. Let’s go all the way back to Exodus chapter 19. I know the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and I know that the New Testament was written in Greek, but we still come back to the English translation which means the same connotation. It’s the same definition.

Alright, Exodus chapter 19 verse 5. Remember the setting. Israel has just recently come out of Egypt. They are gathered around Mt. Sinai and Moses has gone up into the mount to converse with the Lord. And, the Lord is speaking.

Exodus 19:5

“Now therefore, (God is speaking to Moses.) if ye will obey my voice indeed, (He is speaking through Moses to the nation.) and keep my covenant, (The one He is going to give in chapter 20, the Covenant of Law.) then ye (the nation, the covenant people of Israel.) shall be a peculiar treasure…”

The word peculiar as well as how Paul uses it in Titus, is something if intrinsic value. Something that you couldn’t even put a price number on. It is just beyond imagination.And that is what Israel was to have been IF they had remained obedient to God’s commandments. All the promises of God were laid out in front of them. But in their unbelief they dropped it. Now come back to Titus and we have the same word that speaks of us as believers. This is something that you can just lock in and say that’s me! That’s us!

Titus 2:14a

“Who gave himself for us, (He died on that cross. Arose from the dead.) that he might redeem us (Buy us back from that slave market of sin. To redeem us) from all iniquity, (The same things that Paul refers to back there in verse 12. That we have been bought back from all of that stuff. We have been rescued from it.) and purify unto himself a peculiar people…”

A called out people, just like Israel was called out of Egypt. Set aside as God’s covenant people, in a particular role above all the rest of the nations of the world. That’s where you and I are to be as believers! The Body of Christ is a called out people! We are a peculiar people. Not that we are odd but that we are of intrinsic value. We’ve been bought with the greatest price in all of eternity, the blood of Christ! So read on. That He might purify unto himself a peculiar people and as such we are to be:

Titus 2:14b

“…zealous of (what?) good works.” Not that works are going to save us, but because we have been saved, NOW we are to have energy and ambition to perform good works in response to what God has accomplished on our behalf. Now verse 15.

Titus 2:15a

“These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all (what?) authority….” Where did he get that authority? Come back to Romans chapter 11 verse 13 and this is the basis for his authority. I never thought much of it, but years ago Jerry Pool said “I’ve never seen that verse before. Repeat it and repeat it and repeat it!” So here it is!

Romans 11:13a

“For I speak to you Gentiles, in as much as I am the apostle of the Gentiles,…”

 

Through the Bible with Les Feldick

LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 45

I Timothy 2:8 – 6:20 – Part 2

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all your kind letters and it just thrills our heart when we can read how the Lord is touching lives. Because we realize that we are just common ordinary cattle ranchers and yet the Lord has seen fit to use us.

We are starting this lesson with I Timothy chapter 6 verse 1 and a lot of you are going to say, “Why did you skip chapter 5?” Well, chapter 5 deals with a lot of things that were paramount in Paul’s day but are not that pertinent for us today, because it deals primarily with widows. I guess Iris and I got a glimpse of what this chapter is talking about when we were in Haiti. You have to realize that in these cultures where there is no welfare program, and no social security program, then the family is totally responsible for taking care of those who are unable to work. Those who can’t work or don’t have jobs or widows.

So the gentleman we went to minister with for that week or ten days had what he called, a Widow’s House. To be honest with you, most of you wouldn’t let your dog stay where those widows lived. It was pitiful and yet they were thrilled to death to at least have a roof over their heads, because they had no family. They had no one to take care of them and rather than just be out on the street, this pastor and his group brought them in and gave them just enough food, you might say, to exist.

It was pitiful and heartbreaking. Well, you see, that was the situation in Paul’s day. They had no safety net and when these people would end up with no family, they would be destitute. So, the Church had the responsibility to take care of these women who were left as legitimate widows. But, human nature being what it is, what was the danger? Somebody was going to milk the system. So there had to be some guidelines to prevent that and to make sure that widows who were genuinely, as he says, widows indeed, would be taken care of.

You can read this chapter, all of you, at your leisure, where again Paul just simply lays down some guidelines for Timothy as to how to handle these women who would need the help of the local Church. Now today, it’s not that paramount, because we have all these other safety nets, as we call them. Now, let’s just go in to I Timothy chapter 6 and I am also looking at trying to finish the pastoral letters in this book number 45, so that when we start with book 46 soon, I’ll be ready for the Book of Hebrews. A lot of folks are looking forward to that and I am as well.

I Timothy 6:1a

“Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour,…”

Here again, this is something that we have nothing to do with because slavery was part and parcel of the ancient world. As hard as it is to believe, Christianity did not abolish it as quickly as we think they should have. So, slavery was still part and parcel of their economy. But, again Paul admonishes masters as well as the servants to adhere to their Christian principles. So, he wrote, servants if you are under the yoke count your masters worthy of all honour:

I Timothy 6:1b-6:2a

“…that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are (what?) brethren;…”

Now, the perfect example is, of course, the little letter to Philemon. Because Philemon was a slave master and Onesimus was one of the slaves that had run away. We will probably touch on that in our next few lessons, but all of these various levels of society were still one in Christ. Now reading on in verse 2.

I Timothy 6:2b

“…but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.”

I have made comment about this before. Why did God sanction slavery in the first place? You want to remember, we are so programmed to our Western culture, that unless you are a student of history you are prone to not realize that all the way up through antiquity, the masses had no education. They had no technical prowess, or anything like that. So the only place they could function would be under the control of peers that were craftsmen and so forth. They couldn’t handle it on their own.

But, in everything that God ever introduced even though it was good, as He intended it, what did sinful men do with it? Well, they adulterated it. And, instead of masters being benevolent and taking care of their servants, what did they do? They took advantage of them and they abused them and they tortured them, and all these things. That is not God’s fault. That’s sinful men.

Had it worked as God intended it, you see, those uneducated masses would have had it far better under the control of those who had the where with all to read and write and transact business. So, always take those things into consideration and don’t just give it a blanket condemnation by thinking, why in the world did God every permit slavery? Had it been done the way God would have done it and had been done benevolently, it would have been not so bad. We are, of course, not used to it whatsoever, so we don’t see anything good in it. Now verse 3.

I Timothy 6:3

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;”

I imagine when it comes to our relationship with our fellow human beings, if you were to go back to the words of the Lord Jesus, and in a nutshell, what one statement did Jesus give that would have taken care of all these abuses of mankind? Yes! The Golden Rule. Jesus spoke it. He said “the greatest of the commandments was love your neighbor as your self.” That’s what we call the Golden Rule. Do unto your neighbor as you would have him do unto us!

You see, if that were done, everything would go along fairly smooth. But, mankind doesn’t do it so Paul is thinking here that if they would listen to the words of the Lord Jesus and to the doctrine which was His according to godliness, then the human race wouldn’t have all of these problems.

He’s talking about someone who would teach otherwise. False teachers again. So, now he describes the false teachers, here in verse 4, and it’s quite a description. Do you realize how much of the New Testament denounces false teaching? The whole letter of Jude. The whole chapter of II Peter chapter 3, II Timothy chapter 3 all denounce false teaching. On top of that, it is sprinkled throughout all of Paul’s letters; Romans, Corinthians and all the rest of them. So a good portion of our New Testament is a denunciation of false teachings. We are supposed to be aware of it. Alright, here is another one, these false teachers are proud, as we see in verse 4.

I Timothy 6:4-5a

“He is proud, knowing nothing, (ring a bell?) but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railing, evil surmisings, 5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds,…”

I don’t get involved in politics and I don’t use this as a bully pulpit for politics, but my goodness can’t you see it in here? How they can twist and attack the truth and make it sound as though this is what’s good for the country? Well, it’s the way the human race has always been and Paul is warning us to not be taken in by these kinds of men.

I Timothy 6:5b

“… and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness;…” Boy, does that ring a bell? A sign of your spirituality is your checking account? That’s not God’s way, but it’s the way of the false teachers. Then:

I Timothy 6:5c

“…from such withdraw thyself.”

When people call and tell me about some of these things or what they may be hearing from their pulpit, I will be honest with you. Do you know what I tell them? I said, “Run! Run from it. Don’t even sit there and contemplate it when it is so far afield from the Word of God. Don’t try to rationalize that maybe it’s alright if you go back there. No, you run from it because that is what Paul tells us! He says, don’t be taken in by these false teachers.” Reading on, verse 6.

I Timothy 6:6

“But godliness (that which pertains to a true Christian experience) with contentment is great gain.”

Do you know what is part and parcel of our whole Western culture today? That you are never to be satisfied unless you can get more and more and more. The whole idea of Madison Avenue advertising, is to make us think that we just have to have “that.” I can’t live until I get “that.” But see, Paul teaches us the opposite. We are to be content with such as we have because that, if it is with godliness, is of great gain. Now, verse 7.

I Timothy 6:7

“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

That’s true isn’t it? We brought nothing into this world, not even a suit of clothes. And it is a settled fact that we are going to take nothing out. Let’s remember that. All that we accumulate is going to be left behind.

I am always reminded of a gentleman when we were still farming in Iowa. He had an abstract office in the same office where my insurance man was located. I was in one day dealing with some insurance and we got to talking about some of the wealthy families in the community. This old fellow in the abstract office said, “You know, I have been in this business now for sixty some years. And, I know just about everybody for miles around. Do you know that I cannot name one family that settled their estate without a knock down, drag out fight?”

Quite a statement. And, you know, it’s so true. Very seldom can a family settle a large estate and have everybody on speaking terms when it is all done. Just think about it. This is what Paul is dealing with. Don’t get so hung up with wealth. There is nothing wrong with wealth. We know a lot of wealthy people. Iris and I stay with people, all the way from the top of the heap to the mundane. There is nothing wrong with wealth. But, it’s our attitude toward it. See? That’s what we are going to see a few verses later. Now verse 9.

I Timothy 6:9

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, (or desire) which drown men in destruction and perdition.

We know some wealthy people that have beautiful families. They haven’t been usurped with what wealth can do. In fact, one family closer than you like to think, we have admonished their kids that we are so proud of them, that their Dad’s wealth hasn’t affected them. But you know, many times it does affect them.

Iris and I can just rehearse family after family who came into all kinds of wealth and their kids end up in the drug culture. They end up marrying the most ungodly people. And we often think, if they wouldn’t have had all that wealth, it probably wouldn’t have happened.

But, there is nothing wrong with wealth in itself. It’s how we handle it. Alright, then come on down to verse 10, the verse that everybody misquotes. “For money is the root of all evil.” No, that is not what it says. What does it say? The LOVE of money. There is a big difference. When money takes us over and it becomes our first love, yes, it is going to be the root of a lot of evil. Money in itself can be used to glorify God and to enhance God’s kingdom. But, it can so easily take someone the other direction.

I Timothy 6:10a

“For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted….”

Now why do you suppose the Spirit prompted Paul to use the word covet? Let’s go back to see what the Scripture says. Let’s go all the way back to Romans chapter 7 verse 7.

Romans 7:7

“What shall we say then? Is the law (the Ten Commandments) sin? (Is it wrong? Is it evil?) God forbid. Nay, I have not known sin, (in other words, that was the purpose of the Law, to define sin for what it really is.) but by the law: for I had not known lust, (here it is, what he is dealing with in Timothy – desire for earthly things) except the law had said, Thou shalt not (what?) covet.”

When we were teaching this chapter verse by verse, if you have a real good sharp memory, do you remember the statement that I made? Do you know that you cannot break a single commandment, unless you do what first? Lust. Now I won’t explain it in this lesson, but you think about it for the next 24 hours. What law of God can you break without lusting first? And, that is why I think he uses it back here in Timothy, this whole idea of coveting just opens up a can of worms.

When you begin to covet this, you covet that and covet, covet, covet! And, it just overwhelms people. They can’t control it. We are living in that kind of society today so, it is a constant admonition from Scriptures to look out, be careful. Now back to I Timothy chapter 6 verse 10.

I Timothy 6:10

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Not because of the wealth itself, but it was because of the love of it and they are coveting things whereby they could use their wealth. Now verse 11.

I Timothy 6:11

“But thou, O man of God, (what’s the admonition? Run! Run from these things) flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, (there’s those two out of the three again. Faith, hope and charity. See here’s two of them again.) patience, meekness”

Now verse 12. I don’t know if people even know what I’m talking about any more, but I will use the term “milk toast.” We are not be a “milk toast.” Well, what is milk toast.? It’s something that is just squishy. It just doesn’t have any substance. We are not to be that! We are not to just be milk toast! We are to have stamina.

And, the very first word of the next verse is what? Fight! You don’t fight if you are letting everybody walk on you. So we stand up and let the world know where we are. So, we are to:

I Timothy 6:12a

“Fight the good fight of faith,…”

That takes some doing! That is not something that comes to you sitting in your easy chair. To fight means that you are out there expending some energy and all that is within you. We are to do all of this for the sake of the Gospel.

I Timothy:12b

“… lay hold on eternal life, (not the things of this world, but the things that are eternal) whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

In other words, Timothy having now known Paul for 20 or 22 years, had evidently never failed the apostle. There had been all kinds of opportunity. You want to remember that everywhere Paul went, he was a marked man. And if Paul was a marked man, who also was? The men with him! That is why he says in II Timothy that all have forsaken him, except Luke. Why? Because they feared for their life.

Paul was a marked man everywhere he went. It was not a bed of roses. So Timothy evidently held true, in spite of all of the pressures to have said that he didn’t want to be seen with this guy because I don’t want to end up in prison because I was with Paul. But, Paul never gives a word of condemnation about this young man Timothy. Now verse 13.

I Timothy 6:13a

“I give thee charge…”

That word “charge” again, is loaded. Do you know what that really means? Timothy, I am passing over all the responsibility that has been on my shoulders and I am giving it to you. Young man Timothy, that is how much I respect your faith. I give thee charge :

I Timothy 6;13b

“…in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;”

It is interesting, isn’t it, that very seldom does Paul repeat things that part and parcel are in the four gospels. Paul never alludes to Bethlehem as such. He never alludes to Christ’s time before Pilate and all of these things, but here is one where he does. Here is where he makes it known that he knew all about that which was written back there in the four gospels. And, so this Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession:

I Timothy 6:14

“That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until (when) the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Which again indicates, when did Paul think the Lord would come for the Church? For a long time he thought it was in his lifetime. Now, I think he is beginning to see that it may go a little beyond that but he certainly thought it would be in Timothy’s lifetime. Isn’t that something? He honestly thought that the Lord would be coming back in Timothy’s lifetime, if not in his own. Remember, that would have been very plausible. He is only 40 and in the next 30 years, Paul honestly thought that the Lord would return.

Alright, so he says maintain all of this until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now verse 15. Here we see Paul use some Sovereign titles for the Lord Jesus that he does not teach throughout all of his writings. But, nevertheless they are so appropriate in showing again who Christ really is.

I Timothy 6:15

“Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, (the Supreme supreme) the King of kings, (which you only see in one other place that I am aware of – Revelation 19) and Lord of lords:”

Paul puts that same title on Him. But, other than that, he never uses it. He is not the King of kings to the Church per se. He is the King of kings to the world in general and the end time setting up of the Kingdom. And, as Revelation puts it, he is Lord of lords. So he is in full accord with what John writes in the Book of Revelation. Now verse 16, again, a further description of who Christ really is!

I Timothy 6:16

“Who only (as the eternal Creator God) hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, (I will cover this in detail when we get to Hebrews chapter 1, this God that no man has seen. Then we say that I thought Christ was God and people saw Him. Well, we are going to explain that when we get to Hebrews.) nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”

Oh, the pre-eternal, the future-eternal God of Glory epitomized in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Now verse 17, again he comes back and says:

I Timothy 6:17a

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches,…”

Now we all know that from the Depression of 29 and the 30’s that a lot of wealthy people lost it all. They jumped out of the 10th and 12th floor windows. But we can never trust the things of this world. We can trust:

I Timothy 6:17b

“…but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”

Now, that doesn’t mean that we are going to have everything we would like to have, does it? But listen, we are going to have all we need. See that is why I maintain that God isn’t duty bound to give us everything we ask for. Don’t ever send me $100.00 with the idea you will get $1,000.00 back. I will never tell you that. Never. Because that is putting God in debt. That is putting God in a box, and I will never be a part of that. But I can tell you the promises that God will give unto you richly everything that you need for your daily life. Then he says:

I Timothy 6:18-20

“That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 20. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust,…”

Do you see the admonition, and the pleading?