The Sunday School Lesson

II TIM. 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Je'sus.

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.

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Je'sus Christ.

4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Je'sus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; 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 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

HEART OF THE LESSON

Paul wrote the epistle of 11 Timothy to encourage Timothy, who was the pastor at Ephesus. The ministry can be difficult, particularly for a young pastor.

1. A conduit of truth (II Tim. 2:1-3). Paul advised Timothy to be strong in the grace of Christ From the beginning the gospel has been opposed by those who feel that human works must have a central place in salvation. It is essential that a pastor have a solid grasp and commitment to salvation by grace atone, a strong emphasis in Paul's theology.

Paul further advised Timothy to entrust the teachings he had received from Paul to his own disciples, who would then faithfully pass them on to disciples of their own. It is vital for act to teaching to be faithfully passed on in a consistent manner to new believers.

Paul compared serving Christ to a military commitment. He encouraged Timothy to endure hardships. A soldier is expected to be able to endure a variety of difficult situations in order to gain victory. In the same way, a disciple must be prepared to endure great difficulties in faithfully serving Christ. As Paul explained in Ephesians 6, the Christian is involved in a spiritual war.

2. Timothy's charge (II Tim. 4:1-2). In light of the fact that there will be a final judgment of all mankind, Paul charged Timothy to preach the Word of God, the Scriptures. The Bible needs to be the central text of the pastor's message. Not only that, but preaching must be the central task of the pastor's responsibilities.

Timothy needed to be ready to present the message of Christ at all times, whether it was humanly convenient or not. The central message must always be at the pastor's side, ready to be delivered, whether formally or informally

Paul listed three aspects of the responsibilities of preaching. The first aspect, reproof. was for correcting error. The listeners must be confronted with the complete truth of the message of the Scriptures with the intention of correcting errors and misconceptions they might have about God and salvation.

Paul also included the need for Timothy to rebuke his hearers when necessary. People do not like to hear that they have sinned. The pastor must expose sin for what it is and show that God will judge it. Before a person can understand the need for salvation, he must see himself as a sinner.

Finally, Paul instructed Timothy to encourage the people. It is important to lift up a pension who is discouraged and praise him when he is on the right track.

Timothy was to carry out his responsibilities with patient persistence and solid teaching.

3. The future rejection of the truth (II Tim. 4:3- 5). The reason that solid preaching and teaching is so important is that it will be the aspect of ministry that will be most often threatened by the whims of the people. Paul warned of a time when sound doctrine would be rejected in favor of pleasing messages that would appeal to the pleasures of the listeners.

The day was coming, Paul wrote, when the people will flock to false teachers, who will make them feel good about themselves as they listen to fabricated stories rather than the Word of God The people will embrace what they want to hear but will reject what they need to hear.

QUESTIONS

1. Besides salvation, how does God's grace help us?

2. Why was it important for Timothy to teach others? Why must we do the same?

3. Besides the soldier, what other figures did Paul use for God's people. Why do you think he used the soldier here?

4. What was the "word" (II Tim. 4:2) Timothy was called upon to preach?

5. What is meant by "instant in season, out of season"?

(Reprinted by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press, P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio, 44101)